Rondonia

Introduction

Rondônia is a state in Brazil, located in the northwestern part of the country.

Geography

Rondonia was originally home to over 200,000 km2 of rainforest, but has become one of the most deforested places in the Amazon. By 2003 around 70,000 km2 of rainforest had been cleared. The area around the Guaporé River is part of the Beni savanna ecoregion. To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, to the east is Mato Grosso, and to the south is Bolivia.

Cities

• Cacoal
• Guajará-Mirim - near the border with Bolivia
• Ji-Paraná
• Porto Velho - capital and largest city
• Vilhena

Weather

Rondonia features a tropical monsoon climate. The state features a short dry season that covers the months of June and July and a lengthy rainy season that covers the remaining ten months. September is also a relatively drier month, almost giving the state the appearance of having two separate wet seasons. However September is not quite a dry season month, seeing on average more than 60 mm of rain. Porto Velho is particularly wet from December through March, averaging roughly 300 mm of rain per month in each of these months. As with many areas with a tropical monsoon climate, Rondonia temperatures tend to be relatively consistent throughout the course of the year, with average daily temperatures typically between 23 °C and 26 °C, highs being some degrees higher and lows a few degrees cooler.

Getting There

By Plane

Port Velho-Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira International Airport (PVH) offers flights with about 5 airlines to/from Brasilia, Cuiabá, Porto Alegre, São Paulo, Campinas, Manaus, Rio de Janeiro, Belém, Campo Grande, Cruzeiro do Sul, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Rio Branco and Belo Horizonte

By Bus

From the Rodoviária (bus station) in Porto Velho, there are buses to most big cities in Brazil. Cuiabá is 24 hours away, Brasilia is 36-48 hours away, and São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro are both about 60 hours. To the west the nearest big city is Rio Branco, about 7-10 hours away, all depending on the type of bus service you buy. The town of Guajará-Mirim on the border with Bolivia is five hours away, and from the small airport across the border there are flights to anywhere and everywhere in Bolivia. Transacreana buses go all the way to Recife, along the Atlantic coast.

By Boat

Slow boats ply the Rio Madeira between Port Velho and Manaus, typically taking about 4 days, sometimes longer. They go 2-3 times a week and costs as little as 100 reais for a hammock place, and 300-350 reais for a cabin.

Bolivia
Boats also cross the river Rio Mamore from Guajara-Mirim to Guayaramerin in Bolivia. This crossing is about 5.5 hours from Porto Velho. You can reach this crossing as well from Trinidad in Bolivia by boat, which takes 5 days and is a very adventurous off the beaten track experience.

Getting Around

By Plane

There are flights between Porto Velho and Cacoal, Ji-Paraná, and Vilhena.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website