Bolivia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 206

the US ambassador, whom Morales
accused of fomenting political agitation,
and a march on the city by Morales'
Aymaran supporters. The city layout
consists of a series of rings - called anillos
- with the colonial city centre inside the
Primer Anillo, and almost everything you
need within the first two or three.

(Mon-Fri 9.30am-noon & 2.30-
5.30pm) houses a small but varied
collection of artefacts that provides
a good introduction to the different
indigenous ethnic groups of the eastern
lowlands. Exhibits include photographs,
samples of traditional dress including
feather headdresses worn by dancers at
religious festivals, and wooden animal
masks. At the time of writing, the
museum was closed for refurbishment
but expected to reopen by early 2014.

2

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Santa Cruz has little to match the colonial
charm of highland cities like Sucre and
Potosí, and few conventional tourist
sights beyond a handful of museums
and an architecturally unexciting
cathedral. While some travellers find its
unapologetic modernity, commercialism
and pseudo-Americanism unappealing,
others enjoy its blend of dynamism and
tropical insouciance. Be careful walking
around the city centre at night as there
have been several reports of muggings.

Biocentro Güembé and
Jardín Zoológico
About a 30-minute taxi ride from the city
centre, at Km7 Camino a Porongo, Zona
Los Batos, Biocentro Güembé (B$120;
T

03 3700700, W biocentroguembe.com)
is a tranquil park retreat with more than
enough to keep anyone entertained for a
day or two. There are ten swimming pools,
as well as opportunities for mountain
biking, kayaking and beach volleyball.
There's also a large butterfly house and
orchid display (daily 8.30am-6pm). If you
can face the less-than-roomy cages and
enclosures, the Jardín Zoológico (daily
9am-6pm; B$10), on the Third Anillo,
houses a collection of tropical birds and
reptiles as well as deer, llamas and bears.

Plaza 24 de Septiembre
At the centre of Santa Cruz is Plaza 24 de
Septiembre , a spacious, lively square with
well-tended gardens shaded by tall trees.
On the south side of the plaza stands the
salmon-pink Catedral (daily 7am-7pm;
free), or Basílica Mayor de San Lorenzo ,
a hulking brick structure with twin bell
towers built between 1845 and 1915 on
the site of an original church dating back
to 1605. The cool, vaulted interior has
some fine silverwork around the altar,
but the best religious art is tucked away
in the adjacent Museo de Arte Sacro
(Mon & Tues 10am-noon & 2.30-6pm,
Sun 10am-noon & 4-8pm; B$10); the
entrance is just to the right as you face
the altar. To the west of the cathedral
on Independencia is Manzano Uno
(Tues-Sat 10am-12.30pm and 4-9pm,
Sun 4-9pm; free; W manzanauno.org.bo),
a small exhibition space showcasing
some excellent displays of national and
international sculpture, photography
and painting.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Santa Cruz's main airport is the modern
Aeropuerto Viru-Viru ( T 03 3852400) 14km north of the
city centre, from where it's around B$50-60 into the
centre of town; alternatively, you can catch a micro (every
20min) into the city centre. The city's second airport, the
smaller Aeropuerto El Trompillo, is still used by Aerocon
( T 03 3511200, E [e-mail]) and for some
TAM ( T 03 3532639, T 03 3529669, E santacruz@tam
.bo) flights. With Amaszonas ( T 03 3578988) and BoA
(Prolongación Aroma 20 T 03 3348341), who operate out
of Viru-Viru, you can reach much of the country by air.
Destinations Cochabamba (10-12 daily; 45min); La Paz
(10 daily; 1hr); Sucre (4-5 daily; 30-40min); Tarija
(3 daily; 1hr); Trinidad (4-5 daily; 1hr).
By bus Long-distance buses and all trains arrive and
depart from the Terminal Bi-Modal de Transporte, the
combined bus and train terminal about 2km east of
the city centre. There are always plenty of taxis outside
(B$12-20 into town); alternatively, you can reach the city
centre by catching any micro heading east along Av Brasil
and marked “Plaza 24 de Septiembre”.

Museo Etno-folklórico
Four blocks north and a block east of
Plaza 24 de Septiembre inside the Parque
Arenal (a little park with an artificial
lake), the Museo Etno-folklórico