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NAME: Rod North & Anne Luard
rodnorth@calara.fsnet.co.uk
DATES:
02 August 1999 - 26 August 1999
EXCHANGE:
1$US = 5.79Bs
WEATHER:
Hot in the Amazon getting colder with altitude. Bloody cold in La Paz and Lake Titicaca at
night.
TERRAIN:
Hot sticky jungles, very flat to very high mountains. In fact just about every climate on
the planet can be found somewhere in Bolivia.
TRIP RATING:10
COUNTRY:
Bolivia
ROUTE:
Guayaramerin -> Riberalta. Shared taxi. 25Bs. 1 hr. A really
dodgy road, but nothing compared with what's ahead. The bus takes 3 hours. Some of the
bridges have to be rebuilt before you can cross - interesting!
Riberalta -> Rurrenabaque. Bus - Flota Yungueña. 130Bs. 17 hrs.
There are probably worse roads than this in the world, but not many. Second
gear was a luxury. There was only one stop on the whole trip (only one place to stop - the
Sheraton complete with pigs and communal toilets - lovely!) and just to round things off
nicely we were dropped off at Rurrenabaque at 4.30 am in the pitch dark with no power on.
There was only one company running this route hence the high price.
Rurrenabaque -> Caranavi. Bus - Turbus Totai. 40Bs. 12 hrs.
Into the mountains now, a slight improvement in the road, but not much. Just
managed to arrive in time before all the hotels closed for the night.
Caranavi -> Coroico via Yolosa. Bus/Camionetta - Transportes del Norte. 22.50Bs
4 hrs. The first really scary road, some spectacular scenery and interesting
meeting points with the many camiones coming the other way. Change to a Camionetta at
Yolosa for the last 20 mins. Watch that you don't get dropped off here at night as there's
no accommodation to speak of.
Coroico - La Paz. Bus - Torbus Totai. 15Bs. 5 hrs. Was the most
dangerous road in the world - now one way working, which makes it slightly less so.
La Paz -> Copacabana. Bus - Transportes Manco Capac. 12Bs + 1.30Bs for the
ferry. 3.5 hrs. Terrific scenery as you approach Copacabana.
Copacabana -> Isla del Sol. Boat - Grace Tours. 10Bs each way. 1.5
hrs All the boats on this run are really naff, but they get you where you're going OK and
are a lot more reasonable than the hydrofoils which really spoil everything.
Copacabana -> Kasani (for Puno & Peru). Kombi. 2Bs. 15 mins.
Walk across the border, get a taxi to Yunguyo and a bus to Puno. Don't bother with
the through buses, too expensive
HOTELS:
Hotels. All prices are for double rooms unless stated.
Guayaramerin. Hotel Plaza Anexo, on the Plaza. 50Bs. Twin room, fan,
bathroom. Basic but OK.
Riberalta. Hotel Commercial Lazo. 60Bs. Fan, bathroom. Excellent value. Self
contained room with own front door, some effort to furnish the room. Clean & friendly.
Rurrenabaque. Hostal Beni. 30Bs. Twin room. Modern. Caranavi.
Hotel Caranavi, Av Mcal. Santa Cruz. 30Bs. Twin room. Springy beds,
dirty sheets! Good breakfast in cafe downstairs. Friendly.
Coroico. Hostel Uchumachi, on the Plaza. 30Bs. Twin room. No lock on door.
Hot water 24 hrs.
Coroico. La Casa, down steps from Plaza. 50Bs. Bathroom, hot water 24
hrs, pool, gourmet restaurant. Try and get the double room, probably the best view from
your bed in Bolivia. We could only have 2 nights instead of 3 so.
Coroico. Hotel Gloria. 100Bs. Including breakfast, bathroom, hot water
24 hrs, pool, restaurant, bar, games room, lounge. This was actually a 5 star hotel
that was being renovated hence the cheaper price. A bit of luxury - well deserved after
the Amazon crossing.
La Paz. Hotel Torino, Calle Socabaya 457. 40Bs. Twin room, book exchange. This
place was a bit like a prison, one of those places that has got to the top of the Lonely
Planet list and now gives crap service. Absolutely NO FUN and definitely not
recommended.
