Porto Velho is the capital of the state of Rondônia in Brazil.
Porto Velho as a city is fairly young. Don't expect to see fine examples of colonial architecture or even notably old buildings. At first sight for the traveler Porto Velho has little to offer but a main street with rather uninteresting shops that can be found anywhere else in Brasil. Look a bit beyond that and you'll find Porto Velho a lively community with plenty to keep you occupied. For exploration, rent a car for a few days as there is no tourist infrastructure whatsoever. You will need local help in finding the interesting places as there is no formal tourist office.
Although Porto Velho has a railway station there are no trains in or out of the city. For tourist purposes the train was expected to work but don't expect this to happen at any time in the near future. For the Maria Fumaça telenovela part of the track has been cleaned.
From the Rodoviária (bus station) 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 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, in the Atlantic coast, almost 5,000 km away. Tel.: (11) 6698-7399 and (61) 8402-8418.
Eucatur is the main line in this region with well equipped buses and staff.
There is a boat to Manaus two-three times per week. Hammock class (bring your own hammock) is about R$100, a cabin R$300, and a double cabin R$350. Prices are somewhat negotiable. Before booking a boat make sure to check the boat, captain and crew out and try to negotiate with them instead of one of the 3 or 4 agents at the entrance of the harbour. Take care walking in the harbour area, it is not one of the nicest places to be in, take as little as possible with you when going there.
When available do go and eat an açaí with guaraná and granola. You'll love the taste of this dark brown sweet local fruit. On the weekly market or on the central square get a vatapá or tacacá. Maybe you won't like the taste but when you eat the included green leaves in the latter, you'll be sure to have a numb tongue for an hour or so.
As there is virtually no tourist infrastructure in Porto Velho, you'll be better off renting a car to explore the surroundings. Go either west on the BR-364 and look for signs Candeias, the place where Porto Velho actually started (to be reached by local bus as well). Move a bit up and visit the cemetery or visit the Santo Antonio waterfall. To the west take the balsa and drive up to Humaitá (about 200 km, no gas intermediate gas stations) on the road to Manaus.
Rent a car from a respected car rental agency; The cost of car rental is about R$100 per day excluding insurance (about R$25 per day). Make sure you rent your car at the local Hertz, Localiza or Avis. They are close to the rodoviária (bus station). When you exit walk to your right and look for it on the other side of the road. There are plenty of other car rental places around but you will probably end up renting a car from a private person with no guarantees nor insurance. The costs are about the same so don't expose yourself to the risks involved with renting from private persons.
Nothing much typical to buy here except or the wooden replicas of the Caixas d'água or a hammock when you want to undertake the boat trip to Manaus. There are some souvenir shops on and close to 7 de Setembro if you want to give it a try.
Every Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays there is a Forro (dance) at the Mirante I & II. Walk all the way up from Av. Farquar - parallel to the Beira Rio (riverside) and follow the noise a bit to your left. The street gets blocked, there is security, you probably will be checked entering, but don't let that set you off. You'll probably have a good time doing what the locals do.
For a bit more upscale experience take a taxi and go to a pseudo authentic beer brewery. The hot one in Porto Velho is Public Haus.
There are some cheap hotels just across the street from the Rodoviária.
Porto Velho has the dubious honor of being one of the most dangerous cities in Brazil, so take care!
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division