Must see attractions in Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania

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The mystical site of El Fuerte exudes such pulling power that visitors from all over the world come to Samaipata just to climb the hill and see the…

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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…

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Intricately carved wooden pillars and doors displaying a fascinating combination of motifs are the star attraction at this moving memorial, completed in…

San José has the only stone Jesuit mission church and merits a visit even if you miss all the others. Although the main altar is nearly identical to those…

A steep path leads down a hillside to the sheltered clearing where Che and 16 fellow guerrilla fighters evaded capture for 10 days until, on October 8,…

This museum is inside the impressive Centro Cultural Ernesto Che Guevara, which was completed in 2016 in time for the 50th anniversary of Che's death the…

In 1995, 28 years after Che’s death, a soldier who carried out the burial revealed that Che's body lay beneath Vallegrande’s airstrip. After two years of…

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…

This series of three beautiful waterfalls on a turbid mountain river plunge 45m into a dreamy tropical lagoon. La Pajcha has a sandy beach for swimming…

After Che’s execution in La Higuera, south of Vallegrande, his body was brought to the hospital laundry and put on display for the world's press. The…

Samaipata’s small archaeological museum displays pieces excavated from El Fuerte and provides information about the site. It's worth coming here before…

There are good city views of Santa Cruz from the bell tower of the Basilica Menor de San Lorenzo.

This protected area, 12km south of Santa Cruz, is a strange and striking sandy desert that seems out of place in Santa Cruz's humid environs. It's a good…

A few kilometers outside town, this is the site of the original city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The only thing left behind of the old city is an…

Buena Vista’s Jesuit mission was founded in 1694 as the fifth mission in the Viceroyalty of Peru, but its current form dates from 1767. When the Jesuits…

Santa Cruz zoo has a collection of native birds, mammals and reptiles kept in pleasingly humane conditions, although the llamas are a bit overdressed for…

These three lovely waterfalls are 20km east of Samaipata on the road to Santa Cruz. Walk upstream on a clear path away from the road to reach two of the…

This cultural center is in the impeccably restored family home of Dr Melchor Pinto Parada, a wealthy and influential cruceño who died in 1982. There are…

In the former home of the Gutiérrez Jiménez family, completed in 1920, this museum has four rooms with displays covering regional history. The first is…

Inside the cathedral, the Museum of Sacred Art displays a collection of religious icons, vestments and medallions. Most interesting are the gold and…