Rurrenabaque

Last updated
Rurrenabaque
Town and municipality
Rurrenabaque ciudad.jpg
Bandera de Rurrenabaque.svg
Escudo de Rurrenabaque.jpg
Bolivia adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Rurrenabaque
Location of Rurrenabaque town in Bolivia
Coordinates: 14°26′32″S67°31′42″W / 14.44222°S 67.52833°W / -14.44222; -67.52833
Country Flag of Bolivia.svg Bolivia
Department Flag of Beni.svg Beni Department
Province José Ballivián Province
Elevation
899 ft (274 m)
Population
 (2012)
  Total19,195
Time zone UTC-4 (BOT)

Rurrenabaque is a small town in the north of Bolivia, on the Beni River. It is the capital of Rurrenabaque Municipality. In recent years, it has become popular with international tourism as it is an easy gateway for visits to Madidi National Park, which is within the Bolivian rainforest. It also provides access to the surrounding pampas. Locals commonly refer to the town by its shortened nickname, "Rurre."

Contents

Rurrenabaque is located in José Ballivián Province in Beni Department, Bolivia. Rurrenabaque Municipality, the fourth municipal section of José Ballivián Province, had 19,195 inhabitants as of 2012, of which 13,446 lived in urban Rurrenabaque itself. [1]

Transportation

Rurrenabaque Airport RurrenabaqueAirport.jpg
Rurrenabaque Airport

Rurrenabaque is reached by bus, 410 km (250 mi) from La Paz (18 hours), by hired taxi (12 hours), or by airplane (45 minutes to 1 hour). Ecojet offers flights to Rurrenabaque.

The buses from La Paz pass through Coroico, 70 km (43 mi) from La Paz. A new road on this route opened at the end of 2006, decreasing most motorized traffic on the older, more dangerous Yungas Road, also known as 'Death Road,' now highly popular for mountain bike tours.

Rurrenabaque Airport was paved in 2010. Sometimes, low clouds over nearby mountains can hinder planes' visibility and prevent them from landing.

A nearby airport can also be used, Reyes Airport, which is 32 kilometres (20 mi) away and about one hour by bus. There are no mountains near Reyes, and the airport often has better weather and fewer low clouds. Reyes is the capital of José Ballivián Province in the Beni Department.

Rurrenabaque lies on the east bank of the Beni River. A bridge over the Beni River connects with the town of San Buenaventura on the west bank. The bridge is a part of a regional road project promoted as a way to improve the economic relationship between the two towns, which had been described as stunted because of limited and expensive transport by boat. An argument in favor of the proposed bridge is that the shallows and strong currents at the San Buenaventura section limit the types of boats and motors capable of crossing the stretch of river, representing an investment beyond the means of most individual Bolivian families. A bridge would allow San Buenaventura to enjoy the same accessibility as that enjoyed between Rurrenabaque and the neighboring town of Reyes. Researchers cite economic and social harm for the area because of environmental damage from the road project and the location of the bridge, which may reduce the town's appeal as a destination or gateway for eco-tourists. [2]

Climate

Rurrenabaque sits on the Beni River as the waterway exits the Andean folds of western Bolivia into the Llanos de Moxos. The city has a tropical rainforest climate, bordering on a tropical monsoon climate with a noticeably drier part of the year. Rurrenabaque, like much of Bolivia, is subject to annual climactic variation, particularly as a result of climate change.

