San Ignacio de Velasco

San Ignacio de Velasco is a town in eastern Bolivia's Santa Cruz department, serving as the communication and infrastructure hub of the surrounding Chiquitania region. It is one of the towns of the Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos, the 18th-century reductions that give this corner of Bolivia its distinctive cultural character. Unlike several of its neighbours, however, San Ignacio's mission church is not UNESCO-protected: it was reconstructed rather than restored, which sets it apart from the strictly conserved churches at nearby missions.

What makes San Ignacio worth a stop is less the town itself than its role as a base. From here you can easily reach three other nearby missions — San Miguel, San Rafael and Santa Ana — making it the natural pivot for a Chiquitos mission circuit. The town is compact, friendly, and unpretentious, with a working marketplace at its heart and woodcarving workshops that continue the region's Jesuit-rooted craft traditions.

By Car / Road

The main overland approach in the sources is from Concepción: a bus departs from there at around 17:00 and takes roughly 5 bumpy hours, costing Bs50.

For onward southbound travel, one or two daily buses run to San José de Chiquitos, passing through San Miguel and San Rafael (Bs50). A daily bus also runs to San Rafael via Santa Ana.

San Ignacio is small enough to walk everywhere on foot. For longer hops, plenty of mototaxis are available around town. Taxis can also be hired for excursions — for example to the nearby missions (~Bs400) or to the San Juancito community (around Bs200 for a half-day round trip with a wait).

• The Mission Church (on the main square) — The biggest and probably the most decorated church in Chiquitania. Note that, unlike its mission neighbours, it is not UNESCO-protected, having been reconstructed rather than restored.

• Visit the San Juancito community (12 km west of town — roughly 10 km along the road toward Concepción, then turn north at the San Juancito road pointer) — A semi-modern local Indigenous community (reported in 2012 to be about 100 years old) with a village, work fields and a pond. Visitors are warmly welcomed; people speak Spanish, and some travellers stay several weeks (limited accommodation is available), talking with residents and helping with work, then cooling off with a swim in the pond. Hire a taxi from San Ignacio (it can drop you, leave for ~4 hours, then return — about Bs200); locals say a trufi (shared transport) is cheaper at Bs140–160. A bus toward Concepción can also drop you at the road pointer, but plan your return. Leaving the community a little money on departure is appreciated, as they use it to buy goods in town.

• Day trip to three missions — Combine San Miguel, San Rafael and Santa Ana in a single taxi outing (~Bs400). Guesthouses in town can arrange this.

The marketplace is the centre of casual eating in San Ignacio, with eateries serving breakfast and dinner. The empanadas are reported to be very tasty — a good cheap breakfast.

Local coffee is worth seeking out — guesthouses such as Casa Suiza serve a local coffee brand at breakfast.

Budget

• Casa Suiza (Calle Sucre; ☏ +591 76306798, cellphone) — A well-regarded guesthouse run by a welcoming Bolivian family who can organize a day trip to the three nearby missions (Bs400) and trips to the San Juancito community. Expect hard beds, shared bathroom, no kitchen or WiFi. Breakfast (must be arranged in advance), including the local coffee brand, is an extra Bs20. Single Bs50 (as of 2017; note you may be charged a half-day if you linger before a night bus).

Shop for wooden artwork from the town's woodcarving workshops. One named example is Taller Hermanos Guasase (Av. Rosenhammer, between Calle Chiquitos and Calle Cochabamba).

• San Miguel, San Rafael & Santa Ana — the three nearby Jesuit missions; reachable as a day trip by taxi (~Bs400) or by the daily bus to San Rafael via Santa Ana (you'd need to overnight in Santa Ana or San Rafael).
• San José de Chiquitos — head south by one or two daily buses (Bs50) passing through San Miguel and San Rafael; another mission town and rail link toward Santa Cruz.
• Concepción — ~5 hours by bus (Bs50); a fellow Chiquitos mission town and the road link back west.
• Noel Kempff Mercado National Park — head north to this wild, magnificent park; getting there can be tough as buses may not run, so ask locals for the best current route.