Andrés & Doriña:

(BUS) TICKETS TO SUCRE ARE FOR SALE IN TOWN !

GUEST KITCHEN AVAILABLE for cooking !

Our photographic exposition contains more than 200 framed pictures and can make you feel being in a museum. The house has many 'surprises' to discover, with natural, rustic accents and materials from the area. The lookoutpoints offer views 360° over village and mountains. Local and international guides in town can inform you about tours & hikes and organize your trip for one or more days. For our guests and visitors there is an information book which tells you everything about the village & the area. We can help you in organizing hikes and tours. The electricity system is 220 V.

Strategic and magnificent location

The province 'Florida' belongs to the 'Cruceño Valleys' and is situated between the cities Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Sucre (11 hours by night from here) and Cochabamba (10 hours via the old mountain road).

With the Andean zone, the Amboró park and the start of the Amazona all north of Samaipata, and in the south both dry and humid mountain ranges, one can say that this area offers an almost unique combination of different landscapes and (micro)climates.

From Santa Cruz de la Sierra one can reach the remote national park Noel Kempff Mercado and other Bolivian Amazonian destinations, the Chiquitania region with its Jesuit mission churches, the Bolivian Pantanal, and to Brazil (Corumbá-Caceres-Mato Grosso) and Argentina (Pocitos).

Our vision

In these times of tension and pressure on civilization and nature resources, as member of a town and on tourism and agriculture based society and bearing the word ´culture´ in our name we try to support especially local initiatives, local people and communities. We work with local guides, local and shared transport and we have an agreement with a beefarmer who exchanged growing crops for cultivating ecological honey. We are learning every day about local visions and culture, organic farming and products alike, reforestation, sustainable building and the importance of water. On the long term we want to build a bridge between us, our visitors and people of the village and surrounding communities.

Cafetería - Juices - Small Food

On any place, on the big balcony, the patio or in
one of the common inside areas, you can always enjoy our coffees & teas, pancakes & small food, cakes, fruit and vegetable shakes with many powerful and healthy, local ingredients.

Why Samaipata ?

Samaipata is best known for the pre-Colombian ruins 'El Fuerte' & the south side of national park Amboró with its cloud forests. Other beautiful areas are the cascades of Las Cuevas & La Pajcha, Serrania de Volcanes, Cerro de los Condores & Bella Vista / Codo de los Andes. If you're a nature lover, Samaipata is the place for you ! It's also the entrance to the Cruceño Valleys which hide historic cave paintings, many varities of cactus and small villages.

There are bicycles for rent, and as said there are local guides and touroperators which offer a service of high quality. The Cuevas area can be explored independently and the 'Patria Mountain' above town offers beautiful views.

The best time to visit is March/April up to September, which is considered to be more stable in climate terms. Bring winter as well as summer cloths, as the temperature can vary quite a lot. The summer (October-April) is maybe even nicer because of the vibrance and everything is very green because of more rainfall. Summer daytemperatures are in general 23-30 degrees Celsius and nights are comfortable fresh.

Bolivia & Samaipata

Bolivia is one of the most diverse countries on the planet in cultural and ethnical terms, as well as biodiversity. With more than 30 ethnic native groups it's South America's most indigenous country. Mestizos (a mix of indigenous and Spanish), Mennonites, Europeans, Japanese and Africans make it even more diverse.

Also in terms of biodiversity Bolivia is sensational; in flora and fauna it's always in the best of ten ! In this case Samaipata is a good example: the Amboró national park is one of the best birdwatching places; rugged and wild landscapes in the Cuevas, Bella Vista & Volcanes areas, sandstone mountains with high forest in its canyons and valleys, where many types of animals have their habitat. The fruits of the many Cactusses attract hundreds of birds in October-November. The Andean Condor has its nest in the area and finds his prey even around the 'El Fuerte' ruins. At last, on misty days being in the cloud forests can make you feel like in a fairytale !

How to get in Samaipata

From Sta Cruz city, it's the easiest way to take a taxi to one of the two Samaipata taxis, Avenida Omar Chávez Ortiz / esquina Soliz de Olguin, tel. 333 5067, OR Samaipata 'El Fuerte', (tel. 359 8958), Calla Aruma, Avenida Grigota, just after the 'segundo anillo' on right hand side. A taxi fills up with 4-6 persons (depends if it's a small taxi or a van), which pay 30 Bs each. When having 4-5 persons together (or when you want just an expreso and pay the 120-150 Bs), you can call them, to be picked up from your ho(s)tel. The drive takes about 2 ½ hours and the route is very scenic and most beautiful in the early morning or after 14.00 in the afternoon It's recommended to be at the taxi stop before 18.00

About 50 metres after the taxi stop in Santa Cruz, at the same side of the street, leaves a microbus at 17.00 (15 Bs, be there at 16.45). Microbuses (15 Bs) leave from Plaza Oruro / Avenida Grigota, at 16.15, be there before 16.00.

Another option is the (spacious) microbus from Expreso Mairana leaving at the same time. To find them, cross the Avenida Grigota and turn left, close to Expreso Saipina. You're lucky if that day their big red bus leaves, with more spacious seats and nice views due to the altitude of the bus ! Getting in Samaipata, you can ask the taxi to drop you at Andoriña, as well as the microbuses. Others pay to get you into their place, we don't !

From / To Sucre,
Cochabamba & Vallegrande
(NOW THERE'S DIRECT BUS FROM CBBA TO SPATA !)

Coming from Sucre (it´s best to call for a reservation): WARN the BUSDRIVER SEVERAL TIMES TO STOP at the ENTRANCE OF TOWN, you can set your alarm clock! Normally you´ll get in Samaipata between 4-7 am (take the last possible bus from Sucre). To get here: it´s VERY SAFE to walk at night and it only takes 4 minutes to Andoriña; walk into town and turn right after 100 m - walk another 300 m down and up - turn left upwards a dirt road - we´re on top after 200 m where you can see several lights above our door in front of another hostel, please ring the night bell. Have a little patience, but we´ll open the door ! Entering into a room before 7.00 means paying a normal night, get some sleep and enjoy your breakfast, otherwise you can leave your bag outside and wait.

The night trip to Sucre takes 11 hours from here.

To continue your trip to Cochabamba, you can take a bus from Mairana (25 minutes from here) by the old mountain road - beautiful landscapes ! - every day. More information is available here. Coming FROM Cochabamba, you can take a DIRECT bus from a bus stop at Avenida 6 de Agosto, PLAZA JOSE CUADROS. This leaves every day at 7.00, 9.00 and 12.00 (Trans. Pojo Cbba: 4 4616072, they accept reservations, spanish spoken). It´s best to buy your ticket the afternoon before, before 18.00.