Jesuit Missions 4 Day Tour

Jesuit Missions 4 Day Tour

Day 1: Santa Cruz - San Javier Mission - Concepción

At 9 am, we'll pick you up from your hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and head towards Chiquitania. It was on this Bolivian plain that the Jesuit missionaries built their Christian churches between the 17th and 18th centuries. These places would later be declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. We'll begin by visiting the first mission built by the Jesuits, San Javier, where we'll see the church founded in 1691.

You'll have some free time to eat lunch in San Javier before we head to the Paquio forest. Here, we'll admire the incredible rock formations nestled in the lush vegetation. We'll then go to the village of Concepción, where you'll have dinner at your leisure. We'll spend our first night in Concepción.

Day 2: Concepción - San Ignacio

On the second day, we'll wake up and have a buffet breakfast of fruit, eggs, bacon and bread accompanied by coffee and juice. After breakfast, we'll visit the village of Concepción and its church, a picturesque Jesuit building with a beautiful wooden bell tower.

We'll then depart for the Jesuit Mission of San Ignacio, which was founded in 1748 and is still inhabited today. Afterwards, we'll visit the town of San Ignacio and stroll through its Jesuit cathedrals and churches before settling in for the night.

Day 3: San Ignacio - San Miguel - San Rafael - Santa Ana - San José

We'll wake up early so we can explore the last of our Jesuit Missions. First of all, we'll visit San Miguel, which still has part of its 18th-century church intact, even though part of this church and other monuments were destroyed after the war between the Guarani Indigenous people and the Spanish.

Next, we'll see San Rafael and Santa Ana, the penultimate mission founded by the Jesuits before their expulsion in 1767 by order of King Charles III. You'll see how its ruins, which are covered with vegetation, attest to its remarkable artistic and religious history.

Afterwards, we'll visit some crafts workshops. Local craftspeople work the word here with traditional techniques that blend both Jesuit and indigenous cultures. You'll then have some free time to eat lunch before we reconvene and head to San José de Chiquitos, where we'll spend the night. 

Day 4: San José - Santa Cruz

The final day of our tour will begin with breakfast and a visit to the Jesuit complex of San José, which consist of a church, a chapel and a bell tower. The Church of San José de Chiquitos, which was built using only stone and limestone, is still used by the local congregation. You'll also see the striking colonial-style decorations found here.

We'll take a break for lunch and then set off on our return journey to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where we'll arrive at around 5 pm.

Accommodation

This tour includes 3 nights' accommodation with breakfast at the following hotels:

• Concepción: Hotel Concepción (3 stars) or similar.
• San Ignacio: Apartahotel San Ignacio (3 stars) or similar.
• San José de Chiquitos: Hotel Misiones de Chiquitos (3 stars) or similar.