Santa Cruz and the Oriente holidays
Santa Cruz and the Oriente at a glance
Santa Cruz and the Oriente present a striking contrast to Bolivia’s Andean regions. Prosperous, rapidly expanding Santa Cruz can feel more like Brazil – just a few hours away by road – than the Bolivia of the altiplano, its wealth built on oil, cattle farming, agriculture and logging; you might spot the local elite’s SUVs, windows darkened, cruising the sultry streets.
Outside the city, the highlights come thick and fast. Amboró and Noel Kempff Mercado National Parks rank among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, while unspoilt, red-roofed Spanish colonial-style villages dot the rugged hills beyond. The Ruta del Che, the Che Guevara Trail, winds through wild mountain ranges and canyons to the sites connected with the revolutionary’s final campaign.
The region has been the setting for other great chapters of human drama too. Indigenous tribes, fabled to have founded a sophisticated civilisation, repelled the conquistadores only to be brought under Jesuit control – leaving behind a circuit of stupendously ornate restored Jesuit Missions deep in the countryside.
Later, the rubber boom brought immense riches and built sophisticated towns; when the industry declined, it left abandoned missions, railways, mansions and mills scattered among vast cattle ranches, a legacy now being revived through eco-tourism.
Why choose Journey Latin America for your holiday to Santa Cruz and the Oriente
We’ve been planning trips to Central and South America for over 45 years, longer than any other UK specialist. Every holiday is built around you by a Travel Expert who has been to the places they recommend, with support from your first enquiry to the day you fly home.
Santa Cruz and the Oriente offer a fascinating contrast to the Andes, with wildlife-rich lowlands, tropical forests and historic Jesuit Missions.
When to visit Santa Cruz and the Oriente
The region enjoys a warm tropical climate for much of the year, although rainfall patterns vary across the lowlands.
Dry season advantages: Wildlife viewing can be easier and travel conditions more predictable during drier months.
Wet season benefits: Rainfall transforms the landscape and supports the rich biodiversity that makes the Oriente so rewarding.
These are the driest and most pleasant months to visit Santa Cruz, with a warm, sultry sub-tropical climate and temperatures reaching 30°C. The dry weather is ideal for outdoor activities – explore the Ruta del Che trail through the wild mountain ranges which Che Guevara walked in the last days of the revolutionary campaign. Or discover the ecosystems of multi-altitude Amboró and Noel Kempff Mercado National Parks, which count among some of the most biodiverse reserves on the planet
There is more rainfall during these months and temperatures remain hot and sultry, rarely falling below 20°C. Carnival celebrations take place in Santa Cruz in late February, featuring glittering parades, traditional music and dancers with flamboyant costumes in the streets.
Top Things to do in Santa Cruz and the Oriente
The Oriente region combines historical, cultural and wildlife experiences unlike anywhere else in Bolivia.
Drive through the mountains of remote eastern Bolivia following in the footsteps of Che Guevara on his last revolutionary campaign.
Discover Samaipata, congenial the mountain resort 2-3 hours from Santa Cruz, the archaeological site El Fuerte and the dense cloudforest of Amboró National Park.
Visit the opulent, restored jesuit mission churches hidden away in the villages of the remote Bolivian interior.
Accommodation in Santa Cruz and the Oriente
Accommodation options range from comfortable city hotels and boutique properties in Santa Cruz to eco-lodges and wildlife-focused accommodation throughout the lowlands.
Boutique hotel jammed with art and nostalgia in a quiet suburb of Santa Cruz.
Professionally-run business and leisure hotel with many facilities just 1.5km from the central plaza of Santa Cruz.
Mid-range colonial style hotel on the main square opposite Concepción’s restored mission church.
Smart colonial style hotel close to the centre of San Ignacio, convenient for visits to the UNESCO restored mission church.
Upmarket resort-style hotel with many facilities in tropical gardens in a quiet neighbourhood in Santa Cruz.
A smart, modern hotel with a decent range of facilities, a good base for visiting the mission church at San José de Chiquitos.
A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.
Tailor-Made Santa Cruz and the Oriente Tours
Prefer to travel on your own terms? We’ll build a trip around your dates, your pace and the things you most want to see – whether that’s a first run at Machu Picchu, a family adventure mixing history and wildlife, or a food-focused journey through Lima and the Sacred Valley. Our Travel Experts can help shape it with you.
Signature Bolivia: The final frontier
Places visited: La Paz and the altiplano · Uyuni salt flats · Sucre and Potosi · Santa Cruz and the Oriente
15 days from £4,800
FAQs about visiting Santa Cruz and the Oriente
Santa Cruz and the Oriente is one of the most popular destinations, and there’s plenty to think about before you go. Here, our specialists share their best advice.
- When's the best time to visit Santa Cruz and Oriente?
The weather is hot and sultry all year round, with daytime temperatures rarely falling below 20°C. The drier season is most pleasant, falling between April and November. Crucenos love to party however and Carnival (the four days prior to Ash Wednesday) is celebrated enthusiastically throughout the city with street festivals, music and parades.
For more detailed information visit our When To Go section.
- What's the official language of Santa Cruz and Oriente?
Spanish and indigenous languages, Some immigrants, eg Mennonites, speak their own language.
- How do I get local currency in Santa Cruz and Oriente?
Peso Boliviano. Notes in local currency and in some cases US dollars can be withdrawn from the many ATMs in prominent avenues of Santa Cruz, eg Bolivian National Bank and Banco Mercantil de Santa Cruz; there are many money exchanges (casas de cambio) and banks which exchange US dollars. (a few accept euros or sterling but the rate may be poor).
When withdrawing money from an ATM using a debit card, you are offered a choice of account type from which to make your withdrawal: select ‘credit card’ (ie NOT Current account or Savings Account options).
- What's the time difference between Santa Cruz and UK?
GMT -4 hours.
- What places combine well with Santa Cruz and Oriente?
Well connected by air with La Paz (1hr), Lima, Miami, Buenos Aires and São Paulo, Santa Cruz is easily combined with a visit to some of the continent’s greatest cities. If you love wilderness and history, combine the remote mountains of the Che Trail or the circuit of isolated Jesuit missions in the Oriente with the high altitude puna of Argentina – a staggeringly other-worldly extension of the Atacama desert specked with just a handful of tiny traditional subsistence villages – using a direct flight from Salta in Argentina’s northwest.
- How do I get to Santa Cruz and Oriente?
Santa Cruz is Bolivia’s main airport hub, with flights arriving from The US, Europe, other Latin American countries (eg Miami, Lima, Madrid, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Cochabamba, Tarija, La Paz, Sucre)There’s a good new paved road from Brazil, offering links with Corumbá and the Pantanal, and paved road links with other cities in Bolivia, though land journeys are necessarily long.
Ready to start planning?
Tell us where you want to go, and we’ll take it from there. No obligation, no sales pitch – just a conversation with someone who knows the region inside out.