Trinidad (Bolivia)

Trinidad is the capital of the Department of Beni, Bolivia.

Understand

Cathedral, at plaza in Trinidad

Trinidad has a small-town feel to it.

• 1 Tourist Information. M-F 09:00-18:00, break during noon. Information on tours and tour operators in the surrounding regions, rivers and rainforests. (updated May 2018)

Get in

By bus

• Santa Cruz <=> Trinidad: Bs. 50-80 (semi-cama), 10-12 hr
• San Ignacio de Moxos <=> Trinidad: Bs. 30-60 by bus or van (shared taxi, leave when full, several connections daily), 2-3 hr. On the way, Mamore river must be crossed by ferry.
• Rurrenabaque: Take a shared taxi from the old terminal in Rurrenabaque to San Borja, and change there to go directly to Trinidad or via San Ignacio de Moxos (another change).
• Riberalta: You can take a chain of shared taxis via Guayaramerín and San Joaquín (only in dry season), it's about Bs. 300 and takes 12 hr plus waiting time to change.
• San Joaquín: A shared taxi is Bs. 100 and takes 4 hr.

By plane

You can fly to Trinidad with Amaszonas from Riberalta (500 Bs.) and Santa Cruz.

Get around

Motorbike taxis (Bs. 4) dominate over regular taxis.

See

• Casco Viejo (north of town). A historic farm, with typical colonial constructions. 
• 1 Plaza Mariscal José Ballivián. 
• Pompéia Bridge. Wooden bridge. 
• 2 Catedral de la Santísima Trinidad/Plaza Central. Cathedral established by Jesuits, rebuilt over the years. 
• 3 Museo Kenneth Lee (at the edge of town near the exit north, at the road to San Joaquin). M-F 08:00-12:00 14:30-18:00. Ethnoarcheological museum, where you can see regional costumes (mostly on dolls), and find some information (photos, models) over the ancient hydro-civilization of Beni. It may smell like petrol inside the main building, because the floor is cleaned with a very common cleanser that it based on petroleum. You can also see some pretty gigantic lily pads here in the pond outside. You can jump in i.e. if you wait for a shared taxi to San Joaquin and have some spare time. There is no official price, pay a guy there something to support the museum. (updated Mar 2019)
• 4 Museo Ictícola del Beni (Beni Fish Museum) (inside Universidad Técnica del Beni Mariscal José Ballivian). M-Sa, 07:30-18:00. See a wide variety of living and preserved turtles, fish, and other species representative of the Amazon Basin, including a healed river dolphin. Guided tours available. Free. (updated Oct 2020)
• 5 Museo Historico Del Beni, Antonio Vaca Diez. 08:30-12:00 M-F. Historical museum of town and area, lots of woodwork (tables, furniture pieces, etc). (updated Oct 2020)
• 6 Plazuela Del Ganadero. This is a plaza in honor of ranchers and ranching life, where you can feel free to climb atop a cow statue for that unique photo you always wanted. Across the way is the Plaza el Aviador where you can watch planes take off and land. (updated Oct 2020)
• 7 Parque Pantanal, Av Flor de Patujú, ☏ +591 78874062. 08:00-18:00 daily. Bit of a freaky place that used to be a zoo where you have a chance of running into a turtle, capybara, yacare caiman, or anaconda. So, watch where you step, and hopefully the crocodilian isn't looking for a leg to munch on. (updated Oct 2020)

Do

• 1 Balneário de Tapacaré, in Laguna Suárez. 
• Pre-hispanic hills (lomas). Platforms constructed around 5,500 years ago by various civilizations for purposes of irrigation, today they are important archeological sites for the ancient local cultures. The most impressive ones are Loma Suarez and Loma Chuchini. (updated Feb 2019)

• 2 Loma Suárez (12 km northeast from Trinidad on the banks of the Ibare River. You can reach Loma Suarez by moto taxi (Bs. 15)). A human-made hill close to the originally believed to have been built by the Moxos Civilisation. It is now an army village and you might need an ID to get in. Nothing very impressive the hill itself. But the view from the hill is rewarding. You can also eat some nice fish (Bs. 30) or take a there-and-return boat ride in Ibare River (to see animals you have to go by boat further). (updated May 2018)
• 3 Loma Chuchuni (Chuchini Ecolodge y Wildlife Reserve) (just 5 km north of Loma Suárez). A private but badly run ecological reserve with animals held in cages and such. Probably not worth the support and widely overpriced (also the accommodation which is beyond US$200), but check it out by yourself it is close to Loma Suárez. US$10 (privately owned). (updated May 2018)

• Take Mamore river boat trip. Jump on a cargo boat and go to Guayaramerín, at the border with Brasil. This is unforgettable experience to see river Mamore and surroundings (the river is winding), and to experience daily life of cargo boat men. The trip may take 5-7 days in dry season, when there's less water in the river. With more water, the trip is faster, i.e. 3 days. Boats leave when full. For where and when to jump in, ask at Distrito Naval (naval neighborhood; 6 de Agosto corner Meliton Villavicencio) in Trinidad. Look for captainships (capitanias) for ports Almacen and Barador. They will direct you to a corresponding port, or maybe port Heralda. Go there, and deal the price directly. With information, guys in Beni tourist information office can help too, but then they'll direct you to "distrito naval". (updated Feb 2019)

Eat

Small bars serve breakfast (i.e. close to where shared taxis leave to San Joaquin or Guayaramerin): meat, chocolate (local cocoa drink), empanadas.

• 1 Churrasquería La Estancia, ☏ +591 3 4620022. Here you are likely to find your heart's desires if you are looking for a serving of meat. (updated Oct 2020)
• 2 Brasileirinho Restaurant, Avenida 6 de Agosto 55, ☏ +591 72849591. 11ː30-15ː00 daily (Lunch only). Here you can try some suckling pig or a buffet. (updated Oct 2020)

Sleep

• Residencial Santisima Trinidad. 60 Bs. for a bed in triple room. (updated Feb 2019)
• Aguahí, ☏ +591-3 46-25570. 
• Cochabamba, ☏ +591-3 46-22811. 
• Monte Verde, ☏ +591-3 46-22750. 
• 1 Hotel Colonial, Antonio Vaca Diez, ☏ +591 34622864. Wifi, a/c, restaurant/bar, outdoor pool. (updated Oct 2020)

Go next

On the way to San Joaquin

• Santa Cruz de la Sierra – Economic center and the biggest city in Bolivia. Not very spectacular in itself, but serves as a gateway to Chiquitania and Brasil, Sucre. Go there by bus or fly with Amaszonas for 650 Bs.
• San Ignacio de Moxos – A little mission town with nice church and local Moxos community. When celebrate (town fiesta), Moxos people wear impressive costumes.
• Riberalta – Interesting city in the North. Two big rivers join there. The ground (dust) is of red color and makes an impression. One can explore the city or visit surroundings (i.e. rubber boom city or native community at a lake).
• San Joaquin, and other towns to the north – You can find some "hidden gems" there. You can go there by shared taxi or a plane, or you can stop (i.e. change taxis) on your way to Guayaramerin or Riberalta. These towns have their fiestas close in time, but on different days, so if you're a party type of person, you can go partying from one town to another.