Bolivia Santa Cruz and the Oriente

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When's the best time to visit Santa Cruz and Oriente?

The weather is hot and sultry all year round, with daytime temperatures rarely falling below 20°C. The drier season is most pleasant, falling between April and November. Crucenos love to party however and Carnival (the four days prior to Ash Wednesday) is celebrated enthusiastically throughout the city with street festivals, music and parades.

For more detailed information visit our When To Go section.

What's the official language of Santa Cruz and Oriente?

Spanish and indigenous languages, Some immigrants, eg Mennonites, speak their own language.

How do I get local currency in Santa Cruz and Oriente?

Peso Boliviano. Notes in local currency and in some cases US dollars can be withdrawn from the many ATMs in prominent avenues of Santa Cruz, eg Bolivian National Bank and Banco Mercantil de Santa Cruz; there are many money exchanges (casas de cambio) and banks which exchange US dollars. (a few accept euros or sterling but the rate may be poor).

When withdrawing money from an ATM using a debit card, you are offered a choice of account type from which to make your withdrawal: select 'credit card' (ie NOT Current account or Savings Account options).

What's the time difference between Santa Cruz and UK?

GMT -4 hours.

What places combine well with Santa Cruz and Oriente?

Well connected by air with La Paz (1hr), Lima, Miami, Buenos Aires and São Paulo, Santa Cruz is easily combined with a visit to some of the continent’s greatest cities. If you love wilderness and history, combine the remote mountains of the Che Trail  or the circuit of isolated Jesuit missions in the Oriente with the high altitude puna of Argentina – a staggeringly other-worldly  extension of the Atacama desert specked with just a handful of tiny traditional subsistence villages – using a direct  flight from Salta in Argentina’s northwest.

How do I get to Santa Cruz and Oriente?

Santa Cruz is Bolivia's main airport hub, with flights arriving from The US, Europe, other Latin American countries (eg Miami, Lima, Madrid, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Cochabamba, Tarija, La Paz, Sucre)There's a good new paved road from Brazil, offering links with Corumbá and the Pantanal, and paved road links with other cities in Bolivia, though land journeys are necessarily long.

If you still have questions, please contact us and one of our Travel Experts will be happy to help.

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  • Maggie in LATAM
    Maggie Wilson - Travel Expert

    Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

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    Alex Walker - Travel Expert

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

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    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

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    Sally Dodge - Travel Expert

    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

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    Carrie Gallagher - Travel Expert

    A former JLA tour leader, Carrie brings a wealth of on-the-ground experience to our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours department.

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