Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is an Amazonian town in the Bolivian department of Pando, and the capital of Manuripi Province. (It shares its name with the Caribbean island, but the two are unrelated — this is a small river town deep in the southwestern Amazon.) It lies on the Río Orthon, formed nearby by the confluence of the Tahuamanu and Manuripi rivers, about 168 km from Cobija and 273 km from Riberalta, and is a stop on Bolivia's National Route 13.

Founded on 18 May 1890, Puerto Rico was actually the capital of the Department of Pando until 1938, when that role passed to Cobija. In 2003 it was declared the "Ecological Capital of the Bolivian Amazon" by national law, reflecting its position at the edge of one of Bolivia's most important protected rainforests, the Manuripi-Heath reserve. The town had on the order of 7,000 inhabitants at the most recent census.

Life here is agricultural and extractive: residents harvest Brazil nuts (castaña) during the January-to-March season and grow subsistence crops — rice, plantain, maize and yuca — through the rest of the year. The climate is hot and humid year-round, with a wet season (roughly November–March) that swells the rivers and complicates road travel, and a drier, more comfortable window from about May to September.

By Plane

The nearest commercial airport is Captain Aníbal Arab Airport (IATA: CIJ) in Cobija, around 168 km away by road, served by flights from La Paz and Santa Cruz. From Cobija, continue overland.

By Car / Road

Puerto Rico sits on National Route 13, the corridor running south from Cobija toward Riberalta. The road distance from Cobija is about 168 km and from Riberalta about 273 km. The route is largely unpaved and journeys are long; the rainy season can make sections difficult or impassable. Buses and shared vehicles ply the corridor when conditions allow.

The town itself is small and walkable. Moto-taxis are the everyday transport, and river boats on the Orthon, Tahuamanu and Manuripi serve riverside communities. There is no formal public transport network beyond shared road vehicles connecting Puerto Rico with Cobija and Riberalta.

• Río Orthon waterfront — the river on which the town stands, formed by the meeting of the Tahuamanu and Manuripi.

• Town plaza and church — the small civic centre of this historic former departmental capital.

• Manuripi-Heath Amazonian Wildlife National Reserve — Puerto Rico is one of the two gateway municipalities (with Filadelfia) for this large protected rainforest, rich in wildlife and Brazil-nut stands.

• Surrounding Brazil-nut forest — the working Amazon landscape that gives the town its "ecological capital" identity.

• Enter the Manuripi reserve — Puerto Rico is a natural staging point for visits to the reserve's forests, lakes and rivers.

• River trips — boat excursions on the Orthon and its tributaries for fishing, birdwatching and wildlife.

• See Brazil-nut harvesting — during the January–March zafra (harvest), the castaña economy is in full swing in the surrounding forest.

Food in Puerto Rico is simple Amazonian fare: freshwater river fish (pacú, surubí and others) grilled or fried, served with rice, yuca and plantain, plus inexpensive set lunches (almuerzo) at small local eateries. Locally grown rice, maize and plantain feature heavily, and Brazil nuts appear in snacks. Menus are limited and specialised diets are hard to cater for.

Cold beer, soft drinks, coffee and fresh Amazonian fruit juices are the staples at small shops and informal bars. Drink bottled or treated water rather than from the tap.

Puerto Rico has only basic lodging — simple alojamientos and guesthouses serving travellers, traders and officials. Standards are modest; many visitors treat the town as a stop or base for the reserve rather than a destination in itself.

The defining local product is Brazil nut (castaña), harvested and traded throughout the area. Small shops and a market supply everyday goods. For anything beyond basics, travellers rely on Cobija or Riberalta.

• Filadelfia — the other gateway municipality to the Manuripi reserve, toward Cobija.
• Manuripi-Heath Amazonian Wildlife National Reserve — the protected rainforest on the town's doorstep.
• Cobija — about 168 km north; departmental capital, airport and shopping hub.
• Riberalta — about 273 km south (in neighbouring Beni); the major Amazon town and Brazil-nut centre.