Rurrenabaque
Get in[edit]You can get to Rurrenabaque from La Paz via bus, plane or shared taxis. It is also possible to get to Rurrenabaque from middle towns such as Coroico and Caranavi via public buses. By bus[edit]There are daily buses to and from La Paz. The journey varies on duration. The route La Paz - Rurrenabaque takes between 16 to 18 hours (with a 45 minutes stop for dinner in Caranavi town). In the other hand, the route Rurrenabaque - La Paz takes between 12-14 hours. Price for each route starts at 70 Bs per person. The buses have basic comfort and if you're taller than 180 cm you may feel like there isn't much space to put your legs. One of the bus companies is named Turbus Total the adress is Virgen del Carmen 1372 (phone 22600445). To get there take a Minibus (2 Bs) to Villa Fatima (from San Francisco Church approx. 30 mins). The office is in a corner of this street (same as other companies) and not at the Bus Terminal of Villa Fatima! You can break the trip in Coroico, which is only 3 hours from La Paz although this is about half an hour off the main road. On a part of the road from La Paz to Coroico a new road has been opened at the end of 2006, and the old 'death road' is now only for bikers. The new road is currently under construction and most of its parts are built on pavement. If you are driving your own car to Rurrenabaque, keep in mind that some parts of this road change the driving direction (like in the UK or Australia). This is to provider a wider visual area for the vehicles going up the road, so it's safer for them and the rest. There are also daily buses to Riberalta and Guayará-Mirim. Inquire about departure times at the bus terminal; they vary wildly. During the rainy season, this road is virtually impassable, and trips may take up to six days. When the road's in good condition, Rurrenabaque-Riberalta should take about 12 hours, and Guayará another two. There are two offices on Avaroa offering jeep services to nearby towns and even La Paz (US$25 and only 12 hours). Also you can see all the information about bus travel in [1] a travel guide is very useful for travel in Bolivia. By plane[edit]A tarmac strip outside town is the main airport. In case it's flooded companies use the landing strip at Reyes, about 30 mins. away. There are daily connections to La Paz, but cancellations or delays are common, especially in the rainy season.
Their website doesn't seem to work correctly (October 2019), If you want to book a flight, it is better to go to their office or a travel agency in Sagárnaga st. in La Paz. Don't forget to reconfirm your flight on the day before, and also on the day you fly. It is possible to pay using a credit card with no extra charge. If you're going east or north from Rurrenabaque there's a flight with TAM from Reyes to the cities of San Borja, Trinidad, Riberalta and Guayará-Mirim (on the border with Brazil). See & Do[edit]
Events, festivities: The 2nd of February: Fiesta de Rurre - Anniversary of Rurrenabaque - The day of La Virgen de Candelaria. Tours[edit]There are about 20 tour companies offering jungle and pampas trips, the main attractions around Rurre. The Price to take the tour depends on the tour you are taking. The prices of Pampas and Jungle tours varies. Very common is the price 1100 Bs for the 3 days. This does NOT include the 200 Bs you must pay to enter the Madidi National Park and 150 bs to enter the Pampas area. Everyone flies or buses to get to Rurrenabaque. Most lodges in Madidi are located 3 hours away from Rurrenabaque. But if you want to go to Pampas, it takes 3 hours by jeep followed by 2 hours average by boat. All washrooms (toilets, sinks and showers) go right into the ground. Mashaquipe's Eco-lodges' effluent passes through 4 tanks so it has a degree of tratement. Electricity to get water to the kitchen and washroom is from a diesel generator, and so are the lights and power sockets for charging batteries. The only thing different about the eco-friendly trips are you don't feed the monkeys and you don't touch a alligator. The monkeys survived the lack of food when the Pampas area was destroyed by fire by getting fed by the locals and tourists so they are quite used to people. The best time to visit is in the dry (and high) season when most wildlife is attracted to the river for water, the walking trails are less muddy and there are fewer mosquitoes. Choosing who to go with is not easy as most offers seem to be pretty much the same, and much is up to the guide, cooker and boat driver that happens to work during your tour. A piece of good advice is to choose one of the community based options such as Mashaquipe, San Miguel del Bala, Berraco del Madidi[7], Chalalán, San Louis Grande[8], and Mapajo, all in the rain forest. As you stay in one of these community based Eco-Lodges you are sure to do true eco-tourism and at the same time help the indigenous people to survive economically and culturally, and to protect the natural resources where they live. Jungle Tours[edit]It's possible to stay between one and 30 days in the jungle. Mostly tours have lodging facilities along the Beni and Tuichi Rivers, but you can also go for a trekking and camp in the jungle. Good guides can tell you about the properties of the different plants and trees and let you taste some of the fruits. To spot wildlife you have to be lucky, most of the animals prefer to stay hidden in the dense forest. A night walk to reveal the nocturnal life is the best chance to see some. Tour prices usually don't include park entrance (Bs200) and a fee to stay in a community (Bs50). For a perfect combination of culture and nature stay in one of the community based Eco-Lodges, such as Mashaquipe, San Louis Grande (Mosetén), Berraco del Madidi (Quechua-Tacanas), San Miguel del Bala (Tacanas), Chalalán (Quechua-Tacanas) or Mapajo (Tsiman-Mosetén). La Magdalena Ecolodge`is another option to take contact with nature in a private ranch with a comfortable hostal in the middle of jungle, see: butterflymadidi.com. Tucan Ecolodge is another option to take contact with