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Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a Relaxing City in Bolivia

A week after my fingertips began to feel the effects of the high altitude on my trip through the Bolivian Altiplano, I finally touched down in semi-tropical Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Elev: 416 m or 1,365 ft).

My flight from Sucre arrived at the smaller, older El Trompillo Airport, closer to the city center where I would be staying.

Later, I would fly to La Paz from Bolivia's most modern airport, Viru Viru International Airport.

Santa Cruz de la Sierra as seen from a tower in the Cathedral
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, as seen from a tower in the Cathedral

The city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (also known simply as Santa Cruz) is organized in concentric rings, with the historic center smack dab in the middle.

Plaza 24 de Septiembre is at the heart of the historic center and was named after the anniversary of an uprising that led to the city's independence from Spain.

Here, I spent five days relaxing at an altitude as close to sea level as you'll find in Bolivia.

The oxygen-rich air aided in the healing of my fingertips, which slowly began to return to normal (despite going through a waxy-feeling phase).

Plaza 24 de Septiembre quickly became one of my favorite plazas in Latin America, not only because of its size and tree cover but also because of the wonderfully restored buildings surrounding it.

I passed the days by soaking up the sunshine while going for walks and sampling traditional Bolivian snacks like cuñapé (delicious yuca and cheese bread).

If I hadn't been in a rush to return to Lima for my first trip to the Amazon, I would've stayed longer to explore two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the region, the Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos and Fuerte de Samaipata.

Related: Escape from Uyuni, Bolivia

The city's cathedral dominates the main plaza, known as Plaza 24 de Septiembre
The city's cathedral (Basilica Menor de San Lorenzo) dominates the central plaza, Plaza 24 de Septiembre.
Looking down the long nave of the Cathedral in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
Looking down the long nave of the Cathedral.
Cathedral bell tower
Cathedral bell tower.
Side view of the Cathedral
Side view of the Cathedral.
Plaza 24 de Septiembre in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Plaza 24 de Septiembre in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
One of the streets bordering Plaza 24 de Septiembre, complete with beautifully restored buildings
One of the streets bordering Plaza 24 de Septiembre has beautifully restored buildings.
The Palace Theater (1920) now serves as a cinema
The Palace Theater (1920) now serves as a cinema in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
Colorful graffiti on a wall behind the Cathedral
Colorful graffiti is on a wall behind the cathedral.
Churchgoers stream out of the Cathedral after a service one night. I was eating dinner on a nearby rooftop restaurant.
Churchgoers stream out of the Santa Cruz Cathedral after service. I was eating dinner at a nearby rooftop restaurant.

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Tim

Tuesday 3rd of June 2014

Good to know that there is somewhere as beautiful as this to go in Bolivia if the altitude becomes too much to bear...!

Suki F

Thursday 22nd of May 2014

Those photos are amazing! I couldn’t concentrate in anything you wrote.

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