Puerto Suárez

History and Background
Puerto Suárez, with some 13,000 inhabitants (in the town proper), is one of Bolivia´s fastest-growing and newest towns. Named for Miguel Suárez Arana, a nineteenth-century visionary who envisioned a utopian settlement in the middle of the Pantanal, it was founded by him in 1875 for the purpose of establishing a presence on the border with Brazil, and - of course - to use the adjacent Río Paraguay for commerce. Utopian it is not, but Suárez make a killing all the same. For a time it was the principal entrepôt for Bolivian goods, but by the early 1900s, rubber prices (then the region's chief commodity) had fallen drastically on the international market, and the town fell into a state of desuetude.

Now it's in the limelight again, as a regional transportation hub, natural gas pipeline link, free trade zone, and eco-tourism magnet. To be fair, it's come a long way from when it was affectionately known as the "armpit of the world", but it's not exactly all eye candy. Located 391 miles (631 kms) from Santa Cruz, along the southern edge of Laguna Cáceres and almost at the very end of the railway to Brazil, it is not the final stop, no matter what some guidebooks claim.(That honour belongs to Puerto Quijarro just 9.3 miles - 15 kms - down the line.) Most people coming here make the trip by train, in which case those 391 miles seem more like 3,910 by journey's end.

One also can fly - a favourite mode of the area's seasonal big game hunters - direct from Santa Cruz on either Aerosur (976.2110) or TAM (976.2205). A few hardy souls drive across the Chiquitania (except during the rainy season when the roads - such as they are - are under water and impassable) to reach Puerto Suárez. Why would anyone come so far? There are no Jesuit missions, no bucolic villages or sweeping, panoramic landscapes. In fact, the place is pretty ugly by most accounts.

Well, for one thing, Puerto Suárez sits at the very the heart of the Bolivian Pantanal, so this is the holy grail for exotic and rare game hunters/poachers, as well as those with more honest eco-tourism agendas. For another, it is the principal point of entry for a huge percentage of Bolivia's imports (a good portion of them illegal), and conducts a thriving black market trade with Brazil. Commerce is king here. Unfortunately, a lot of it is sub rosa to the extreme.

If your car's been stolen, look for it here first. Wondering where those sketchy looking pills came from? Chance are, some hack pharmaceutical shop here. That guaranteed genuine "gemstone" offered for next to nothing? It was likely manufactured here. That home entertainment centre with instructions in Korean only? It's no accident it wound up here. You get the point.

In a frontier town like this, you can participate in this organised thievery - with ridiculous ease - but if you're caught (and as a gringo you will be, and also singled out for punishment), you'll be sending postcards from a Bolivian gaol, which is not at all where you want to be. So if the urge to plunge into the booming commercial contraband trade gets to you, hike over to Puerto Quijarro's zona franca (free trade zone) instead. Everything is legal there, and still comparatively inexpensive. It beats an interrogation session with the police any day.

A different story outside of town: Waterfall outside of Puerto Suárez

Where to Go
Puerto Suárez doesn't offer very much beyond some shopping (including the Chiquitania's sole supermarket, Supermercado Tocale, on Avenida Bolívar) in the centre, but even for this you're better off to check the zona franca in neighbouring Puerto Quijarro. You would do well to stay on Avenida Bolívar for your time in town: It's where pretty much everything happens. At its northern end there is a very nice park on the edge of the lake, which is a good spot to escape the humidity and heat which otherwise rule over the place.

As with most of the towns in the Sureste Cruceño, Puerto Suárez also has its fair share of balnearios, which are absolutely necessary to escape the heat. The best is El Salao, 3 miles (5 kms) east of town. A little closer on the southeast side is La Vertiente. Both are free and have snacks, showers, and changing rooms. (On the weekends they are very crowded, however.) The best of all is La Represa, 25 miles (40 kms) southeast on the way to Mutún.

By the way, a trip to Mutún itself is pointless, although you'll be surprised how many taxistas will want to drive you there. Mutún is a mountain, with mining shacks at its base. Hot, dirty, and dull - unless you enjoy staring at what is rumoured to be the world´s largest manganese deposit. (It isn't, but it makes for good local copy.) Now that the Indian mining firm Jindal has invested billions in extraction rights and won the bid to develop Mutún, other investors haven't been beating down the door, much to the dismay of the local chamber of commerce. Too bad the locals aren't cooperating much: As of late July, Jindal was still waiting for the Bolivian government to pony up on its promises.

