The Pantanal - Getting There

Heading to the Pantanal or Brazil? You have three options: a) drive or take the bus along the Jesuit Missions circuit on Routes 9 and 502 until San Ignacio de Velasco and then head east until you reach the border at San Matías (another 232 miles, or 357 kms, on dirt roads); b) fly into San Matías (via Roboré) or Puerto Suárez and skip the overland journey; or c) make out your will, take out a life insurance policy, and climb on board el tren de muerte ("the death train"). If you arrive in Puerto Quijarro at some point over the next two days, alive and in one piece, consider yourself blessed.

El Tren de Muerte
This much-maligned route is most definitely not about to be taken out of commission, although some guide books may report this as so. Technically, el tren de muerte is a railway route, operated by Bolivia's Red Oriental (now partly owned by the US rail conglomerate Genesee & Wyoming), running from Santa Cruz to Quijarro (or vice versa). It is not a specific train per se. There are two different physical train groups used along this route, offering one of three different types of train service. In descending order of quality of service, they are the Expreso Oriental, Ferrobus, and Regional. (In a truly inspired move, Red Oriental discontinued the notorious Tren Mixto service along this route in 2004.)

From one end of the Pantanal: Macaws in Área Natural de Manejo Integrado San Matías

It is not called the death train without reason. Many travellers have longed for exactly that during this bone-jarring, nails-on-the-chalkboard odyssey. But for those who do make the journey, it will never be forgotten. (At a minimum, your back will remember it for years to come). It offers incredible vistas (in spite of the fact that much of the journey is at night) and a opportunity - whether one is desired or not - to see, taste, touch, hear, and smell how the average Bolivian campesino travels...when he has enough bolivianos to spring for a ticket. As with travel in Bolivia as a whole, be prepared for delays here. Although two- or three-day demoras are now a thing of the past, a six- to nine-hour delay is possible, if not probable. Patience is more than a virtue here: It is a necessity. Want a preview of the trip? Check out Colin Churcher's Web site, which is both hilarious and accurate.

Tickets for round-trip passage should be purchased in advance at the bi-modal railway/bus station in Santa Cruz, located at the intersection of Avenidas Brasil and Tres Pasos, between the third and fourth anillos (3.3488482). If making the trip in reverse (i.e., to Santa Cruz from Puerto Quijarro), through tickets may be purchased at the station there (976.2204) as well. For further information on the railway itself, see the Travel Information page, or go straight to the source, the Red Oriental Web site.

Do not break the fare by attempting to purchase tickets from, say, Santa Cruz to San José de Chiquitos, and from there to another destination. This is not only more expensive, it is also less likely that you'll be able to obtain reservations, as stations along the way invariably have small supplies of tickets and large supplies of would-be passengers who want them badly. They do not stand politely in a queue for them, either.

If you want to get off at a way stop (a smart move if you want to explore the Sureste Cruceño but are bereft of a vehicle), explain to the conductor that you want to get off at an intermediate station and resume your travel the next day. As long as you do not stay more than a week, you should have no problem travelling at your leisure. In theory, one can purchase tickets up to a week in advance, but you'll likely have to get them the morning of departure. All ticket offices supposedly open at 8:00 AM. In reality, arrive an hour or two before departure with a menacing look and a crowbar and you'll do better.

Forget anything as straightforward as simply purchasing a ticket. The trip can be done on two different groups of trains (Expreso Oriente and Ferrobus in one group, and the Regional in the other), which in turn are broken up into three levels of service, as noted above.

If you're looking for pampered service, you're in the wrong country. The epitome of luxury for Bolivian rail service (apart from the special tourist-class trenes Misioneros that run only during Semana Santa, and which don't travel past Roboré in any case) are the Expreso Oriental and Ferrobus. They serve the best meals (usually spaghetti for some unfathomable reason) in a separate sit-down car, offer sleeping cars (camas), music, reading lights, microscopic televisions awkwardly positioned throughout the cars, air conditioning - which seems to function only in the dead of night - and similar delights. The Expreso Oriental and Ferrobus also run about three hours faster than the Regional, thus ever so slightly raising the possibility that you actually may arrive at your destination on time.