Climate data for Rurrenabaque, Bolivia
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)35.0
(95.0)
35.0
(95.0)
36.0
(96.8)
34.6
(94.3)
35.8
(96.4)
33.3
(91.9)
34.2
(93.6)
36.4
(97.5)
38.3
(100.9)
36.5
(97.7)
36.0
(96.8)
36.8
(98.2)
38.3
(100.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)30.2
(86.4)
30.8
(87.4)
31.5
(88.7)
30.7
(87.3)
29.4
(84.9)
30.1
(86.2)
30.5
(86.9)
32.1
(89.8)
33.3
(91.9)
32.2
(90.0)
31.3
(88.3)
31.3
(88.3)
31.1
(88.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)27.1
(80.8)
27.0
(80.6)
27.1
(80.8)
26.8
(80.2)
26.4
(79.5)
25.6
(78.1)
25.7
(78.3)
27.3
(81.1)
28.2
(82.8)
28.1
(82.6)
27.7
(81.9)
27.3
(81.1)
27.0
(80.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)22.3
(72.1)
22.4
(72.3)
21.7
(71.1)
21.4
(70.5)
18.7
(65.7)
16.8
(62.2)
17.5
(63.5)
18.4
(65.1)
20.3
(68.5)
21.5
(70.7)
21.6
(70.9)
21.8
(71.2)
20.4
(68.7)
Record low °C (°F)20.6
(69.1)
20.0
(68.0)
17.2
(63.0)
15.0
(59.0)
10.0
(50.0)
9.9
(49.8)
8.9
(48.0)
10.0
(50.0)
13.8
(56.8)
16.1
(61.0)
16.0
(60.8)
19.0
(66.2)
8.9
(48.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)321.1
(12.64)
324.9
(12.79)
278.9
(10.98)
205.3
(8.08)
168.6
(6.64)
128.4
(5.06)
83.4
(3.28)
72.6
(2.86)
65.3
(2.57)
116.4
(4.58)
171.2
(6.74)
237.2
(9.34)
2,173.2
(85.56)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)1717181373225101216122
Average relative humidity (%)79808081787670686872768076
Source: SENAMHI [3]

Tourism

From Rurrenabaque, popular tours go to the jungle or rainforest ("selva" in Spanish) and to the pampas. The jungle or rainforest is south and west of Rurrenabaque (including a part of Madidi National Park), and the tours leave by boat and foot. There are many tour agencies in the town offering similar tours.

Rurrenabaque is a starting point for ecotourism, and some eco-lodges are found in the area. The following is a list of the community-based Eco-Lodges-: Mashaquipe; San Louis Grande (Mosetén); Berraco del Madidi (Quechua-Tacanas); San Miguel del Bala (Tacanas); Chalalán (Quechua-Tacanas); Mapajo (Tsiman-Mosetén).

Events, festivities: 2 February: Fiesta de Rurre - Anniversary of Rurrenabaque - The day of La Virgen de Candelaria.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beni Department</span> Department of northeastern Bolivia

Beni, sometimes El Beni, is a northeastern department of Bolivia, in the lowlands region of the country. It is the second-largest department in the country, covering 213,564 square kilometers, and it was created by supreme decree on November 18, 1842, during the administration of General José Ballivián. Its capital is Trinidad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beni River</span> River in Bolivia, Brazil

The Beni River is a river in the north of Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abel Iturralde Province</span> Province in La Paz Department, Bolivia

Abel Iturralde is one of the twenty provinces of the Bolivian La Paz Department. It is situated in its northern part. Its name honors Abel Iturralde Palacios, a Bolivian politician. Madidi National Park is partially in this province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi</span> Bolivian NGO focused on wildlife rights and rescue

Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi (CIWY) is a Bolivian non-governmental organization dedicated to environmental education and the care of sick, mistreated and abandoned wildlife. It is the country's largest destination for confiscated wildlife and currently cares for around 500 animals, most of them rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tacanan languages</span> Language family of Bolivia

Tacanan is a family of languages spoken in Bolivia, with Ese’ejja also spoken in Peru. It may be related to the Panoan languages. Many of the languages are endangered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Ballivián Province</span> Province in Beni, Bolivia

José Ballivián is a province of the Beni Department in northern Bolivia. It is named for José Ballivián, a general and former president of Bolivia who lived from 1805 until 1852. The province has a north-south extent. To the west the province is bounded by the Beni River, to the east it borders on the Yacuma Province of the Beni Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madidi National Park</span> National park in Bolivia