nature in a tours in the Tuichi Rivers. Since a few years there is a governmental minimum price for jungle tours of Bs1200. Especially in the off season it still is possible to settle on a lower price nevertheless, especially for groups of four or more. If you're interested in seeing conservation work first hand, check out Serere Sanctuary, a private reserve operated by Madidi Travel. The team behind it was instrumental in establishing Madidi National Park in the 1990s. Madidi Travel opened the 4000 hectare park in 1998, to allow visitors to appreciate the restored biodiversity, while generating income for their conservation work to continue. Before the reserve was opened an extensive rehabilitation project was carried out involving; reforestation and the recovering of lakes from invasion plants, the creation of infrastructure to support sustainable tourism, agroforestry, and reintroduction of rescued animals. Now the group works with the neighboring indigenous community to ensure the continued protection of Serere, and community lands, from on-going threats such as logging and hunting. As a result of their conservation efforts, abundant fauna can be found in Serere, including endangered species such as jaguars, black caimans, anacondas, and many varieties of birds. Touristic operations at Serere are maintained at a small scale, there are nine lodges which house an average of 15 – 30 tourists, and guides handle a maximum of six tourists to minimize thier impact. Madidi Travel also accepts volunteers for short or long term stays, to assist within a variety of aspects of their operations, or specific projects. If you are interested in learning jungle survival skills then Quiquibey Tours (San Louis Grande)[9] is a good option offering extended (up to 21 day) jungle survival courses and/or cultural immersion. These extended immersion journeys are a very unique experience. There are also volunteer opportunities to assist within a variety of aspects of their operations, or specific projects. If you are looking to go deeper into the Amazon but with a little extra comfort, then you can take a look on Yuruma Journeys as they run tours in a pristine area away from most tour operators in Rurrenabaque. You can sleep in Tree-Tents and explore with small groups (up to 6 travelers) or request a private tour which is not so expensive if you're traveling with your couple. Pampas Tours[edit]For watching wildlife opt for a pampas tour. Among animals you might see are six different species of Crocodilian (more species than any other region in the world is home to), including the giant black caiman. There are turtles, all three species of anaconda, pink dolphins, capybaras, monkeys, giant ant-eaters, porcupines, toucans, blue and yellow macaws, and even jaguars. A number of native guides in the Pampas region are known for their snake-wrangling skills, and will catch poisonous snakes barehanded while on an excursion. Bird watchers are attracted equally to the Pampas and the Jungle, whereas entomologists tend to prefer the jungle tours, which offer a better selection of insect life, most notably butterflies. One of the unique experiences to be had in the Pampas region is swimming with pink river dolphins. The dolphins are very sociable, and will often approach the sound of a motorboat, eager to interact with the people. Because the water is darkly stained and impenetrable by sight, many people experience anxiety when touched by the dolphins, because they can't be seen underwater. For most, however, it is a thrilling experience. The dolphins greatly enjoy interacting with humans, and will each behave according to its own unique personality. Some are very gentle, and others enjoy the reactions they elicit by gently nipping a toe, or forcefully splashing the water directly behind a person. The dolphins did not interact with anyone. When you got into the water the dolphins would continue to surface to get air then go back underwater for up to 10 mins. The closer you got to the dolphins the further they'd swim. Occasionally you would get bumped by one if you were off by yourself and very still but this is not interaction. Do not expect the dolphins to do anything different they just continue to look for food and if too many tour stop in the same area, the dolphins leave. the pampas tours have become very popular and touristic during the high season and have the potential to cause damage to the wild life in the small river Rio Yacuma. The tours are usually done by motor boats that can cause fatal injuries to pink river dolphins. Competent and ethical guides will know which sections of the river be extra careful in. Also, you should make sure that your guide is not showing you pre-trapped animals kept in inhumane living conditions, or letting anybody wearing sunscreen or repellent touch the animals. {I spoke with many people at the sunsets every tour goes to the football field/volleyball court/bar to watch the sunset, and nothing even close to pre-trapped animals was possible. Everyone did the exact same thing go up and down the river seeing different animals. The Anaconda walks for the most part were failures, meaning only one group saw an anaconda and it was about 50 cm longs, all the other animals were seen from the boat on the river} Only the river and riverbanks have wildlife, quite often we saw cows and horses because their grazing fields are only 50 meters from the bank. Don't think you are going into the jungle, you are going down a river with about 20 meters of brush on both sides. There are 1000s of alligators, 100s of capybara and all sorts of birds and other animals but you will not be in the jungle. Tour operators[edit]
Buy[edit][add listing]A New ATM has just opened but like everywhere don´t count to much on the machine because it sometimes will run out of money. Prodem (commercio s/n) gives cash advances on Visa and Mastercard credit cards with 5% commision. There are several places to change dollars or cash travellers checks. Moskkito also change euros and claim they have the best rates in town.
