Timonator

3.00 Germany - 30-Jun-23 -

From Santa Cruz we took the 11 o'clock flota (big bus) from terminal bimodal to San José. On thursdays there is also a train service for this route. In San José I can recommand to stay at the hotel Las Charapas a bit outside the center, which is run by Johan who is super nice and caring for his guests. Also the place is beautifully clean with a pool behind which a lot of tucans are living in this time of the year. We got a double room for 235 BOB a night. At the church next to the big plaza in San José we met Oseas after the service who was educated as priest but now is the gatekeeper of the church. He happily shows you around the church if you ask for him. We checked out the museum the next day, which has material for at least 5 hours to read through if your Spanish isn't so good but it's hard to filter out the interesting bits. It's hosted in the Colegio next to the church. The church itself is the only stone church of the WHS- the others are made of wood. The material was available from a nearby hill. At night the church is beautifully illuminated.   
 
A tip outside the WHS scope follows. At Johan's place we met Peter Neufeld who lives in Campo 26 in the huge Mennonite colony Nueva Esperanza on the way between San José and San Rafael. On wednesdays he's in San José to sell food from his farm in town and also to the hotel. We approached him and arranged a 2 night stay on his farm inside the Mennonite colony. It was a fascinating experience for us and for them to understand the different lifestyles (and for them to check out our smartphones). I can recommand it even though it's very untouristy (yet) and was more a bilateral agreement. A taxi driver took us to the farm aside kilometer 41 for 130 BOB and a Trufi (Mini Van) picked us up two days later at the same spot after the colonists brought us back by carriage to the main road.  
 
In San Rafael we arrived at 12:45 p.m. with the 09:30 Trufi from San José. As the connecting Trufi to San Miguel was already due 15 minutes later we decided to take a later one at 5 p.m. i can not confirm that this passage is only possible by mototaxi as Patrik wrote which would have been impossible and expensive with our luggage, the road and the darkness after 6 p.m.. However the rest of Patrik's review helped us a lot :). For us also the San Rafael church was open and no one was there so we could stroll around. From the outside it's beautiful. The inside is dirty and looks like further renovation is needed. The climb up to the bell tower made us think that this wooden structure could collapse any time and it should be rather locked. Afterwards we had a coffee until the trufi started at the terminal. 
 
In San Miguel we slept that evening super cheap in Hotel Limbania close to the plaza. We could visit the church just before the service. The next morning it was also open before the trufi got us to San Ignacio, which is a bigger pleasant town. I liked the paintings on the wall in San Miguel even though similar to the other churches later.  
 
From San Ignacio we took the only (!) Trufi to Santa Ana at 10:30 a.m.. We waited two hours at the terminal in San Ignacio which is way too far outside town as the receptionists of our hotel told us there are only trufis in the early morning to Santa Ana. That was wrong. The return Trufi from the village is at 1:30 p.m. When we arrived the woman said there is no space in the return trufi and we were a bit shocked especially because we couldn't reserve it anyway before going to Santa Ana. But the driver of our trufi stressed the importance that we need to get back later that day to our hotel and somehow the woman arranged us two seats in the return trufi two hours later. The church is the smallest from the six. Thanks Patrik for the tip with the tourist info at the plaza. She gave us a 15 minute tour through the otherwise closed church during the lunchbreak. Afterwards we visited (and found) the Viborón, a huge stone snake apparently made by indigenous people a long time ago and now restored. In San Ignacio I can recommand to check out the Casa de la Cultura for semi- self- organized trips to PN Noel Kempff Mercado. Currently it's not recommanded to go as the whole park is red danger zone for drug criminality but if you want to cheaply visit it these people in the tourist office are really helpful. 
 
