If you are thinking about taking your family on a trip to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, but are uncertain whether there is enough to do, rest assured. Bolivia is a beautiful country with many places to hike, kayak and swim. You can do many things outdoors while learning about the rich culture and history that Bolivia has to share.
Fuerte de Samaipata
In Santa Cruz, you can visit and hike around in the Fuerte de Samaipata, an archaeological site that dates back to before the nation of Colombia existed. You can explore ruins of buildings created by three different cultures: the Chanes, Incas and Spaniards. The most interesting relic is El Fuerte itself, as it is the largest carved stone in the world. El Fuerte has been declared Cultural Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO.
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
This national park is the largest and most undamaged park in the Amazon Basin, with over 4,000 kinds of flowers and over 600 kinds of birds. There are two entrances into the park with access for tourists. One is Flor de Oro and through it you can hike to the two largest waterfalls in the park. The other entrance is Los Fierros. From this entrance you can access the Caparú Plateau, which was first discovered by a British Colonel explorer Percy Fawcett in 1910. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle later used Fawcett's descriptions to write the book "The Lost World."
Museums
There are several museums in Santa Cruz to visit. One is the Noel Kempff Museum of Natural History, where you can see fossils and specimens of many of the birds, insects and animals native to Bolivia. The Guarani Museum teaches you all about Bolivia's third-largest indigenous group--the Guaraní. Managed by the Guaraní people themselves, the museum showcases their pottery, ceremonial masks and the special pots they used to bury the dead.
Guembe Biocenter
This park has the largest butterfly sanctuary in the world. It has a large netted dome that keeps the butterflies in while letting in the breeze to make it just like their natural environment. Because Bolivia has the largest variety of orchids in the world, the park also has quite a large collection to explore. Lodging options inside the park include a resort hotel, bungalows or tent camping. You can fully experience the park by kayaking, fishing, swimming in mineral water pools, horseback riding, hiking or mountain biking.
Lomas de Arena
A few miles away from downtown Santa Cruz are some large sand dunes. Their presence is geologically unexplainable, but that doesn't stop people from enjoying them. They are right on the edge of a small lake so when you take a picnic lunch it feels like you are sitting in an oasis.
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