Volunteer Bolivia Program Locations
Santa Cruz
Bolivia's largest city was founded by a Spanish captain Nuflo de Chavez in 1561. The city is known for being one of the fastest growing cities in South America with an increase of 500,000 people in just 10 years. Santa Cruz de la Sierra is Bolivia's tropical paradise with lush vegetation and its rural location. This area is one of the four departments in Bolivia: Beni, Pando and Tarija. Santa Cruz is home to one-third of Bolivia's mountainous region, and is spread over the Amazon floodplain. This modern city has become the economic heartland of the country. With this fast paced economic growth of the past 15 years, people from all over Bolivia flock to Santa Cruz in search of better opportunities. Despite the modern development, Santa Cruz still remains rich with old traditions and has many old churches and buildings still intact.
Unlike the typical Bolivian city, Santa Cruz is very culturally diverse with people from all around the world; European, Arabian and Japanese. The proud people of this city are known as Cambas, their Spanish dialect is referred to as "Camba Spanish."
Santa Cruz has many places in and around the city to visit. For nature lovers, a short trip will take you to Amboro National Park and Noel Kempff National Park. These parks are some of the most diverse habitats in the world. For those who want to learn about the history and culture of Bolivia, directly in the center is Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos. This historical landmark is a collection of numerous Jesuit churches, which will reveal the colonial art, religion and history of Santa Cruz. Or just outside of Santa Cruz, you can visit the Inca ruins in El Fuerte de Samaipata. If you just want some time to relax, there is always the movie theatre, sand dunes, where you can go swimming, or you can visit water parks.
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