The trufi from San Ignacio to Concepción takes two and a half hours on a nicely paved road. All other roads from San José to San Ignacio are currently and since years a catastrophe. I can not recommand to travel it at nighttime as even during daytime some drivers couldn't distinguish between locked construction site and the part of the dirt through which one should drive. In the future everything except the way to Santa Ana should be paved. The Concepción church surprised us with really modern paintings showing the crucification. Impressive are also the individually carved benches with distinctive motives on each side. There is a mission museum and by entering it you can also access the cathedral museum and the church itself. The mission museum hosts many artefacts from the history of the church without many explainations. I liked the miniature model of a Chiquitania Jesuit mission with labels. There is also a room on Hans Roth who lead the restoration of the churched. The cathedral museum has some pictures of the restauration and some Spanish texts on the history. It's worth a 2 hour visit I would say.  
 
The drive to San Javier was terrific as the driver tended to drive on the left and not on the correct right side of the street even if there were in parts no potholes on our side and even in curves where he couldn't see. The other trufi passengers were of the opinion that god would protect them but we rather asked the driver several times to stay on the right from the seats at the rear of the car. We left our luggage in the trufi office of San Javier and walked two blocks to the church. It was Sunday at lunch time and it was closed. However walking around the building along the closed museum we found an open driveway into the backyard of the church. We walked past some people that didn't care and by this we were able to visit the beautiful indeed quite white interior of the church. It contains the supposingly official UNESCO certificate and altar paintings that show the process of christianizing the indigenous people and even a black person. In the garden lives an enclosed ñandu. 
 
All in all I liked to travel the towns in Chiquitania. The weather is pleasant, there are good hotels for good prices and the churches (and the plazas) give the otherwise boring towns some flair. I found that the churches were all quite similar and it's also sufficient to visit only one of two of them. But if you have time why not visit them all? I also watched the Hollywood movie "The mission" which helps a bit to grasp an idea of how life could have looked like back in the Jesuit days. Otherwise I find the churches not so lively to tell the story. Also the few museums don't really give you a feeling about what things were like but only extend the exhibited materials.   

Read more from Timonator here.

Patrik

Netherlands - 24-Mar-23 -

I visited all six churches on the circuit in March 2023. It was not particularly hot, mostly it was clouded and it rained every afternoon, which made the afternoons often cooler than the mornings. I entered Bolivia from Brazil, crossing the border between Corumba and Porto Quijarro. The passenger trains between Santa Cruz and Porto Quijarro have not been running for two years but there are busses leaving around 11 am (and there are night busses too). I took one of the busses, it was rather comfortable, if not too clean, and the bus dropped me off around 17.30h in San Jose. It was a Sunday afternoon and seeing the church open, I entered the church with my lugguge. The sight of the church made my heart jump a little in surprise. All churches would have that effect on me, except the one in Concepcion, which made a more reconstructed impression.

The church in San Jose is a brick structure, unlike the other ones. The courryard has beautiful naive paintings. While I was admiring the interior, a procession entered the church and the priest started to speak. I left with my luggage and found a hotel a little off the square, which was not too expensive and still had all the comforts. After that I came back and was happy to find the church open and empty. The church exterior is very beautifully lit at night.

I took a quiet day of rest on Monday where I visited the remains of old Santa Cruz and it’s museum, which is mildly interesting, but the attendent seemed happy with my visit. 

The church has also a museum but it is closed on Monday. The opening times are displayed on a board behind the gate (which is generally closed outside opening times ..), but I guess visiting the church in the evening for free is a better option than paying during daytime, even if it's only 20 BOB.

On Tuesday I took the 9.30h trufi to San Rafael. It takes a good 3 hours on a road in various states of construction, about 25 kilometer of the total of 130 was asphalted. The trufi ends at a bus station just outside the town. I theory one could run to the village and go through the church in a hurry and run back to get the connecting trufi to San Miguel/San Ignacio. But I chose to take my time, knowing there was a 17.30h trufi to San Ignacio. There was no one around the church, but the gate to the courtyard was open, as well as the side doors, so I could enter the church. The church is very different from the one in San Jose and it was nice to be able to visit and enjoy the quietness and peace.