Eat[edit][add listing]
Paititi on Vaca Diez, between Avaroa and Bolivar. Great food. Also wifi access.
Fantastic Tunesian ! cook create French, Italian and Arab cuisine. Main courses round 50-70 Bol
Drink[edit][add listing]
Fantastic Tunesian ! cook create French, Italian and Arab cuisine. Main courses round 50-70 Bol
Sleep[edit][add listing]
Cope[edit]There are a number of laundry services in Rurre, none of which are particularly recommended. (Lavanderia Number One has previously been recommended as being friendly, but they are known to have miscoloured their customers' clothes.) There are around 10 establishments offering internet facilities in the town, all of which charge Bs8 for a fairly slow connection (chat clients and Skype can be used however). Ask your tour guide before buying mosquito repellent, it does make a difference which kind you have. Stay safe[edit]Be aware of the guides - there have been many incidents of theft and physical abuse on the pampas and jungle tours. Some of them are professinoal thiefs and liars. Do not lend or give anyone money - there will be no way of getting it back. They usually invent a story about ill family members that need medication or something similar to make the Gringos feel guilty. Single girls beware of "nice" guides - they spend one night with you and find a way of sqeezing out the money. Get out[edit]There are three main ways to enter and exit Rurrenabaque. Buses travel south to La Paz from the bus terminal on a daily basis, usually leaving around 06:00 PM. It is wise to purchase tickets at least a day in advance. The price is approximately $US10 and the journey to La Paz, stopping at Caranavi and Corico can take over a day depending on weather conditions. It is advisable to take food and water supplies, although meal stops do take place. The Bolivian buses have a reputation for being unsafe and the ones on this route are no exception. The vehicles are often poorly maintained and the drivers are often appalling, sometimes have been known to drink and drive. Because you are travelling from the altiplano to the Amazon Basin (or vice versa) the road is very bendy. It is also mostly single track with very steep drops, has a poor surface and can become impassable during wet conditions. Many crashes occur on the road, including vehicles tumbling over the cliff. The more expensive ($US105) way to enter or exit Rurrenabaque is by flying. There are two airlines both of which have ticket offices in Rurrenabaque town center. The airlines are Amaszonas, which operates numerous daily flights, and TAM, who have one flight a day. TAM, run by the Bolivian military, operates slightly larger planes and are on the cheaper end of the scale, where as Amazonas tend to be slightly more expensive but more regular. The flight to La Paz takes between 25 minutes and 55 minutes. Amaszonas now have at least one big plane ie one with a lot more than 20 seats. This one takes 25 minutes where as the smaller Amaszonas planes take 40 minutes. Both companies offer a shuttle bus between the airport and the town centre. Amaszonas bus costs 10Bs per journey. There are usually many moto-taxis that meet the flights and they charge a similar price for the trip as the airline buses. The Rurre airport is very small but the runway is tarmac. You have to pay taxes 2 x 7Bs (one for the airport and one for the municipality) once you have your boarding pass ready to leave Rurre. It is worth noting that various atmospheric conditions often lead to the delay of flights, including smoke from forest burning, low cloud cover and heavy rain. Services are more reliable out of the rainy season.
|
|
