Bolivia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 208

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange You can change US dollars and
travellers' cheques at the Casa de Cambio Alemán (Mon-
Fri 8.30am-noon & 2.30-6pm, Sat 8.30am-noon) on the
east side of Plaza 24 de Septiembre, and there are plenty
of banks with ATMs: try Banco Mercantil on Av Moreno,
at Figueroa.
Internet There are many internet cafés around the city
centre (typically B$5/hr), especially in the shopping
complex on the east side of the main plaza.
Laundry Hostels are the best bet for laundry, but Lavandería
Sofia on C Santa Bárbara is also reliable.

Restaurant Tía Lia C Murillo 40. It looks like someone's
house from outside, with its sliver of a front garden, but
inside it's a full-on all-you-can-eat Brazilian buffet (Mon-
Sat B$27, weekends B$35) with a couple of big canteen-
like rooms and a sunny courtyard with a big churrasco grill
for meats and plentiful salads plus beans and farofa . Daily
11am-4pm.

2

DRINKING, NIGHTLIFE AND
ENTERTA INMENT
The Equipetrol area, to the northwest of the city, is the
main area for nightlife. After 10pm, the streets are lined
with people going out and cars blaring loud music. Head
to clubs on Av San Martín for hedonistic dancing and
drink deals, or, for a slightly calmer scene, check out
Av Monseñor Rivero, between the First and Second Anillo.
Dress up smart for clubs, as doormen will refuse scruffy-
looking backpackers. The in-favour nights are always
changing, but at the time of writing the hottest central
tips were Wed at Duda (Florida 228, between España and
21 de Mayo; W elbar.dudabar.com) and Thurs at Basha
(Independencia 500, at Salvatierra). The venues below are
long-standing favourites.
Bar Irlandés Plaza 24 de Septiembre. On the first floor of
the Bolívar shopping centre, with tables overlooking the
plaza, this Irish-themed bar gets very lively with locals and
travellers in the evenings, especially on weekends. Be warned
- they don't serve Guinness. Daily 9am-midnight.
Café Lorca Sucre 8 W lorcasantacruz.org. Popular café-
bar with excellent but expensive food. A good place for a
drink in the evenings, and they hold regular art exhibitions,
events and live music. Daily 9am (Sun from 4pm) until the
early hours.
Cinecenter 2nd Anillo, Av El Trompillo between Monseñor
Santiesteban and René Moreno. Big multiscreen complex
with fast-food joints and coffee bars, as well as a range of
international films (usually subtitled but worth checking
individual films).

PARQUE NACIONAL AMBORÓ
Forty kilometres west of Santa Cruz,
the Parque Nacional Amboró covers
some 4300 square kilometres of a great
forest-covered spur of the Andes jutting
out into the eastern plains. Amboró's
steep, densely forested slopes support
an astonishing biodiversity, including
more than 830 different types of bird
and pretty much the full range of
rainforest mammals, including jaguars,
giant anteaters, tapirs and several
species of monkey, while its enormous
range of plant and insect species is still
largely unexplored.
The northern gateway to the park is
the picturesque and peaceful town
of Buena Vista , some 100km northwest
of Santa Cruz along the main road to
Cochabamba. You can arrange a tour
into the park from there, or with
one of the operators in Santa Cruz
(see box below) or Samaipata (see
opposite). Overnight camping trips start

TOUR OPERATORS IN THE LOWLANDS
If you plan to head to Amboró National Park, it is cheaper to organize a tour from Samaipata,
and you'll get more time in the rainforest for your money. However, the following companies
in Santa Cruz are all well established and have good reputations:

Amboró Tours C Libertad 417, 2nd Floor T 03
3390600, W amborotours.com. A long-established
Bolivian firm offering trips to the Jesuit Missions,
multi-day trips into the Amboró National Park and
cultural tours.
Fremen Tours Beni 79, Edificio Libertador T 03
3338535, W andes-amazonia.com. Specializes in river
tours in Trinidad but can also help with Jesuit Mission
trips and other all-inclusive tours in Bolivia and Peru.

Rosario Tours Arenales 196 T 03 3369977, W rosario
tours.com. Standard tours as well as trips to the
Bolivian Pantanal.
Ruta Verde Tours C 21 de Mayo 318 T 03 3396470,
W rutaverdebolivia.com. Highly recommended Dutch/

Bolivian-run tour operator with excellent local know-
ledge, who organizes tours to national parks like
Amboró and Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, as
well as trips further afield.