After a while, I went back to the bus station but nothing was happening there. I tried to hitchhike to San Miguel but there was next to no traffic going that way. Then I managed to find one of the very rare mototaxis. He said it will take 80 BOB to drive to San Miguel. I tried a lower price but it seemed fixed. I thought we had agreed on 80, but then he drove off, apparently he had better things to do. Then I sat around a bit on the square where nothing was happening, San Rafael takes it’s siesta very seriously. I went back inside to see more of the church, and later, I did find a friendly mototaxi driver who did bring me to San Miguel. His motorbike was a bit older though and my feet kept sliding off the grips, and the road was difficult in places, with more construction going on and muddy parts. But we made it.

I was happy to find the priest in office, and even more happy when it turned out he is American Mexican and speaks English, and it seemed he was happy to talk too. He gave me a tour around the church, and subsequently allowed me to stay on my own in the church for a while. After my visit I crossed the square where I waited for the trufi to San Ignacio to fill up. We left just before dusk, and were dropped off close to the center, where I walked to a closeby hotel and found a room.

I had a look at the church in San Ignacio, which is a reconstruction, and I thoroughly disliked it. I had another look next morning when the side door was open as the lady was cleaning.

A bit after 10.00h I arrived at the bus terminal and I was happy to find there is a trufi to Santa Anna at 10.30h and a return at 13.30h (and not at 17.00h as the friendly tourist office in San Ignacio and my guidebook stated), making a visit feasible. We rode on a muddy road and arrived just before noon, so I could catch the guy from the tourist office before his lunch break. He said the church is normally closed as the caretaker passed away. But someone else is responsible now, and after a few unsuccesfull calls he closed up office and we walked to the lady's house. However she was busy with the preparations for almuerzo, but her daughter (I think) took me to open the church and gave me a wonderful tour in very slow and clear Spanish. Highlight was the visit to the choir where the original organ stands and one can see the painted columns and capitels with angels. 13h00 was almuerzo time and I tried to find the Viborón, an archeological stone formation in the shape of a snake just outside the village, but the sign pointed into a bush filled with mud. I feared an encounter with a real snake, and was I running out of time anyway. We arrive back a bit before 15.00h at the terminal of San Ignacio where I had left my backpack. There is a 15.30h trufi to Concepcion but unfortunately it was already fully booked, so I booked the next one at 18.00h. This one was fully booked too and we left already at 17.30h on a fully paved asphalt road, it felt like a wonderful invention. We arrived three hours later in Concepcion where I quickly found a hotel for 100 BOB. It was a really cool evening, so I could save the extra fee for A/C.

Next morning after breakfast, I visited the Mission museum, Cathedral museum and the church itself. One caretaker attends all, and he is usually at the Mission museum, unless a visitor goes to visit the Cathedral, then he closes up and goes there. I finished my visit at 9.45h and at 10.20h I was already on a trufi to San Javier, arriving 11.20h, in time to enjoy the small museum and the church there which close for lunch at noon. I found the whitewashed church interior quite a surprise after the other ones.

Just around the corner of the church on the main street, there was a busy lunch place where an older lady was running the kitchen, always a good sign, and I had a feyoada and a refresco for 13 BOB. The trufi for Santa Cruz was due at 13.00h but we lingered for unclear reasons and left only at 13.45h. 

Long story short, it is quite feasible to visit at least 5 churches using trufis, by staying overnight in San Jose, San Ignacio and Concepcion, all three towns have good and plenty of hotels. With the option of a mototaxi between San Miguel and San Rafael, all 6 are feasible but this is not exactly a pleasant ride, and probably a bit risky. Once the road from San Jose to San Ignacio is fully paved, transport options will probably improve too.

Ammon Watkins

4.00 Canada - 02-May-19 -

Visited in Oct 2018. Unlike the other reviewers we chose to go east and started our visit at San Jose after a hot 4 hour bus ride from Santa Cruz. It was 40C and our bus attendant's idea of aircon was wedging the door open with pop bottles as we drove down the highway. Connections to San Jose are good via train or bus since it is on the main road to Brazil. This is hot, tough country and it takes a special kind of people to thrive here which is probably why most of the settlements and people we saw along the way were Mennonites. 

