Bolivia might not be the first country that comes to mind when thinking of the Amazon, but it should be. Despite being at the foothills of the Amazon Basin, Bolivia offers a jungle deep-dive. What’s more, you often get this Amazon experience at a fraction of the price compared to neighboring countries like Peru.
If you’re dreaming of wildlife-packed wetlands and tropical rainforest, there are two main gateways to Bolivia’s Amazon region: Trinidad and Rurrenabaque. We chose Rurrenabaque as our base to explore the incredible Madidi National Park and the wildlife-rich wetlands of La Pampa.
But getting there? That turned into a little adventure of its own. In this blog post, I’ll share the different ways to travel from Cochabamba to Rurrenabaque, including our personal experience with Bolivia’s national airline and what not to do when flying BoA.
Travel options between Cochabamba and Rurrenabaque
There are basically three options:
- Option 1: Indirect Bus via La Paz
- 🕒Duration: at least 24 hours, if you don’t split it up for a stay in Bolivia’s capital
- 💰Cost: approximately 30-40 euro
- 📍Booking through Busbud* or directly at a bus terminal
- Direct flight with BoA:
- 🕒Duration: 1 hour
- 💰Cost: 70-150 euro
- 📍Booking through Skyscanner or BoA directly
- Indirect flight with Ecojet via La Paz:
- 🕒Duration: 1 hour per flight plus transit time
- 💰Cost: 70-150 euro
- 📍Booking separately through Skyscanner, Ecojet or BoA
Our experience with BoA (Boliviana de Aviacion) between Cochabamba and Rurrenabaque
During the booking process with BoA, we encountered payment problems but got immediate support online. It’s so rare to be pampered in real time and get problems solved. That’s why, we felt confident to take our flight from Bolivia’s food capital, Cochabamba, to one of its Amazon hubs, Rurrenabaque.
Unfortunately, problems started after our boarding was completed. All handbags were tightly squeezed into the tiny compartments and all passengers happily seated, with their seat belts fastened. Suddenly, the loudspeaker didn’t just play the usual procedure. I noticed how the Spanish-speaking passengers began to shift restlessly in their seats. Many turned questioningly to other passengers they apparently knew. Imagine this: you board a small jet headed to the jungle, seatbelt clicked, ready for adventure, only to find out your luggage didn’t make the cut. In Europe, people would probably have stood up and protested. That’s how I reacted when I realized our luggage was not flying with us. Our small Bombardier CRJ was overweight. Thus, some of the passengers’ heavier luggage had to be brought back to the airport. I checked the situation through my porthole. There, I saw a whole carrier driving back, filled with loads of suitcases and big backpacks. This hill of luggage must belong to the majority of this jet’s passengers, went through my head! Indeed, after arriving at the jungle airport of Rurrenabaque, only 9 passengers’ luggage left the tiny luggage compartment.
How can an airline sell tickets to 50 passengers with checked luggage, but have space for only 9 suitcases!?
My tips for flying to reach Rurrenabaque (without losing your luggage)
For us, flying between Cochabamba and Rurrenabaque was the only options due to time constraints. Unfortunately, luggage delays are very common with BoA on this route. BoA only uses a small jet with a very limited capacity. That’s why I recommend only taking this direct flight if you:
- 🧳fly light with cabin luggage only
- 🗓️have margin days before your Amazon tour, or
- 👕have enough change of clothes in your cabin luggage to start your Amazon tour, and
- 🛎️choose a reliable tour operator for your Amazon tour, like for example Mashaquipe Ecotours, who will handle your luggage arrival for you
- 📑make sure you have travel luggage insurance that covers lost or delayed luggage
If your itinerary is flexible, consider traveling via La Paz and spending a day or two there before continuing your journey. It might save you from a jungle adventure you didn’t sign up for, at least not at the airport.
Was this blog post helpful for your Bolivia travel planning? Let me know in the comments.
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