Seen from a distance across the river, Porto Velho looks rather more impressive than it does at close quarters. The two bell towers and Moorish dome of the cathedral stand out strikingly above the rooftops, while alongside the river three phallic, black water towers sit like waiting rockets beside a complex of military buildings. A little further downstream the modern port and the shiny cylindrical tanks of a petrochemical complex dominate the riverbank.

Although it’s a lively town and an enjoyable place to spend some time, Porto Velho doesn’t have much in the way of a developed tourist scene beyond its main attraction, the wonderful Madeira-Mamoré Railway Museum (daily 9am–5pm). Run by the eloquent Sr Johnson, the museum is jam-packed with fascinating period exhibits, from photographs of important railway officials and operatives from the past (including Johnson’s father), to station furniture, equipment and mechanical devices, including an entire and quite spectacular locomotive, built in Philadelphia in 1878. For railway buffs, there’s also plenty of equipment and other locomotives to see around the old railway terminal adjacent to the museum. The Madeira-Mamoré (or Mad Maria) Railway was planned to provide a route for Bolivian rubber to the Atlantic and the markets of Europe and the eastern USA, but due to a series of setbacks during its forty-year construction it was only completed in 1912 – just in time to see the price of rubber plummet and the market dry up. Some estimates say that as many as fifty thousand men died – mostly of malaria – building the rail line, though in truth the figure was probably a tenth of that. The line was closed in 1960, and in 1972 many of the tracks were ripped up to help build a road along the same difficult route.

Today, a short but fairly scenic section of the old railway track has been revived, and tourist trains run from from the old railway station in Porto Velho to the village of Cachoeira de Santo Antônio, a 7km stretch. The line is only operational on Sundays, with the first train departing at 9am ($1 round trip; other services at 10.30am, 1.30pm, 3pm and 4.30pm).

The other museum in town, the Museu Estadual de Rondônia on Sete de Setembro, has an interesting collection of ethnographic artefacts gathered from indigenous tribes of the region. There’s little else to see: the University of Rondônia is not a very inspiring building, and the Catedral is better appreciated from the far side of the river. One of the best things to do while you’re here is to take a short trip on a floating bar – Fluvetur and Baretur are competing outfits which both offer much the same deal. They set out at intervals during the day – there’s almost always a 5pm sundowner tour, and more frequent sailings at weekends – and for a few reais and the price of a beer or two you can spend a pleasant couple of hours travelling up and down the Madeira, sharing the two-storey floating bar with predominantly local groups. The atmosphere is invariably lively, and there’s often impromptu music.

Around Porto Velho

Getting there

Eating, drinking and nightlife

It may not look like it, but Porto Velho has one of the best restaurants in Brazil. Tucked away down an obscure side street on the riverfront, it’s impossible to find without a taxi but every taxi driver knows where it is. A Caravela do Madeira, Rua José Camacho 104, Arigolandia (tel 069/221-6641; closed Sun evening & Mon), is an amazing place, an enormous wooden construction looming out over a hillside overlooking the Rio Madeira. It would be magical even if the food was dreadful, which it most certainly isn’t. It specializes in river fish; try costeleta de surubim, or the equally delicious pirarucu na brasa. A meal with taxi to and from the centre will set you back around $20 and there’s sometimes live music on Saturdays.

Otherwise, the best place for restaurants is the stretch of Avenida Joaquim Nabuco behind the Hotel Vila Rica, where there is a cluster of restaurants including a genuine Chinese restaurant, Oriente, Av. Amazonas 1280 (closed Mon), catering for the Taiwanese gold buyers attracted to the region by the gold rush of the late 1980s. There are also two excellent Arabic–Brazilian restaurants, the Habibe, Av. Lauro Sodré 1190 (closed Mon), and the Almanara, Av. José de Alencar 2624.

You can find great ice cream at the Sorveteria Mamoré, overlooking the port side of the railway sheds, and there are reasonable drinks, snacks and fish meals available at the barracas nearby. Close to the military complex on the hill above the town, the Restaurante Mirante II has a good view over the river and often has live music on Friday evenings. As the night progresses, the Wau Wau bar, in the Hotel Vila Rica, generally offers good entertainment, and there are also a few nightclubs, notably Original, on Rua Guanabara, which plays a range of music including forró, samba and pagode, and Bungalo, on the same road but closer to the centre.

Accommodation

• Rondon Palace, Av. Gov. Jorge Teixeira (tel & fax 069/224-6160). Close to the airport some way from the centre, this is a modern, soulless hotel with pool and good restaurant. $35–50.
• Vila Rica, Rua Carlos Gomes 1616 (tel 069/221-2333). This hotel is unmissable as it is by some way the tallest building in the centre; luxury-class and tastefully redecorated, it is good value. $70–90.