From the bus station it was about a 20 min walk to the main plaza and the church. Unlike the others it is unique in that it is larger and has a stone facade, which looks a little strange on the wooden church, and is walled compound. We relaxed a bit in the shade of the plaza watching the lethargic movements of the towns folk while waiting for the afternoon opening of the church. Finally we saw someone setting up a stage in the plaza and running cords through one of the doors so we got in to the courtyard of the complex. There is a museum on one side but it didn't look like it would be opening for us anytime soon but we got into the dark church interior for a quick look. The woodwork is nice but unsure if we were even supposed to be there we didn't stay long.

The next morning we caught a trufi/collectivo to San Rafael. Public transport is infrequent and the dirt road uncomfortable but the scenery is interesting with the occassional cowboy and Mennonite buggy thrown into the mix. The guidebooks aren't lying when they say you need to have your own transport or hire a taxi to not get stuck and unfortunately we didn't have time to find the San Rafael church before leaving on another trufi to San Ignacio. This second ride stopped briefly in the central plaza of San Miguel so we were able to at least see the exterior of the church. Stunning. The painting on the facade is beautiful as are the carved pillars holding up the thatched roof. It is scocking to see something like this in such a remote and harsh area. 

San Ignacio is the hub of the settlements in the central part of the Chiquitos and had enough amenities to cater to the few tourists that get this far. The bus station is a few km from the plaza and mototaxis are cheap and plentiful for getting around. Arriving in the early evening, we had enough time to visit the church and have dinner in the plaza. San Ignacio is a larger version of the church at San Miguel with beautiful pillars (inside and out) and painted facade. We probably left too soon after all the effort to get there but got a room for a few hours before catching an onward bus passing through at 3am to the Brazilian border at San Matias (for access to the northern Pantanal).

Overall an adventurous and enjoyable destination for those with the time or money to make the effort. Unlike the Missiones churches in Argentina and Paraguay, these aren't ruins but still working churches for their communities and won't feel like a repeat. 

Nan

2.50 Germany - 05-Apr-18 -

The Jesuit Missions in Paraguay and Argentina had really smitten me on my previous visit to South America. When I had the chance to see their Bolivian counterparts, it was a must visit for me. Being based in Santa Cruz I decided to venture as a day trip to San Javier and try to get to Concepcion while making my way back to Santa Cruz by nightfall.

My plan didn't quite work out as I was unable to find a ride to Concepcion from San Javier. The heat that day was unbearable and eventually I settled on returning to Santa Cruz.

In comparison to the sites in Argentina and Paraguay I visited in 2016, San Javier is in way better shape. The church is still original as is the city planning including some original houses. Especially the wood art in the church was amazing (see picture). On the other hand the scope of the settlement seemed smaller than those found in Missiones. And the Indiana Jones feeling of the jungle covered ruins of San Loreto never materialized.

Getting There

If you plan to do this on a daytrip from Santa Cruz you have two options:

• Do as I did and go to San Javier. You can try to reach Concepcion in the same day.
• Head East to San Jose.

For both options you can catch a bus at Terminal Bimodal. Please note that there may be multiple operators with different schedules. Seeing there is little information available online, it may pay off to check in advance when which bus runs when. The other thing to keep in mind is the siesta. Most churches seem to be closed from 12:00h to 14:00h.

In my case I went by bus at 7:30h and took a 4h ride to San Javier. We arrived at 11:30h and I was able to visit the museum and church before the siesta at 12:00h.

Initially I had planned to hop on a minibus to Concepcion and also visit this church. There is a return bus leaving Concepcion at 15:30h arriving back in Santa Cruz at 20:30h

Els Slots

4.00 The Netherlands - 05-May-11 -

The eastern Bolivian landscape changes from ca. 30km before San Javier: the flat farmlands that surround Santa Cruz give way to light-green tropical plants and hills. This is Chiquitania, and they want you to know: signs along the road describe the history of the region and its Jesuit missions.

