Santa Cruz
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Overview
Santa Cruz may surprise you with its small-town feeling, colonial buildings and relaxed tropical atmosphere. Bolivia’s largest city oozes modernity yet clings stubbornly to tradition. The city center is vibrant and thriving, its narrow streets crowded with suited businesspeople sipping chicha (a fermented-corn drink) at street stalls. Locals still lounge on benches in the main square listening to camba (eastern lowlands) music, restaurants close for siesta and little stores line the porch-fronted houses selling cheap, local products.
01 / Attractions
Must-see attractions
Santa Cruz
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…
Santa Cruz
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…
Zoológico Municipal Fauna Sudamericana
Santa Cruz
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…
Basílica Menor de San Lorenzo
Santa Cruz
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…
Santa Cruz
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…
Santa Cruz
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…
Santa Cruz
Inside the cathedral, the Museum of Sacred Art displays a collection of religious icons, vestments and medallions. Most interesting are the gold and…
Santa Cruz
A small but interesting and professionally presented exhibition of Guaraní culture, located close to the zoo. The curator is happy to explain the…
02 / Plan with a local
03 / Articles
Latest stories from Santa Cruz
Adrenaline-inducing adventures in Bolivia
Jun 5, 2018 • 5 min read
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