La Paz. Hotel El Alem, Calle Sagárnaga 334. 120Bs. Including breakfast,
bathroom, hot water 24 hrs, TV, carpet. A bit expensive but good facilities in a good
location.
Copacabana. Brisas de Titicaca, on the lake. 60 Bs. Balcony, hot water
24 hrs, restaurant. We took this room because it had a brilliant lake view. It was brand
new when we were there (in fact not finished). Not particularly friendly - watch out for
Saturday nights when prices rise by 50%.
Isla del Sol (Yumani). Mirador del Inca. 15Bs. Twin room, hot shower in
morning. This is where you get taken to if you listen to the young kids who meet you off
the boat. The beds are hard and the sheets are dirty, but there is a hot shower. There is
a much better hostel at the top of the hill (something 'del Sol' - you can see it from
everywhere) which is clean, has electricity and a restaurant - but no shower!
Isla del Sol (Challa Pampa). Hostel San Francisco. 20Bs. Twin room. The
only place in town, but really nice with friendly staff. No electricity, but running
water. Speaking of running - the toilet is up the hill behind the hotel!
Copacabana. Residencial Sucre, nr Cathedral. 50Bs. Bathroom, hot water
24 hrs. Another new place, good value. Friendly.
FOOD:.
It's not easy being a vegetarian in Bolivia - at least until you hit the gringo trail at
Coroico. Here are some highlights:
The Pizza Restaurant on the corner of the Plaza in Riberalta serves the best pizza we had
in South America. Worth going there for this alone - and don't forget to tip the waitress!
Back-Stuße at the top of the steps in Coroico. It might not be exactly South American but
the Desayuno Mexicana is worth killing for, and the daily veggie lunch is always a treat.
Still in Coroico the restaurant at La Casa produces real good quality food at reasonable
prices. There is also another restaurant (we've forgotten the name) just up the hill
outside town where you can have a 6 course meal for
about 50Bs. It has to be said that the fish around Lake Titicaca is a bit of a
disappointment, but the soup in the hostel on top of the hill at Yumani on the Isla del
Sol was delightful. Chuflay is a potent but very tasty short drink, and should be drunk
wherever you can find it.
ESSENTIALS:
If you want to travel by bus through the Bolivian Amazon you will need buttocks of steel
and plenty of patience as time behaves differently there. That said you will find the
people friendly and welcoming. For the Andean section warm clothes are essential - we had
to buy an entire new wardrobe in La Paz. You will need a torch if you go to the Isla del
Sol - and as much film as you can carry
COMMENTS:
This was part of a larger trip between Caracas and Lima the rest of which has been filed
separately.
Generally Bolivia was our favourite of the 4 countries visited and we regretted not
having the time to see more of it - Uyuni & Potosi especially - we are already
plotting our return. The Amazon section was tough, no question of that, we have both
travelled extensively in Africa & Asia before this trip and that was the toughest road
we've come across so far. However if we hadn't done it we would have missed out on the
pizzas in Riberalta and the nightly moped mayhem in the plaza (family of 6 on a
motorbike). There is a disturbing tendency to run transport at night in Bolivia. Obviously
on the section between Riberalta and Rurrenabaque there is no choice as there's nothing
but jungle and ranches between these places, but also proved impossible to avoid night
travel further up the road, which was a real pain as we missed out on some nice scenery.
Flying's cheating, although it is an option. Coroico is great - it was our target all the
way from Santa Elena in Venezuela and didn't disappoint. Great food, great scenery, great
night life, a top place to rest up after the rigors of that road too. We don't normally go
too much on capital cities, but La Paz was great too. In a truly unique setting, it had a
fine atmosphere and was safe enough to walk around at night. We went out to Tiwanaku on a
day trip which was excellent and visited La Valle de la Luna by public transport which was
both easy and interesting. The absolute highlight of our time in Bolivia has to be the
Isla del Sol. No cars, hardly any electricity, scenery to rival any in the world. The Inca
ruins are fascinating and to stand on the actual rock where the sun was born is 'obvious'!
Happy Travels.
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