The Regional is much more basic (and slower) in every regard. However, if you are a mochilero (backpacker) on a limited budget and relish hours of intense discomfort, this is your lucky day. You can ride in segunda clase (well, at least as far as Rivero Torrez), or - rumour has it - even as encarga (freight). Of course, you'd probably die in the attempt and wind up in the paupers' cemetery in whatever town in which they happen to discover your body.

Prices? Who knows? According to the most recent (2010) fares posted on Red Oriental's Web site, one-way prices for the entire distance range from roughly US$7.41 (Bs. 52) for segunda clase on the Regional to US$36.61 (Bs. 257) for a cama on the Ferrobus. A gentle reminder: Even if you have to sell your birthright to get the cama on the Ferrobus, do it.

The words "timetable" and "fantasy" go hand-in-hand in Bolivia. Schedules change constantly on this line, but the following is a rough approximation of through passage times (check the Red Oriental Web site for the latest changes). In an ideal world, the entire trip will run about 12.5 hours, but don't bet on it. Always call ahead, if possible.

Train Service to the Pantanal

     *  next day

Fares
Here's a good guess, but that's all it is - a guess. Check at the bi-modal bus/train station in Santa Cruz for the latest fares. (Or call them at 3.3488482.)

Distances
Approximate distances from Santa Cruz through the major stops and on to Brazil are as follows.

There are many other intermediate stops - all of them for isolated hamlets that have zero interest for the ordinary traveller - but if you have a burning desire to know what and where they are, you can download an outstanding map put out by Red Oriental right here. Occasionally a train will make an unscheduled stop elsewhere, generally to allow someone smuggling goods to get off.

To the other: Bolivian Navy outpost at Puerto Busch

On to Brazil
If you arrive by train, crossing into Brazil requires that you first debark at the frontier, 3 kms after Puerto Quijarro (do not get off in Puerto Suárez or Puerto Quijarro), then walk or taxi the brief distance (about a mile) to the international bridge that straddles the serene Río Paraguay. Cross it and you'll walk right into Customs, and from there you'll board a bus (or take a taxi) that will take you to the rodoviária (the Brazilian equivalent of a federal police station) where you'll be issued an entry stamp. From there you can take a cab to the Brazilian rail head and take off for wherever (all the way to Rio or São Paulo), or simply hang in Corumbá, which is a lovely city. Along with your passport, you should have proof of a yellow fever vaccination, just in case you're asked for it. Usually you won't be, but if you're the unlucky soul without it on the day the Brazilian officials decide to ask, you'll have to grab one (from the clinic in Corumbá, paradoxically) and then report back to the border with it.

Alternate Crossing: The Northern Route (San Matías)
If you're travelling to Brazil via San Matías (which would be very cool, as I know of only one individual who has ever gone this route), get your stamp before you leave Santa Cruz. There is an office in San Matías, but it is not always open. The corresponding Brazilian entry stamp can be had in the Brazilian city of Cáceres in the local rodoviária.

By the way, both countries' embassies are very clear on this point: there is neither an exit fee leaving Bolivia nor an entry fee upon reaching Brazil. But don't be surprised if you're asked for one. Chalk it up as a donation if you don't want to press the matter.

The (Non-Existant) Crossing at Puerto Busch
Interested in crossing into Brazil from further down the line? After all, what about Puerto Busch? That may look good on a map, but reality is different. Puerto Busch owes its existence to two things. It is the first (or last) official stop on the Bolivian side of the Río Paraguay, and it offers immediate access to both Brazil and Paraguay. However, for all purposes and intents, it is accessible only by river. And as the Río Paraguay already forms a border with Brazil further north and there are no checkpoints or customs along it south of Puerto Quijarro, legally crossing at Puerto Busch would be pointless and illegal. True, there is an 87-mile (140- km) road from Puerto Quijarro to Puerto Busch via Mutún - and supposedly one day there will be a railway as well - but it is private and barely passable except with a really pimped-out 4WD or heavy truck. So if you're in Puerto Busch and looking to cross, you can do so - there is quite a bit of river traffic - but unless you have an exit stamp (which you'd need to procure in Puerto Quijarro), you're in trouble when you get to civilisation on the Brazilian or Paraguayan side.