Bolivia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 209

at US$140 per person each day,
depending on duration and number of
people in the group.

highway, between 6.30pm and 7.30pm for Sucre, and
11.30am-12.30pm and 3.30-4.30pm for Vallegrande.
Catch the bus from outside Restaurant El Turista on the
main Sucre to Santa Cruz highway. You can also buy bus
tickets to Sucre from Amboró Tours on Bolívar. They charge
B$25 commission, but it guarantees you a seat.
By taxi From Santa Cruz, shared taxis depart from the
corner of Chávez Ortiz and Solis de Olguin (B$25-35/
person, with four people in a taxi; 2hr 30min). Returning
to Santa Cruz, take one from the petrol station on the main
highway (10min from the main plaza). You may have
di culty finding a taxi after 6pm.

SAMAIPATA
Some 120km west of Santa Cruz,
the tranquil little town of SAMAIPATA is
enjoying growing popularity as a tourist
destination among Bolivians and foreign
travellers alike. Nestled in an idyllic valley
surrounded by rugged, forest-covered
mountains, it's the kind of place where
many travellers plan to stay a couple of
days and end up staying for a week or
longer. Just 9km outside town stands
one of Bolivia's most intriguing
archeological sites - the mysterious,
ruined pre-Hispanic ceremonial complex
known as El Fuerte (see box, p.214).

2

INFORMAT I ON
Tourist information For information on Samaipata
and the surrounding area, the best place to go is the
helpful Ben Verhoef Tours (Campero 217 T 03 9446365,
W benverhoeftours.com), who can organize a variety of
tours and activities, including the Amboró National Park,
a popular condor-spotting hike, the Ché Guevara route,
Jesuit Missions tours, camping and 4WD trips. If you
understand Spanish, you might also speak to Jukumari
Tours ( T 72627202, W facebook.com/JukumariTours) on
C Bolívar, run by local guide Erwin Acuña Montenegro.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
At the centre of town lies the small
Plaza Principal , the core of the grid of
tranquil streets lined with whitewashed
houses under red-tiled roofs. A few
blocks north on Bolívar, the small Museo
Archeológico (Mon-Fri 8.30am-noon &
2-6pm; Sat & Sun 8.30am-4pm; B$50,
including entrance to El Fuerte) shows a
short film explaining the significance of
El Fuerte, and houses a small collection
of archeological finds from all over
Bolivia, including beautiful Inca-carved
ceremonial chicha -drinking cups, Inca
stone axes and mace heads, and a range
of pottery. Innumerable walking trails
run through the surrounding country-
side, the beautiful cloudforests of the
Parque Nacional Amboró (see opposite)
are within easy reach, and most tour
companies also offer day-trips to nearby
valleys where you might spot condors
overhead, climb mountainous ridges for
breathtaking vistas, or enjoy an afternoon
splashing around in some of the area's
spectacular waterfalls.

ACCOMMODAT I ON
There's a good range of budget accommodation in
Samaipata, including a couple of tranquil tucked-away
options. Prices go up at weekends and public holidays,
particularly between October and April.
Hostal Andorina C Campero T 03 9446333, W andorina
samaipata.com. A meditative place to stay (though beware
the mosquitoes), with sunny patios and hammock-strewn
balconies, characterful rooms and dorms. A good, generous
breakf ast is in cluded a nd ther e's a library and book exchange.
Dorms B$45 , doubles B$100
Finca La Víspera T 03 9446082, W lavispera.org. You can
camp in this secluded haven with comfortable lodgings, an
idyllic location amid orchards and terraced herb, vegetable
and flower gardens and a friendly young Dutch-Bolivian
couple overseeing the place. Guests can use the kitch en and
harve st food f from the grounds. Camping (per person) B$30 ,
cabins B$320
Paola Hotel Main plaza T 03 9446093. Good-value
central hotel with clean rooms, hot showers, a kitchen and
a large t errace with exhilarating views. Breakfast included.
Doubles B$80
Ì La Posada del Sol Three blocks north of the plaza
(look for the sign) T 03 9446366, W laposadadelsol.net.
Fresh rooms set in beautiful grounds with views of the
mountains bordering Amboró National Park, and there
are even dorm beds. Breakfast is served al fresco , and the
restaur ant is excellent (see p.214). Dorms B$60 , doubles
B$140

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By micro Micros leave Av Grigota in Santa Cruz for
Samaipata daily at 4pm (3hr) and arrive in Samaipata in
the Plaza Principal. Buses to Santa Cruz leave the plaza
at about 4am Mon-Fri, with other services on Sun from
noon-4pm. Buses to Sucre and Vallegrande pass by the