Southern Beni
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Another route into Beni department is via the lowland road between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.
Puerto Villarroel
From here cargo boats ply irregularly to Trinidad taking between four and 10 days. You can get information from the Port Captain's notice board, or ask at the docks. There are only a few cheap and very basic places to sleep in town, and there are very few stores.
By boat to Trinidad
Boats sail between Puerto Villarroel, Trinidad and GuayaramerÃn, taking passengers and cargo. In the rainy season when the river is high it takes approximately three to five days to Trinidad, which involves only 45 hours of actual sailing, but boats stop from sunset to sunrise. In the dry season (May to December), the trip may last eight to 10 days. At this time the river is lower, cleaner and there may be more animals to see on the shore, but there may not be any boats if the water level is too low. It is another five days sailing from Trinidad to GuayaramerÃn. Be warned though, this trip is only for the hardy traveller.
Conditions on board are very basic, kitchens are beyond description as are toilet facilities. Take your own drinking water, or water sterilizing tablets, as the water served is taken from the river. Supplement the diet with fruit and any other interesting food you can find beforehand. The countryside between Puerto Villarroel and Trinidad is more or less cultivated, with plantations of bananas and cattle ranches. Among the wildlife you may see are
petas
- small turtles basking in the sun - capybara, river dolphin, jumping fish and many types of birds. A mosquito net is a must, a hammock a good idea, and binoculars for watching the wildlife a useful extra. Check with the locals before bathing in the river.
This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF