Rurrenabaque is located in Jos� Ballivi�n Province in Beni Department,
Bolivia. Rurrenabaque Municipality, the fourth (municipal section) of
Jos� Ballivi�n Province, has 14,000 inhabitants, out of which 8,000 live
in Rurrenabaque itself (Censo 2001, according to Instituto Nacional de
Estad�stica de Bolivia).
Rurrenabaque lies on the east bank of the
Beni River. It is expected that a bridge will be built over the river to
connect with the town San Buenaventura on the west bank. The coming
bridge is a part of a road project that is expected to be carried out in
the years following 2008. It will considerably broaden the economic
relationship between the two towns, which has been traditionally stunted
by limited and expensive transport by boat. Since the river
simultaneously widens and shallows at the San Buenaventura section, the
top current becomes much stronger than on many sections of the river.
Most boats and motors capable of crossing the stretch of river represent
an investment beyond the means of most individual Bolivian families,
but a bridge will allow San Buenaventura to enjoy the same accessibility
as that enjoyed between Rurrenabaque and the neighboring town of Reyes