Fisherman on the banks of the Río Paraguay near Puerto Suárez

On the other hand, if you want the best Bolivianite (ametrine), especially uncut, Puerto Suárez has it. A beautiful purplish stone, do not mistake it for amethyst (the better shops will make this clear from the start). On the other hand, if it's amethyst you want, that's here, too. In fact, Puerto Suárez is the country's centre for rare gem production, cutting, and exporting.

The rest of what people come to Puerto Suárez for is found further away from the city, although before heading out, ask at the alcaldía's Oficilia Mayor de Cultura y Turismo (976.2156). As with the Chiquitania in general, events and activities often materialise here with no prior notice, and sometimes the best advice comes simply from asking the local grey beards.

The top draw is, of course, the Pantanal and all that goes with it: endless waterscapes, rare flora and fauna, and some of the very best eco-tourism anywhere in the world. You will not be disappointed if you're after exotic species. They're literally everywhere you look (outside of the city), including more than 400 different types of butterflies, 700 reptiles, and 1,200 birds. You simply can't miss! But note that with the super-abundance of options also comes a deficit of local services. Puerto Suárez is not Samaipata or Buena Vista, much less Rurrenabaque, and the local tourism infrastructure is limited. Consequently, arranging a truly top-notch tour of the Pantanal is usually not done in Puerto Suárez. For this you'll want one of the high-end agencies in La Paz or Santa Cruz, who'll leave nothing to chance. All the same, you can see an enormous amount on your own here, or with a local guide. Some of the better known ones are Tours Aguas Tranquilas (976.2468) and the Asociación de Pescadores de Puerto Suárez (976.2778).

Downtown Puerto Suárez: Where sturgeons pose as telephone booths

You have far more than Laguna Cácerces (rumoured to have the most beautiful sunsets in the country, best seen from El Mirador) and the Río Paraguay to choose from here. There's also Laguna Madioré to the north, two natural canals - Sicurí and Tuyuyú - that are home to some of the world's rarest water lilies, a welter of smaller lakes (La Gaiba and Uberaba, especially) that practically beg the visitor to jump in for a dip, and the Tres Bocas confluence with its spectacular bird-watching opportunities. And the list goes on a long way yet from there.

Further south is the famous Parque Nacional y Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Otuquis, home to the Otuquis tribe, one of the last groups of indigenous peoples who still live largely as they did before the arrival of the Spanish. You can get a glimpse of the beauty of the park much closer to town, at El Tumbador, a biology station run by Hombre y Naturaleza, a highly regarded Bolivian-Spanish non-profit ecological conservation group. They also arrange local eco-friendly tours and are a reliable source of information for conservation efforts throughout the Pantanal. El Tumbador is on the road towards Puerto Quijarro, and contains a small but intact section of the almost-extinct Chiquitano dry forest.

If the wetlands aren't of interest, you can head west 7 miles (11 kms) to the caverns of Motacusito. These mark the beginning of the Serranía Motacú and have some interesting stalactite formations, underground pools, and plenty of local fauna...including bats. Hombre y Naturaleza provides tours here as well.

Finally, if you're heading into Brazil - and if you've come this far you'd be crazy not to - there is a consulate in town on Av Raúl Otero Reich (976.2040) where you can ask questions. For more information on the crossing with Brazil, see either the Puerto Quijarro or Pantanal - Getting There pages.

The tranquil side of Puerto Suárez: A Bolivian cowboy with his herd

Places to Eat in Puerto Suárez
The following establishments are listed alphabetically, and are not in any other particular order. Most hotels and other accommodations have their own restaurants. Room service is generally not offered, except in luxury-class establishments.

Only those restaurants that have either a street address and/or telephone number are included here. All towns in the Chiquitania invariably have additional eateries, especially in or near the market or train station (ideal for travellers with cast-iron stomachs), but this list incorporates only those that one reasonably can expect to locate without trouble.

Places to Stay in Puerto Suárez

When to Visit Puerto Suárez

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