Looking for the best things to do in Samaipata? Well, you've come to the right place - here's our guide to Samaipata, in the forgotten east of Bolivia.
Updated November 2022
With a local shop that sells excellent German sausage, an abundance of signage in English, great coffee shops and a number of particularly pale residents, in parts, Samaipata doesn't feel particularly Bolivian.
This small town of just over 3,000 people has a very different face than that which existed a couple of decades ago. The main reason is the 250 German, dozen or so Dutch and handful of Americans who have settled here, drawn by the temperate climate, sumptuous countryside and clean, fresh living.
However, unlike many other small towns and cities we've visited, where the influx of international residents has partly been to the detriment of a place rather than a positive, Samaipata's experience appears to be a little different. On the whole, the role of these immigrant Europeans appears to have been welcomed and recognised as improving the tourism prospects of an area which, on the whole, has been overlooked by most travellers in Bolivia.
However, word seems to be spreading this gorgeous place. Indeed, we only made the decision to visit Samaipata (Incan for 'Rest in the Highlands') after reading a small local magazine piece which made it sound like heaven on earth. And, although we wouldn't say it quite lives up to that description, if you do decide to head east from La Paz - or a couple hours west of Santa Cruz - you will be rewarded with a quaint, welcoming town, blessed with beautiful countryside, manageable altitude levels and some excellent food options!
Here's our guide on where to eat, what to do and where to stay in Samaipata.
samaipata essentials
/ Large German expat community
/ Amazing countryside location
/ Several waterfalls nearby (perfect for hotel weather)
/ Site of the UNESCO-listed El Fuerte
/ Best place to see condors in the wild
/ Possible to visit Amboro National Park on day trip
/ Lots of places to eat and drink
/ Good accommodation options
Things to do in Samaipata
el fuerte
There's a phrase in Latin America that once you understand, you'll hear all the time: vale la pena. Roughly translated as 'worth the effort'.
Go on any hike with the slightest incline in any country from Mexico to Argentina, and those on the way down are almost certain to breathlessly utter these words as you pass.
Unfortunately, El Fuerte - promoted as the star attraction of Samaipata - was definitely not 'vale la pena'. As with quite a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites we've visited in the world, having historical and archaeological importance does not necessarily translate into being that, well, interesting for the simple day-tripper.
'The Fort' is a significant pre-Columbian religious site, which was also the focus of numerous battles given its strategically important position in the hilltops. Due to this, it was held and maintained by three distinct cultures - Chanés, Incas and the Spaniards - each of which have left their mark. If you visit and take a guide, some of this history may come alive before your eyes.
If not, you may just be spend an hour wandering around questioning why on earth you're here on a big brown rock. The views from 'El Fuerte' are excellent, but the ruins and (barely visible) carvings for which its renowned will not make it into any of our 'must see' lists for Bolivia.
Thankfully, we chose to hike the 8km from town through beautiful countryside instead of taking the overpriced return taxi rides. That was the best decision we made as the walk there and back - with glorious and photogenic vistas - was much more memorable than El Fuerte itself.
How to Get to El Fuerte | To walk to El Fuerte (here on Google Maps), simply follow the road out of town and towards Santa Cruz for around 3km. At this point you you will reach a well-signposted turn off on the right. From here, follow the (controversially expensive) new road all the way up the hill.
The entire 8 km should take around 2 hours and is a beautiful way to spend an afternoon. Good walking shoes or trainers are essential. It's a safe route, but do exercise caution if you see any dogs.
If you prefer four wheels, then you will find taxis in the main square which charge a fixed rate of 100Bs for a return trip (they wait two hours whilst you're exploring the site). Motorbike taxis also make this trip.
Entry Fee | Entry for foreigners is a slightly eye-watering 50 Bolivianos and this includes admission to the El Fuerte museum back in town. As we've said, if you’re travelling Bolivia on a budget, don’t feel that you have to visit El Fuerte unless you are particularly interested in its historical importance - and remember, the walk really is beautiful!
Las Cuevas
Composed of a number of small waterfalls, cool swimming holes and sandy beaches, the privately owned La Cuevas Ecological Park is a great place to hang out for hours - especially during a hot summer day.
And for the budget backpacker, with a number of attractions in the area requiring a tour or guide to reach them, Las Cuevas provides a great D.I.Y option for those wanting get out of the town and into nature.
How to Get to La Cuevas | Located around 20 km out of town (here on Google Maps), these waterfalls are best reached by bike or taxi. Taxis will charge around 40Bs one way, but you’ll find plenty of drivers happy to make the return trip, and include two hours of waiting time.
