Bolivia Guide
The Amazon
Río Mamoré
From Puerto Barador, near Trinidad, you can get a ride on the regular cargo boats that ply the waters of the Río Mamoré, either downstream to Guayaramerín on the Brazilian border or upstream as far as Puerto Villarroel in the Chapare. The mighty Mamoré – its name means "Great Mother" in Moxeño – was once one of the great waterways of the Bolivian Amazon and still sees a good deal of traffic. Canoes, barges and double-decker river boats ply its silt-laden waters, carrying supplies to the isolated communities along the river bank, collecting cargoes of timber or bananas, and carrying cattle downstream to markets in Brazil.
Travelling this way is one of the classic Amazon experiences, and an excellent way to get a feel for the immense scale of the forest and the lifestyle of its inhabitants. Every so often the dense vegetation of the river bank breaks to reveal a riverside settlement, usually no more than a cluster of thatched houses on stilts. For the villagers, isolated in the midst of this immense wilderness, the arrival of a boat can be the main event of the day, and if yours stops to load or unload cargo it's likely to be besieged by locals selling bananas or fish, or simply seeking the latest news and gossip from upriver.
Boats depart up- and down-river two or three times a week, though when river levels fall in the dry season the route south to Puerto Villaroel can be impassable. The trip downstream to Guayaramerín takes between three days and a week, depending on the level of the river, the size and power of the boat, whether it's equipped to travel by night, and how many stops it makes to load and unload cargo; upstream to Puerto Villaroel takes five to seven days. Both trips should cost between $20 and $30 including meals, but be prepared to bargain. You'll need your own hammock to string up on deck as well as a mosquito net if the boat is likely to moor at night.