Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
too artificial for some, it is a place to be seen for wealthy Cruceños, who flock here at the
weekends, and this in itself makes it an entertaining place to while away an afternoon.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: SANTA CRUZ
Santa Cruz is divided into concentric rings by successive ring roads - called
anillos
- be-
ginning with the Primer Anillo, which encompasses the colonial city centre, and extending
outwards to the ninth ring. Other than the main airport, most places of use and interest are
within the first two
anillos
.
By plane
The Aeropuerto El Trompillo, south of the centre in the Segundo Anillo, is some-
times used by military airline TAM and smaller carriers. The modern Aeropuerto Viru-Viru
( 03 3852400) is 17km north of the city centre, a Bs50 taxi ride away; alternatively, catch
a micro (every 20min; 30min) to the old bus terminal, seven blocks southwest of the city
centre. The departure tax is: Bs15 (domestic flights) and Bs175 (international flights).
Destinations
Daily flights: Cochabamba; La Paz; Sucre; Trinidad. Less frequent services:
Cobija; Guayaramerin; Riberalta; Puerto Suarez; Tarija. International departures: Asunció
Buenos Aires; São Paulo; Miami.
By train
The Terminal Bi-Modal - the bus and train terminal ( 03 3463388,
ferrovi-
ariaoriental.com
)
- is 2km east of the city centre at the end of Av Brasil. Services from here
travel east to the Brazilian border at Quijjaro (13hr 30min-18hr 35min), via San José de Chi-
quitos (around 5-7hr) twelve times a week. There are three different trains: the
Regional
(the
slowest and cheapest), the
Expresso Oriental
and the
Ferrobus
(the quickest, most comfort-
able and priciest). Getting a seat at intermediate stations can be a problem. There is also a
weekly service (Thurs 3.30pm) south to the Argentine border at Yacuiba (16hr 25min) via
Villamontes (13hr 25min). Unless you're taking the
Ferrobus
, you can expect delays. Buy
tickets for all services in advance from the Terminal Bi-Modal; note that there's a departure
tax of Bs3 for train passengers.
By bus
ServicesarriveatanddepartfromtheTerminalBi-Modal(thecombinedbusandtrain
terminal; 03 3463388), 2km east of the city centre at the end of Av Brasil. A taxi into the
centre costs Bs10-15; alternatively take any micro heading east along Av Brasil and marked
“Plaza 24 de Septiembre”. For the major routes there's generally no need to buy tickets in
advance, but for all other destinations try to get one the day before. Note that long-distance
buses generally travel overnight. There's a departure tax of Bs3 for bus passengers.
Destinations
Cochabamba (hourly; 10-12hr); Concepcion (around 8 daily; 6-7hr); La Paz
(around 20 daily; 16-18hr); Trinidad (around 10-12 daily; 10-12hr). Less frequent services:
Asunción; Paraguay (24hr); Buenos Aires, Argentina (34-36hr); Camiri (5-6hr); Oruro
(12-14hr); San Ignacio (evening; 10-12hr); San Javier (morning and early evening; 4-5hr);
Sucre (14-16hr); Tarija (24hr); Yacuiba (10-14hr); Vallegrande (6-7hr); Villamontes
(8-12hr).
