Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
come here on the first bus in the morning from Concepción or Santa Cruz, spend an hour or
two looking around, and then catch another bus onwards.
CONCEPCIÓN
By bus
Buses from most companies arrive a block north of the plaza; Flota Jenecherú ser-
vices arrive two blocks south of the plaza on Lucas Cabellero. For the Flota Jenecherú ser-
vice, you can buy a ticket in advance from the company's office on Lucas Cabellero. There
are several buses to Santa Cruz (around 8 daily; 6-7hr) that travel via San Javier (1hr). To
reach San Ignacio de Velasco, you need to catch a through bus (3 daily, departing between
5.30pm and 8pm; 6-7hr) from Santa Cruz, which passes through roughly between 11.30pm
and 3am. Buses from San Ignacio de Velasco often arrive in the early hours of the morning -
if you are coming from there, consider booking a room in advance.
SAN IGNACIO DE VELASCO
By plane
Military airline TAM (
tam.bo
) sometimes operates flights between San Ignacio
andSantaCruz.TheairstripinSanIgnaciodeVelascoisaroundfiveblockssouthofthemain
plaza.
By bus
San Ignacio has no bus terminal, so buses arrive and depart from the offices of the
various different bus companies, most of which are located in the market area, a block east
and one to three blocks south of the plaza. Services to Santa Cruz (3 daily; 10-12hr) via Con-
cepción (6-7hr) or San Javier (9-11hr) generally travel by night. There is usually a daily bus
to San José de Chiquitos (5-6hr) too; schedules tend to change frequently, so check the de-
parture times when you arrive. Several buses leave daily for San Matías (10-12hr) on the
Brazilian border. If you're heading to the Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercado, there is
usually a weekly bus (12-14hr) to La Florida; check departure days at the SERNAP office at
Bolívar 87 ( 03 3932747).
SAN MIGUEL, SAN RAFAEL AND SANTA ANA
San Miguel is about 40km south of San Ignacio on the main road to San José de Chiquitos,
and San Rafael is another 35km or so further southeast on the same road. From San Rafael
another road runs back to San Ignacio via Santa Ana, 20km away. None of the churches have
fixed opening times, but even if you find them closed, you can usually find someone to let
you in.
By micro
A couple of micros travel each day between San Ignacio and San Miguel (1hr),
San Rafael (1hr 30min) and Santa Ana (1hr), though visiting by taxi saves you a great deal
of time.
By taxi
San Miguel, Santa Ana and San Rafael can be visited together in a one-day trip from
SanIgnaciodeVelasco. AtaxishouldcostaroundBs200;youcanfindthemonSanIgnacio's
main plaza.
