Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania

The Bolivian Oriente is not what you generally see in Bolivian tourist brochures. This tropical region, the country’s most prosperous, has a palpable desire to differentiate itself from Bolivia’s traditional highland image. The region’s agriculture boom has brought about a rise in income and a standard of living unequaled by any other Bolivian province.

Santa Cruz is Bolivia’s most populous city, with a cosmopolitan population, yet it retains a small-town atmosphere. From here you can visit Jesuit mission towns, tour pre-Inca ruins near the village of Samaipata or embark on a revolutionary pilgrimage to where Che Guevara met his maker around Vallegrande. Prefer nature? There are miles of hikes and tons of wildlife at Parque Nacional & Área de Uso Múltiple Amboró, the so-called 'elbow of the Andes' where the ecosystems of the Chaco, the Amazon Basin and the Andes meet.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania.

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Jardín Botánico
Santa Cruz's lush botanical gardens, 12km east of the city center, make for a tranquil escape from the urban scene. Covering more than 200 hectares, the gardens feature woodland trails, a lake, a cactarium (cactus garden) and plenty of exotic plants. Climb the wooden viewing platform for vistas across the treetop canopy to the city skyline. The gardens are teeming with wildlife, too; look out for tortoises and sloths. To get here, take the green minibus marked Cotoca from the corner of Suárez Arana and Barrón and ask the driver to drop you at the entrance to the Jardín Botánico (B$2.50, 25 minutes).
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Jesuit Mission Church
The church of San Miguel's spiral pillars, carved wooden altar with a flying San Miguel, extravagant golden pulpit, religious artwork, toy-like bell tower and elaborately painted facade are simply superb. Although not designed by Martin Schmidt, the church does reflect his influence and is often considered the most beautiful of Bolivia’s Jesuit missions. A unique feature of San Miguel is the presence of no fewer than seven bells in the bell tower. When rung in combination they transmit a complicated code language to the populace. The largest bell rung in tandem with two others signals the departure of a dignitary, rung alone it’s the baptism of a child, while a special bell calls the faithful to prayer.
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Jesuit Mission Church
The restored interior of this 1747 mission is particularly beautiful, and the original paintings and woodwork remain intact. The pulpit is covered with a layer of lustrous mica, the ceiling is made of reeds and the spiral pillars were carved from cuchi (ironwood) logs. If you find the church locked, look on the main door for the phone number of the key holder. This is the only mission church to retain the original style of roof, with cane sheathing. Most interesting are the lovely music-themed paintings in praise of God along the entrance wall, which include depictions of a harp, flute, bassoon, horn and maracas.
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Catedral de Concepción
Built in 1709, the elaborately restored cathedral on the east of the plaza has an overhanging roof supported by 121 huge tree-trunk columns and a similar bell tower. It is decorated with golden baroque designs depicting flowers, angels and the Holy Virgin. Outside mass times, access to the church is via a small museum, which displays interesting historical photos of the church before and after it was restored in the 1970s. If the church museum is closed, ask at the Museo Misional across the square; the same person is responsible for both.
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Iglesia de Santa Ana
Santa Ana church, with its wooden altar and reed roof, is more rustic than others on the mission circuit and recalls the first churches constructed by the Jesuit missionaries upon their arrival. The interior contains exquisite religious carvings and paintings. Of particular interest is the church organ, which dates from 1754; the pipes have been replaced but the wooden exterior is original. During recent renovations a diatonic harp, more than 1.5m tall, was also discovered; it’s displayed in the church.
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Basílica Menor de San Lorenzo
Although the original cathedral on Plaza 24 de Septiembre was founded in 1605, the present structure dates from 1845 and wasn’t consecrated until 1915. Inside, the decorative woodwork on the ceiling and silver plating around the altar are worth a look. There are good views of the city from the bell tower. Inside the church is a small museum displaying a collection of religious icons, vestments and medallions.
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Iglesia de San Ignacio
The first mission church at San Ignacio de Velasco, founded in 1748, was once the largest and most elaborate of all the mission churches. It was demolished in the 1950s and replaced by a modern abomination. Realizing they’d made a hash of it, the architects razed the replacement and designed a reasonable facsimile of the original structure. The new version retains a beautiful altar and wooden pillars from the original church and overlooks an extensive and well-pruned plaza.
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Iglesia de San Xavier
Swiss priest Martin Schmidt designed the present church, which was constructed between 1749 and 1752. Restoration work was completed in 1992 to beautiful effect, and the newly restored building manages to appear pleasantly old and authentic. The beguiling whitewashed interior is distinct from other missions on the circuit. Outside mass times, access to the church is via the Museo Misional next door.
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Museo Misional
Intricate art-restoration work is performed in the Museo Misional on the south side of the plaza which, apart from being the birthplace of the former Bolivian president Hugo Banzer Suárez, also has scale models of all the churches on the mission circuit and some fine examples of Jesuit carving.