Experiences and local guides in Rurrenabaque

Nature

Rurrenabaque sits on the eastern bank of the Beni River, just after the river cuts through the Bala gorge, the last canyon of the Andean foothills, and enters the Amazon plain; San Buenaventura lies on the opposite bank. To the west stretches the Madidi National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area, about 1.9 million hectares ranging from roughly 200 to almost 6,000 m above sea level, with more than 1,000 bird species recorded. To the north-east, the Pampas del Yacuma are seasonally flooded savannas with lagoons and gallery forest, home to the Bolivian pink river dolphin, caimans and capybaras.

Activities

• Pampas del Yacuma in 2 or 3 days: about 3 hours by road to Santa Rosa, then by boat along the Yacuma River to see river dolphins, caimans, capybaras, squirrel monkeys, turtles and birds such as the hoatzin
• Madidi rainforest: boat trips up the Beni and Tuichi rivers to lodges run by Tacana communities and by San José de Uchupiamonas, between 40 minutes and about 5 hours away depending on the lodge
• Guided day and night walks on forest trails, with Indigenous guides who explain medicinal plants and animal tracks; easy to moderate, in heat and high humidity
• Cliffs on the Tuichi River where macaws nest, and paddle canoe trips on forest lagoons to look for caimans and waterbirds
• Birdwatching in the foothills near San José de Uchupiamonas, reached by road via Tumupasa, with more than 500 species recorded in the area
• La Cruz viewpoint above town, overlooking the Beni River and San Buenaventura at sunset

When to go

The dry season, May to October, is best for the pampas: the Yacuma drops and wildlife gathers along its banks, while the forest has less mud and fewer mosquitoes. Between May and August, surazos, cold southerly winds, can lower temperatures for a few days. From November to April it rains heavily, the pampas flood, the road from La Paz gets slower and flights may be delayed.

How to get there

Rurrenabaque airport (RBQ), a few kilometres from the centre, has flights from La Paz-El Alto (LPB) of about 40 to 50 minutes; rain, fog or smoke from forest fires can cause delays. By road, buses from La Paz take about 14 to 16 hours in the dry season, mostly overnight, via Caranavi and Yucumo. Madidi lodges are reached by boat, and the pampas by 4x4 to Santa Rosa.