You may also be able to flag down a seat in one of the many buses passing by the entrance on the way to/from Santa Cruz.
Entry Fee | Entrance for foreigners is a reasonable 20Bs each.
Top Tip // We’d highly recommend avoiding visiting La Cuevas at the weekend when it can become quite packed with crowds of locals that flock here to escape the heat and cool down under the waterfalls.
condor's nest hike
For those looking to experience the sheer joy of having the world's largest flying bird soar above your head - without the cacophony of a hundred other tourists trying to jostle for position - head to Samaipata.
A full day tour (unfortunately, it is not possible to do this independently) will have you hike through spectacular forest to reach the secret spot at 2,200m where the condors dive and soar, searching for food. It was an incredible experience!
Sound good? Check out our post and photography about looking for condors in Samaipata.
Top Tip // If you haven’t the time nor the inclination to complete the Condor’s Nest hike, try the short hike to Mirador Samipata. It’s only around 20 minutes from the centre of town and provides incredible views of Samaipata town and the surrounding mountains. Be aware that there are quite a few territorial dogs along this route, so keep some stones in your pocket, or a decent sized stick in your hand just in case you need to frighten them away. You can find the mirador here.
amboro national park
Composed of not one, but three ecosystems (the foothills of the Andes, the northern Chaco, and the Amazon Basin), Amboro National Park is known as one of the most ecologically diverse places on the planet.
For the lucky tourist, this means that this massive park is an excellent place to spot some of Bolivia's most impressive wildlife, including the spectacled bear, pumas and jaguars. It also boasts 60% of all of the country's birdlife (that's more than 900 species!), so is a popular spot for twitchers.
Need to know | Given the size of Amboro, it is not surprising that it is illegal to enter the park without a local guide. Practically this means you're going to have to go as part of a tour; various operators in town will be able to advise you but the two most common options are a day hike into the cloud forest or a half-day tour within Refugio Los Volcanes.
Top Tip // If you’re not visiting Samaipata but still keen to explore Ambro National Park, consider this highly-rated overnight tour from the city of Santa Cruz.
explore the colourful streets
Whilst there is so much going on in the gorgeous countryside surrounding Samaipata, you should make a little time to explore its cobblestoned and colourful streets.
At times feeling like you're part of a wild-west cowboy town, and others some hipster-friendly getaway, wandering around the town makes for an interesting afternoon or two.
The traditional local market - Mercado Municipal Casta Hurtado - is the place to buy your hostel meal or hike pack-lunch ingredients (find it here on Google Maps) and also serves as a healthy reminder that, despite the various European influences here, this town's beating heart is still very much Bolivian.
The plaza is also a lovely spot, especially when the sun's out and you can sit here for a few hours on one of the pavement tables, sipping a coffee and watching the world pass by in front of you.
La Pajcha waterfall
We have seen a lot of waterfalls dotted throughout South America, and almost all were a little disappointing. Thankfully however, La Pajcha lives up to its online reputation - it really is quite remarkable.
Set amongst beautiful scenery this multi-tiered waterfall also creates a natural pool edged by a sandy beach. As the weather in Samaipata can get pretty toasty, this is a spectacular place to cool off!
How to Get to La Pajcha Waterfall | As the waterfall is located 43 km outside of Samaipata (here on Google Maps), unless you have your own transport, the only way to reach it is by taxi or part of a tour. In fact, if you decide to do the Condor’s Nest hike mentioned above, you’ll usually visit this waterfall on the way back.
Round-trip taxi rental, with a couple of hours at the waterfall, will cost around $35 USD. Given the poor quality of the roads, journey time is around 1.5 to two hours.
Entry Fee | La Pajcha Waterfall is free to enter.
Top Tip // If you have the equipment, consider spending the night here camping amongst nature.
where to eat and drink in Samaipata
Unsurprisingly, in a town bursting with expats (this is a great article about their stories and love of the town), you can get some pretty good food in Samaipata. Actually, scrap that; you can get some GREAT food here!
Here are our top picks:
La Cocina | Owned and run by a young Turkish guy, La Cocina offers a very simple menu of burgers, schwarma and falafel - but by god, does he do it well, In fact, the falafel served in this stylish spot may well just be the best we had on this trip! And it's very good value, with burgers and wraps only costing 20B. Find it here.
