Thirteen
hours downstream
of Coca,
Nuevo Rocafuerte
is just about
as far as
you can go
along the
Rio
Napo before
the Peruvian
border. A
row of thatched
houses strung
for several
kilometres
along the
southern bank
of the river,
the town is
dominated
by Quichua
speakers,
the police
and the military.
Houses are
connected
by footpaths,
and taxi-boats
ferry people
up and down
the river.
A few people
rent out bicycles
for a couple
of dollars
an hour, the
cheapest means
of transport
in town.
Until early
1999, there
was little
reason for
tourists to
make the backbreaking
journey by
boat to Nuevo
Rocafuerte,
but this could
change following
the improvement
in relations
with Peru
and the opening
of the newly
accepted border
to international
traffic. If
you are attempting
to cross here,
make careful
preparations
and get all
the information
you can from
your own country's
embassy, the
Peruvian embassy
in Quito,
and the Capitania
in Coca.
Make sure
you have all
the necessary
stamps and
paperwork
before leaving
either place.
Crossing here
is not a well-established
practice and
the rules
and conditions
can change
rapidly. As
the situation
stands at
the moment,
you cannot
get your Peru
entry stamp
until arrival
in Iquitos.
There is no
regular boat
service from
Nuevo Rocafuerte
to Iquitos
in Peru, but
ask at the
Capitania
for upcoming
availability.
Expect to
wait several
days to find
one, the cost
of which is
likely to
run into hundreds
of dollars.
Places
to eating
and sleep
Nuevo
Rocafuerte
has one simple
hotel and
a couple of
basic restaurants.
Getting
there
Boats
to Nuevo Rocafuerte
leave Coca
on Monday
or Tuesday
morning and
return on
Thursday or
Friday morning.
The return
journey takes
around fifteen
hours, usually
broken at
Panacocha
settlement
on the Napo,
a couple of
kilometres
east of the
tributary
that leads
to Laguna
Panacocha.
Last
updated 29th
June 2006
