The Other Side of Bolivia: Exploring the Chiquitania Region

Look east from the Andes and Bolivia opens into a vast, sun-warmed world of red earth, palm savannas, and forest: the Chiquitania. Far from the altiplano icons, this quietly remarkable region blends Baroque mission towns, indigenous heritage, wildlife-rich reserves, and the unhurried rhythms of the tropics. It is Bolivia’s other side—less visited, deeply rewarding, and made for travelers who like their discoveries slow and storied.

Where is the Chiquitania, and why go?

The Chiquitania stretches across the eastern department of Santa Cruz, a mosaic of dry forest and seasonally flooded savanna that edges the Bolivian Pantanal and the Brazilian frontier. It takes its name from the Chiquitano (Bésɨro) people, whose culture endures in music, language, and craft. Between 1691 and 1767, Jesuit missionaries founded a chain of settlements here; their exquisite wooden-and-adobe churches—carved columns, painted ceilings, and open courtyards—survive as living community hubs. Six of these mission towns form the UNESCO-listed Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos, one of South America’s great cultural landscapes.

Yet the Chiquitania is not only about history. Hike to wind-sculpted sandstone towers at Chochís, soak in a natural thermal river near Roboré, scan lagoons for jabiru storks on the edge of the Pantanal, or look out over the emerald immensity of the Chiquitano dry forest—one of the largest intact tropical dry forests on Earth.

Getting there

Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the springboard. Two main roads fan east: Ruta 4/9 heads toward San Javier, Concepción, and San Ignacio de Velasco; Ruta 4/10 reaches San José de Chiquitos, Roboré, and the border towns of Puerto Suárez and Puerto Quijarro. Long-distance buses are frequent, and self-drive is straightforward on paved sections, with rougher spurs to smaller missions. The region’s slow, scenic eastern railway—running Santa Cruz to Puerto Quijarro—stops at San José de Chiquitos and Roboré and is a characterful way to enter the heart of the Chiquitania.

Distances are big. Plan unhurried legs between towns, and in the rainy season (roughly December to March) expect mud, detours, and the occasional patience test. Local flights exist sporadically to airstrips like San Ignacio, but schedules change; most travelers rely on road or rail.

When to go

May to August brings clearer skies, cooler nights, and easier road conditions—ideal for looping through the missions. The shoulder months of April and September–October are warm and photogenic, with dramatic cloudscapes. The rainy season paints the savannas green and fills rivers, but downpours can disrupt travel. Every two years, usually late April to early May, the region hosts the internationally acclaimed Baroque and Renaissance Music Festival, when choirs and youth orchestras animate the mission churches.

Highlights

The Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos

Linked by straight, red-dirt roads and avenues of mango and tajibo trees, the mission towns reveal variations on a theme. San Javier and Concepción are among the oldest, restored under the guidance of the late Swiss-Bolivian architect Hans Roth; San José de Chiquitos is unique for its grand stone-and-brick church; San Miguel, San Rafael, Santa Ana, and San Ignacio de Velasco each surprise with ornate carpentry, painted altarpieces, and shaded plazas. These are working parishes, not museum sets—arrive at dusk and you might hear a rehearsal drift from the nave, or stumble upon a procession circling the square.

Small mission museums (often beside the churches) display carved instruments, liturgical art, and archives that survived the Jesuit expulsion. Ask locally about concert times; even outside festival years, community ensembles regularly perform.

Roboré, Santiago de Chiquitos, and the sandstone country

South of San José de Chiquitos, the land buckles into rose-tinted ridges and canyons. Base yourself in Roboré or the serene village of Santiago de Chiquitos for the Valle de Tucavaca Flora and Fauna Sanctuary. Trails climb to panoramic miradores, twisted rock gardens, and seasonal waterfalls. Nearby Chochís is crowned by towering sandstone spires and a striking hilltop sanctuary. After dusty hikes, slip into Aguas Calientes, a clear, mildly thermal river perfect for an end-of-day float.

On the edge of the Pantanal: Otuquis and the border lagoons

At Bolivia’s far east, wetlands spread toward Brazil. With a local guide, explore the Pantanal de Otuquis National Park or bird from boardwalks and levees near Puerto Suárez and Puerto Quijarro. Sunrise and sunset reveal caimans, capybaras, marsh deer, and flocks of herons and jabirus lifting off mirror-still water.

The wild north: Noel Kempff Mercado National Park

Remote and pristine, this UNESCO-listed park protects the Huanchaca Plateau, tablelands edged by dramatic waterfalls and carpeted in forest. Access is limited and logistics are serious—multi-day expeditions or charter flights arranged through licensed operators—so think of Noel Kempff as an aspiration for dedicated wilderness travelers. The reward is profound solitude and a sense of continental scale.

Living cultures of the lowlands

The Chiquitano heritage is visible in language, dress, and craft—carved wood, palm-fiber weaving, and musical traditions—especially during patron-saint festivals and Holy Week. Along the highways you may also encounter Mennonite farming communities; buy cheese or ice cream at signed farm shops, and always ask before taking photos.

Food and stay

Meals in the Chiquitania are generous and rooted in the land: majao (fried rice with charque and plantain), locro de gallina (hearty chicken stew), sopa de maní, masaco (yuca or plantain mashed with dried meat), and yuca-cheese comforts like cuñapé and zonzo. Tropical juices—acerola, maracuyá, and the beloved achachairú—cut the heat. In mission towns, family-run posadas sit around leafy patios; in Roboré and Santiago, eco-lodges and rustic cabañas put you close to trailheads; San José and Concepción have handsome mission-style hotels with carved galleries and hammocks.

A 7-day sketch itinerary

Day 1: Santa Cruz to Concepción via San Javier for your first mission church and an evening concert rehearsal if you’re lucky. Day 2: Concepción’s museum and artisan workshops, then continue to San Ignacio de Velasco. Day 3: Day trip loop to Santa Ana, San Miguel, and San Rafael, returning to San Ignacio for sunset on the plaza. Day 4: Long drive to San José de Chiquitos to admire its stone church and sample regional cuisine. Day 5: Continue to Roboré; late-afternoon soak in Aguas Calientes. Day 6: Sunrise hike to a Santiago de Chiquitos mirador; afternoon visit to Chochís. Day 7: Bird the border lagoons near Puerto Suárez or venture, with a guide, into Otuquis before returning toward Santa Cruz by train or road.

Practical tips

- Cash is king once you leave Santa Cruz; ATMs can be scarce or unreliable in smaller towns. Carry small bills.

- Mobile coverage varies. A local SIM helps, but expect dead zones between towns.

- Dress modestly in churches and avoid flash photography during services and rehearsals.

- A high-clearance vehicle is useful in the wet season. After heavy rains, check road conditions locally before setting out.

- Heat and mosquitoes are part of the package. Pack light long sleeves, repellent, sun protection, and drink more water than you think you need.

- If you plan to cross into Brazil at Puerto Quijarro/Corumbá, arrange visas and entry requirements in advance and allow time for border formalities.

Travel gently

The Chiquitania faces pressures from fire and deforestation. Choose community-based tours, keep to established tracks, never light fires, and support local artisans and music schools that sustain the region’s heritage. Move slowly, listen closely, and the Chiquitania will reveal a Bolivia of warm plazas, birdsong at dawn, and wooden naves that seem to breathe—an unforgettable counterpoint to the highlands.