EASTERN BOLIVIA SITES AND ATTRACTIONS

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We'll soon be adding wonderful sites and tourist attractions in Tarija and have already begun to build our section on Beni. Together with Santa Cruz, these three (of Bolivia's nine) states cover nearly 60% of the national territory! See this page for many more tourist attractions in Bolivia. Here's why this is my top recommended
Bolivia tour operator.

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, there are many sites to see. In fact, the variety of places you can visit is so great that I have had to cover many of them in a separate section on ecotourism here. 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 Samaipata and 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 which makes stops in places like Vallegrande and La Higuera. Attend a coffee festival in
Porongo
or dance in honor of a local patron saint. Visit
Charagua,
one of the towns where brave soldiers like my military doctor grandfather fought Paraguay in the Chaco War or
Camiri,
in the same region, which is Bolivia's oil and gas capital. Just a little closer to the city visit the Santa Cruz Zoo or take a short drive to the
La Guardia
Orange Festival. Spend the day among giant Amazon water lilies at my favorite restaurant/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. Into plantlife? Visit our Santa Cruz Botanical Garden. 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! Just 30 minutes from downtown you'll find one of the prettiest local getaways. For a perfect for a romantic evening, family weekend or business retreat spend some time at Quinta Victoria! 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 Mission towns near San Javier and Concepción. Check out my Things to Do section which lists many more parks and gardens, museums and galleries, events and much more. You'll find many more tourist attractions and destinations in my Ecotourism and City Tours sections as well. 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.
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