How to get from Coroico to Rurrenabaque

So you visited lovely Coroico – either after hiking El Choro Trek, going to the town’s 1-week-long fiesta in October, or just chilling in a pool while watching a nice sunset. If you want to go further deep into the jungle, Rurrenabaque is probably your next destination. But how the hell can you get from Coroico to Rurrenabaque?

Two bus companies traveling to Rurrenabaque used to have offices in Coroico, but they were closed a few years ago, leaving backpackers with the need to be… creative. But as we learned from traveling in Bolivia, everything is an adventure and we are ready for one!

A bit about traveling by bus to Rurrenabaque

The 420km drive from La Paz to Rurrenabaque takes around 14 hours (so you can imagine the velocity) on winding roads. It may also be impossible during the rainy season (December-March) due to floods and landslides.

Want to watch the sunset in Rurrenabaque? Check out our post on the best sunset spots in Bolivia!

Searching for a hostel with a kitchen in Rurrenabaque? Check out this post: Hostels with a Kitchen in Bolivia. Though we also liked El Lobo Hostal (no guest-kitchen) directly at the waterfront (and with a pool) because it had a more social vibe.

Coffee in Rurrenabaque? Read our post: Best Cafés in Bolivia!

There were some accidents on the road and some places in Rurre even recommend avoiding it and arriving by flight. We got other feedback from friends who did this path, saying although winding (and hard on the stomach), the travel speed is always slow and many trucks and other vehicles are going the same way, so they felt safe. We had a rough night with seats that were not comfortable and a bus that needed a fix in the middle of the road, but we were able to sleep at some point and eventually arrived safely in Rurre.

Bus Companies travelling the Coroico to Rurrenabaque road

As far as we know, there are 2 companies heading from La Paz to Rurrenabaque, passing near Coroico. Both start from terminal Minasa in the area of Villa Fátima (where all the colectivos direction Yungas are leaving). A taxi from Sopocachi to the terminal was 30 BOB.

• Trans Totai – has 3 daily departures from La Paz: 16:00, 17:00 and 18:00.
  Semi-cama seat costs 70 BOB (all the way from La Paz). You can only sit on the second floor, as the first was turned into a luggage room.
• Flota Yungueña – had 1 daily departure at 18:00. Cama seat costs 100 BOB. This company is considered better and more modern, though we heard they have a problem of overbooking.

Option 1: Buy the ticket in La Paz before you go

In case you are still in La Paz, and know when you plan to leave for Rurre from Coroico, you can just buy the ticket in the terminal.

We were already in Coroico (staying a classic “una-noche-mas”…), and all the companies we texted asked for a bank deposit to save a seat (which requires a Bolivian bank account…) so that was not an option for us.

Option 2: Head to Caranavi and board the bus there

Caranavi is about 1.5 hours from Yolosita (near Coroico). Both companies have an office there and sell tickets. The bus drive from La Paz there takes around 4 hours, so the first bus should get to Caranavi at 20:00, and the last at 22:00. We didn’t choose this option as we found Caranavi not interesting and didn’t want to wait there so late, but this is a safe option where you can be sure to get a seat. To get to Caranavi from Coroico, take the colectivo to Yolosita and from there another colectivo to Caranavi.

Option 3: Wait in Yolosita

Yolosita is the small town you pass on the way up to Coroico. It is not as touristy, but the road there is quite busy as all the transportation from La Paz to Coroico / the Jungle passes there, including many trucks. This means the empanada & gelatine sellers have a lot of work!

Getting to Yolosita from Coroico is easy – Colectivos leave from Guitierrez Street (between the main plaza and the market) when full and cost 5 BOB per person.

At the entry to the village of Yolosita, there is a gate with a rope where people have to stop and pay entry to a police officer. This is a good spot to wait for the bus, as it’s protected from rain and all vehicles slow down there. However, the official stop for the jungle buses (“flotas”) is about 50m down the road where the baños are.

The way from La Paz to Yolosita takes around 2-2.5 hours, so we calculated the first bus should be there at 18:00. Eventually, it arrived at 19:15 after being stuck in traffic.
The shop owners around the gate calmed us by saying the flotas normally arrive between 20:00-21:00 or even 22:00. You can get snacks from them or a yummy Coca Quina (the better bolivian version of Coca Cola) while waiting.

The bus finally arrived! We asked the lady if there was room for 2 and got a cheaper price of 50 BOB per person. It seems like there were about 10-15 available seats so this was a good bet. If there was no room, we would wait for one of the next 3 buses and hope for the best. Our backup plan was to sleep in Yolosita.

The ride took 10 hours and we were surprised to be woken up at 4:45 in Rurre. Each of us took over a bench and we slept for an additional 1.5 hours before we could check in our hostel. The terminal is about 3km out of town – there was no bus, so we took a tuk-tuk (10 BOB).

What to Take for the Bus Ride from Coroico to Rurrenabaque

• Some warm clothes – the drive was colder than expected, you sometimes get inside clouds!
• Water
• Headphones
• Blindfold and earplugs
• Shawl as a blanket
• If you suffer from motion sickness, maybe medication or a vomit bag (just in case).
• Toothbrush and toothpaste – for refreshment in the terminal after arriving

Safety Tips for a Night Bus

Traveling by night always feels a bit more scary, but we felt safe and calm in all the night drives we had in Bolivia. Some tips that helped us feel this way:

• Money belt – under the clothes. If your money is in the pocket, try to make sure it isn’t easy to open and use the pocket far from the aisle.
• Rain cover on the backpack – just an extra “obstacle” from getting to your stuff.
• Under the seat? Tie it to yourself – tie a part of the backpack to your lag or the chair, whatever will make you wake up if it’s suddenly moving.

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Found out a better way to arrive from Coroico to Rurrenabaque? Have any update on the road conditions or price? Please let us know in the comments.