In the Department of Santa Cruz, nature and culture come together in ways that cannot be captured in a single landscape. The Valles Cruceños encompass a broad range of elevations and several vegetation types; Noel Kempff Mercado National Park includes diverse habitats. Chiquitano culture is another part of the picture, with a history shaped by both Indigenous traditions and Jesuit influence. This offers three ways to plan your trip: landscapes, wildlife, and history.
Valles Cruceños: elevations and vegetation
The Valles Cruceños cover about 13,000 km² and lie at elevations between 1,200 and 2,000 meters. They include the provinces of Florida, Vallegrande, and Caballero in the Department of Santa Cruz. Their area and elevation range offer two different measures: one describes the region's size, the other the elevations it spans. The Valles Cruceños can therefore first be understood through their geographic diversity, before considering individual vegetation types.
Vegetation types include inter-Andean dry forest, Bolivian-Tucuman forest, serrano Chaco, subtropical rainforest, and Puna vegetation. The Valles Cruceños cannot be reduced to a single forest type, but can instead be viewed through several different forms of vegetation.
The Área Protegida de los Valles Cruceños is said to be home to 374 bird species, including the endemic red-fronted macaw and the Andean condor. Birdlife adds a second perspective to the natural environment of the Valles Cruceños: alongside the diverse habitats, specific species also come into focus.
Habitats in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
Another natural highlight is Noel Kempff Mercado National Park in the Department of Santa Cruz. Its habitats include evergreen rainforests, palm forests, Cerrado, swamps, savannas, gallery forests, and semi-evergreen dry forests. These habitat types offer a different perspective from the list of vegetation in the Valles Cruceños: they reveal a mosaic of forests, savannas, and wetlands. The park is home to viable populations of numerous vertebrate species that are endangered or threatened worldwide.
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park in Bolivia
In Bolivia, the habitat mosaic of Noel Kempff Mercado National Park ranges from Cerrado savanna and woodland to evergreen highland Amazonian forests. The same park is estimated to contain 4,000 plant species and more than 600 bird species. The habitat types and these estimates show two different sides of the same natural environment: the structure of the habitats and the diversity of species.
Chiquitano culture and history
Chiquitano culture developed mainly in Chiquitanía in the Department of Santa Cruz. It combines the traditions of the Indigenous Chiquitano people with Jesuit influence, introduced in the 17th and 18th centuries. This offers a distinct historical perspective alongside the natural areas: the focus is on Indigenous traditions and Jesuit influence, rather than on a single habitat.
If you would like to organize your trip around your interests, you can start by choosing a focus: the vegetation and birdlife of the Valles Cruceños, the habitat diversity and vertebrate populations of Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, or Chiquitano culture. This can also guide your search for hotels in Santa Cruz, without assuming a set itinerary.
Discover more destinations: Andrés Ibáñez, Ignacio Warnes, José Miguel De Velasco, Ñuflo De Chávez, Guarayos, Chiquitos Province, Cordillera, Sara, Buena Vista, Vallegrande, Provincia de Germán Busch, Florida Province, Barraca Víbora, La Guardia, Ángel Sandoval
Return to the main travel overview: Bolivia.