Caffe Art | This delightful little café is a wonderful place to get an afternoon cup of coffee and splurge on a cake (the chocolate brownie with ice cream looked INCREDIBLE!). Run by Sandra, a local artist, the entire cafe is decorated in her colourful paintings and pottery with various works available to buy. It's a little pricey but it's a nice place to relax (especially if you need to use some wi-fi!). Find it here.
La Boheme | We love Bolivia, but cool bars are few and far between - La Boheme is what we had been missing. This super stylish, expat-friendly bar in the main square offers excellent value cocktails (including gin) during happy hour and lots of live music, plus a lovely roof terrace. Find it here.
Cafe 1900 | Just a few doors down from La Cocina, this is a lovely place to have a drink, with seating inside and out. The food is a little overpriced, but the beer is reasonable. Find it here.
La Vaca Loca | A lovely little walk outside town will bring you to this little homemade ice-cream joint in the scenic countryside, which also serves lunch and has a pool (extra fee) - a great spot for a hot day! Find it here.
Be aware that Monday is the day most of the businesses in Samaipata close, so your options will be a bit more limited then. And, of course, alongside each of these more 'western' styled restaurants, there are cheap local eateries to check out on the streets heading off the main plaza.
where to stay in samaipata
Given the large number of expats that now call Samaipata home, it should come as no surprise that for a relatively small town, there are some truly excellent accommodation options.
El Pueblito Hotel | This gorgeous boutique hotel is located super close to end point of the ‘mirador hike’, offering up incredible views out over the surrounding countryside, and a beautiful amongst nature. Rooms are decorated to a high standard, with lots of charming a thoughtful details throughout. With rooms priced around £60 a night, this won't suit many backpackers budgets, but if you’re looking to splurge it’s well worth it! Find out more here.
Hostel Serena | Whether you look on Booking.com or Hostelworld, Hostel Serena is hands-down the best rated hostel in Samaipata. Located on the outskirts of town, it’s in a gorgeous setting with lush gardens a gorgeous views. They offer private rooms and dorms, an excellent free breakfast and have a great guest kitchen.
Finca La Vispera| Fancy staying on an organic farm? Then consider booking a few nights in Finca La Vispera. All their accommodation options are self-contained little cabins (studios and one to three bedroom), in a gorgeous setting. There’s an excellent on-site restaurant, and breakfast is included. Find out more here.
YVY Hotel | If you fancy staying somewhere beautiful and truly unique, but can’t afford to spend too much, be sure to check out this gorgeous hotel a little walk from the centre of town. Rooms and indoor communal spaces are located within stylised adobe buildings, brightly coloured and tastefully furnished. No kitchen but breakfast is included. Find out more here.
Landhaus | Where we stayed, this family-run hotel - set up by one of the first Germans to settle in the town - has a number of accommodation options, including private rooms and self-catering apartments for large families or groups of friends (but no dorms). There is also a restaurant selling great breakfasts in the morning, a welcoming swimming pool to cool down after a long day hiking and beautifully landscaped gardens. Note it is only possible to book this accommodation in advance via email (landhaus@cotas.com.bo) as they are not on any booking sites.
how to get to Samaipata
From Santa Cruz
To reach Samaipata from Santa Cruz, you have two options: a colectivo that takes 2.5 - 3 hours and costs 30 Bs, or a bus which takes slightly longer but is a little cheaper.
From Cochabamba
If you're coming from Cochabamba, you have two options.
The first is to take a bus all the way to Santa Cruz (10 hours, 50-100B depending on the company), and then catch a second bus from there to Samaipata, as discussed above.
This option is often preferred as it means travelling to Santa Cruz along the much better 'new road'.
However, as we like to limit the number of bus changes, we chose the other option - a single, very long bus journey all the way from Cochabamba to Samaipata along the 'old road'. Sure, it was a little more bumpy and took a really long time - there are lots of road works going on due to landslides and traffic was stopped for up to one hour at several points - but at least we could just sleep through it!
The bus took us around 13 hours and cost 50B each (a bargain!). Information available online is a very difficult to find, but we can tell you that we got to the Trans Pojo depot (it's on the corner of Avenida 6 de Agosto and Calle Moxos - NOT the main bus terminal) nice and early with a taxi and caught the first bus at 7 a.m, although the lady who sold us the tickets said that there was another at 8.30 a.m every day.
From Sucre
The bus from Sucre to Samaipata leaves at 6.30pm takes around 10 hours, traveling along an almost completelly paved highway. The bus company is El Mexicano, and tickets cost approximately Tickets cost 100Bs per person.
