SANTA CRUZ SITES AND ATTRACTIONS

There are many interesting sites to explore in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Santa Cruz is the largest of the country’s nine departments. Located in Eastern Bolivia, it is the fastest growing in terms of population, and has become the nation’s business and financial capital as well. In this section I’ll be telling you about some of the more interesting regional attractions, so when I make reference to Santa Cruz, I’m talking about the Department of Santa Cruz. If you don’t plan to venture out of the urban area, visit my section on city tours for all the best sites in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, our department’s capital city. Because of its privileged tropical location and the enormity of the department itself, its main attractions are ecotourism and cultural tourism.

Here you can visit one of our amazing national parks; go birdwatching; take a wildlife observation tour; cruise one of the Amazon tributaries; go camping in the jungle; bathe in a natural pool; shower under one of many beautiful waterfalls; study flora in one of the most biodiverse regions of the world; photograph exotic animals and endangered species; navigate one of the largest areas of wetlands on Earth; go fishing in one of our many rivers, lakes and lagoons; walk among ancient ruins in the foothills of the Andes; or leave a trail of footprints on a sand dune. In fact, the variety of places you can visit is so great that I have had to cover them in a separate section on ecotourism.

Eastern Bolivian culture and people are completely different from what you might find in the Western or Andean half of the country. In Santa Cruz you can learn about life in the region’s many small colonial-era towns like the Jesuit Missions, listen to a children’s choir in Urubichá, or attend a baroque music concert. Observe as artisans use skills handed down over centuries to fashion intricate musical instruments in Guarayos. Learn to create pottery in Cotoca from some of the best artisans around. Visit the site where the famed Che Guevara was captured by taking the Ruta del Che tour. Attend a coffee festival in Porongo or dance in honor of a local patron saint. Visit Charagua, one of the towns where brave soldiers fought Paraguay in the Chaco War or Camiri, in the same region, which is considered Bolivia's oil and gas capital.

Just a little closer to the city visit the La Guardia Orange Festival. Spend the day among giant Amazon water lilies at my favorite restaurant/park/resort/nature preserve La Rinconada or take a tour guided by a real biologist at Yvaga Guazu Ecological Park and learn about more than 650 varieties of plants at this beautiful garden/park/restaurant and hidden paradise just 15 minutes from downtown. Spend a day or a night or a week at the Güembe Biocenter which specializes in "Health Tourism" (spas, yoga, etc.) and houses the world's largest butterfly sanctuary in addition to dozens of other amazing amenities! If you play golf, like kayaking or just want to hang on a hammock, spend the weekend at Santa Rosa de la Mina which will soon be South America's largest golf resort and is located on the way to the Jesuit Missions of San Javier and Concepción.

There is a never-ending, amazing variety of things to do in Santa Cruz. Because the department is so large, you are free to choose your preferred landscape depending on how long you will be here, the type of accommodations you prefer, or how much energy you have. You can rock in a hammock or rappel from a mountain, but whatever you do, don’t forego an invitation to try this region’s delicious food or enjoy our nightlife too.

Return from Regional Sites to Home Page

Custom Search

---