Madidi is a national park in the upper Amazon river basin in Bolivia. It was established in 1995 with a total land area of 18,958km². Together with the nearby protected areas Manuripi-Heath and Apolobamba and the Manu Biosphere Reserve (Peru), Madidi is part of one of the largest protected areas in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalalan</span> Eco-lodge in Madidi National Park, Bolivia

Chalalán is an ecological lodge of the Indigenous People of San José de Uchupiamonas dedicated to ethnic ecotourism. It is located in the Madidi National Park in Bolivia. The cabins are located in the vicinity of Chalalán Lake, on the south bank of the Tuichi River, about 100 km south west of Rurrenabaque.

San Miguel del Bala is a little village in Bolivia. San Miguel del Bala is an indigenous community in the Bolivian Amazon rainforest on the banks of the Beni River, near Rurrenabaque. Its nearest neighbour is the Madidi National Park, world famous as one of the places on earth with the widest biodiversity. San Miguel del Bala is south of Rurrenabaque on the west bank of the Beni River. San Miguel is in the La Paz Department of Bolivia, while Rurrenabaque is in the Beni Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuichi River</span> River in Bolivia

The Tuichi River is a river in the Madidi National Park in the north of Bolivia. The Tuichi flows through the rainforest and joins the Beni River upstream from the town of Rurrenabaque.

Rogagua Lake is a lake in the pampas area in the northern Bolivia, in the José Ballivián Province of the Beni Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Borja, Bolivia</span> City in Beni Department, Bolivia

San Borja is a city in the Beni Department in northern Bolivia, It is the most populous city in the province of General José Ballivián.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Rosa de Yacuma</span> Place in Beni Department, Bolivia

Santa Rosa de Yacuma or Santa Rosa del Yacuma is a small town in the Amazon pampas of the Bolivian Beni Department.

The Bala Gorge in Bolivia is where the Beni River breaks through the Bala Mountain Range about 12 kilometres south of Rurrenabaque in Bolivia..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands</span>

Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands is a protected area in Bolivia located in the departments of La Paz and Beni, in their northern and western parts, respectively, about 350 km northeast of La Paz and 50 km west of San Borja. It lies largely within the Bolivian Yungas ecoregion. The main river that flows in the Pilon Lajas area is the Quiquibey River.

Apolo Municipality is the first municipal section of the Franz Tamayo Province in the La Paz Department, Bolivia. Its seat is Apolo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Buenaventura, La Paz</span> Town in La Paz Department, Bolivia

San Buenaventura is a little town in northern Bolivia, on the west bank of Beni River, opposite the town Rurrenabaque on the east bank. The two towns are connected with a ferry.

Caquihuara is a rainforest area along the Tuichi River in the Madidi National Park in Bolivia, west of the Bala Gorge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yossi Ghinsberg</span> Israeli adventurer, author and speaker

Yosseph "Yossi" Ghinsberg is an Israeli adventurer, author, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and motivational speaker, now based in Byron Bay, Australia. Ghinsberg is most known for his survival story in an uncharted part of the Bolivian Amazon jungle for three weeks in 1981. Ghinsberg's survival story was enacted in the 2017 psychological thriller Jungle, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Yossi Ghinsberg. Ghinsberg's story was also featured in the documentary series I Shouldn't Be Alive on Discovery Channel.

References

  1. , Bolivia national institute of statistics www.ine.gob.bo
  2. , The Rurrenabaque-San Buenaventura Bridge: The responsibility of the IDB and the State in a work without territorial consensus (The title is translated from the original Spanish.)
  3. "Clima Rurrenabaque". SENAMHI. Retrieved 18 October 2021.

14°26′32″S67°31′42″W / 14.44222°S 67.52833°W / -14.44222; -67.52833