Best 10 Things to Do in & Nearby Santa Cruz De La Sierra

Santa Cruz de la Sierra, nestled in Bolivia, is a vibrant city known for its rich history, diverse culture, and stunning scenic beauty. As a bustling urban center, it offers a unique blend of modern amenities and traditional charm, making it a captivating destination for travelers.

Take a stroll through the beautiful Botanical Garden while witnessing the stunning wildlife creatures around, skydive in the city’s skyline, shop through lively markets, or plan a trip to Samaipata & much more. Here are the top 10 Santa Cruz de la Sierra things to do:

Amboro National Park is a nature lover’s delight, showcasing 3 diverse habitats including the Amazon Basin, the northern Chaco, and the Andes foothills. You won’t find such a closely-knit diversity of temperatures, making this tour an unforgettable experience. The park is approximately 25 miles from Santa Cruz and offers breathtaking waterfalls, nature walks, and birdwatching tours, being home to 812 different bird species.

Taking a walking tour down the history is one of the best things to do in Santa Cruz Bolivia, this tour is led by a local guide who initiated the endeavor independently & is not affiliated with a large organization, personalizing the experience and sounds exciting to the history lovers.

After a wholesome tour of about 1.5 hours long, you can stroll around to observe some historical sites as it will take you to the Santa Cruz History Museum first, followed by the Independence Museum, the Chacho War Museum & the Melchor Pinto House Cultural Center comes along the way as well.

Skydiving adventures are among the main Santa Cruz attractions, as you can go skydiving at Santa Cruz’s Skydive Bolivia which is renowned for being a jumping site. This once-in-a-lifetime adventure boosts adrenaline for thrill seekers, offering a great experience and a chance to mingle with locals at the drop zone. Try their courses and exciting tandem jumps, as well as solo jumps featured in training.

Botanical Garden comes among the best places to visit in Santa Cruz Bolivia, featuring numerous hiking routes spanning over 6 km of the park, where you’ll get ample opportunities to spot animals such as monkeys and sloths. Visit this beautiful garden to be in awe of the park’s splendor. It is suggested to get yourself a bug-repellant so you can avoid bug bites.

Santa Cruz is a trading city, hence you may come across lively markets and chaos, the Los Pozos Market which is nestled closer to Parque el Arenal has almost everything available from clothing to food and much more. A few other markets are also seen brimming with people including Market Barrio Lindo & Mercado Nuevo, which sells amazing regional food at incredibly low cost.

Climbing up the Cathedral is one of the fun things to do in Santa Cruz Bolivia, situated at Plaza 24 de Septiembre, right in the heart of the city. The breathtaking architectural design of the church is admirable and visitors are warmly welcome to ascend the bell tower to take in the stunning views of Santa Cruz. However, this place is open every day from 8 AM-12 PM & 3-6 PM.

Sign up for the Sloth & Wildlife Tour to witness incredible animals in their natural environment. This 4-hour tour picks up visitors from Santa Cruz lodging and offers sightings of sloths, caimans, monkeys, and more. You'll also explore Cotoca town. Though it might be expensive, this uniquely curated tour by Nick’s Adventures is worth the investment, making it an excellent leisure activity for animal lovers and nature enthusiasts.

Just 15 minutes away from Santa Cruz is a fantastic location of Guembe Biopark, ideal for planning your getaway from the bustling city life, remains open the whole week except for Monday, and timings are from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM. This park features many distinct pools & lagoons that sound exciting to the kids, whereas, the largest butterfly cage in Bolivia & aviary are among the many attractions that will keep you hooked to this place, offering fun sports activities like Kayaking, Swimming & Volleyball games.

It is just a few hours’ drives from Santa Cruz to reach Samaipata, which upon visiting will make you understand why the town is referred to as “Bolivia’s little Switzerland”, offering a peaceful stroll around its exquisite streets, framed by mountains. Not only this town is lovely but Samaipata is wholly surrounded by numerous cloud forests & breathtakingly beautiful waterfalls, where Las Cuevas is a one-of-a-kind attraction and is a very well-known waterfall situated in this region. This stunning place has a colder temperature that doesn’t allow visitors to swim up.

Furthermore, the stunning Pre-Incan El Fuerte de Samaipata ruins are close by & Condors soar high above these ruins, counted among the impressive sights of Santa Cruz Bolivia.

Bolivia’s stunning Parque Lomas de Arena is a national park featuring sand dunes that span more than 3000 hectares, offering fun-filled activities where you may get to learn about the historical past of Palmasola Prison, drive a 4WD through the dense forest in search of capturing the sights of wildlife creatures.