For my visit to the missions, I stayed in the Gran Hotel Concepcion for 2 nights and visited Concepcion and San Javier from there. Concepcion is the more atmospheric of the two towns. It has a fabulous square plaza, just like the Jesuits designed it. I started my visit at the Mission Museum – a great start as it has stories and models of all missions. And lots of woodwork that came from several churches. I especially liked the angels!

Somewhere I had read that the churches are only open for mass, but fortunately, that’s untrue. In Concepcion you can enter the church from the adjacent church museum. And the interior even is more lovely than the colourful outside would suggest. It has both paintings and wooden sculptures in a naïve kind of style. Not something you would see in your average Spanish (colonial) catholic church. And then there is that bell tower, all made out of wood.

On the same day, I also visited the church of San Javier – about an hour away by bus. Although it has a similar design as the one in Concepcion, there are a lot of differences too. I was lucky to get inside here also: a youth orchestra was practicing and the door was open. The heavy, wrought wooden pillars are painted off-white here as are the ceilings, giving the church a more light atmosphere. I was surprised to bump into the familiar WHS certificate near the baptismal font…

I had considered doing the full circuit of the six missions, starting by train from Santa Cruz to San José and then going on to the other villages by bus or taxi. I eventually decided against it because I was afraid to get stuck somewhere for a day, after having “done” the church in half an hour. But it would be a great trip with your own transport (on a motor?)

Geoffrey A. P. Groesbeck

Bolivia, Mexico, and U.S.A. - 08-Jul-06 -

This entire area - formerly Chiquitos and now enlarged to include all of the Chiquitania - is a region with a unique culture, history, people, and environment. The product of a remarkable fusion of two civilizations, European and native American, its fascinating legacy remains intact to this day. Its world-famous Jesuit mission churches - six of which were designated World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1990 are only the best-known of many expressions of this rich synthesis of cultures.

Others include its music (the famous Festival de Música Barroca y Renacentista Americana "Missiones de Chiquitos"), celebrated in world-famous festivals held every other year since 1996 throughout the region's major towns; an astounding heritage of sacred art and architecture; abandoned colonial ruins slumbering in pristine settings; and a wealth of centuries-old customs and folklore handed down from one generation to the next that still play a dominant role in the region's daily life.

Visitors usually come to marvel at the unique ten Jesuit mission settlements, and especially their churches, seven of which survive in astonishing glory, lovingly restored in every detail - each a breathtakingly beautiful architectural wonder and spiritual monument set in the midst of an idyllic wilderness.

Others come for the colonial ambiance, still evident in these towns' spacious plazas and slow pace of life. Some come for the colourful folklore and traditions maintained here and nowhere else. Still others come for the beautiful, hand-wrought art that has fascinated collectors and scholars for centuries.

Yet there is more than cultural attractions. Nature rules here, and the inhabitants live in harmony with it. The options are limitless, from luxurious cabañas and the slow pace of life in the old mission towns of San Xavier and Concepción, to charming "lost-in-time" settlements like Santa Ana; from the lovely village of Santiago de Chiquitos to empty, eerie landscapes and petrified forests of the pathless Serranía Santiago and Serranía Sunsas; from prehistoric drawings in long-forgotten caves and rock faces to primeval forests larger than entire countries; from the northern edges of the trackless Gran Chaco to the watery wonderland of the Pantanal and the area's national parks with their unique ecosystems.

For a detailed look at these wonderful mission communities and the Chiquitania in general, feel free to visit my Web site at http://www.chiquitania.com/

Fr. Robert H. Flock

USA and Bolivia - 26-Mar-06 -

As a Catholic Missionary in nearby Santa Cruz de la Sierra for the last 18 years, I have been to the Jesuit Missions serveral times, especially San Javier and Concepción which are now only 3-4 hours drive on paved roads. The restored Church's and other structures, the abundant wood carving, the music and musicians, the local cultures and tropical scenery, all surprise for their beauty and for the history they represent. They are certainly well worth the trouble to visit.