Bolivia | Food & Drink | Glutenfree | Hiking | Trekking
Bolivia Samaipata – A guide to visit the hippie-town
Samaipata is a small town with about 5000 inhabitants in the district of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The altitude of Samaipata is 1600m. The meaning of the name in Quechua is to rest in the mountains – and Samaipata definitely keeps its promise!
The nice weather, beautiful scenery, and relaxed vibes attract many expats from Germany and Argentina, so you can also get some currywurst or dulce de leche if you are craving it! It’s a heaven for backpackers and travelers who search for tranquility, nature, and laid-back vibes.
So what is there to do in Samaipata? Find out about culture, food, accommodations, and best hikes around Samaipata, Bolivia.
Traveling to Bolivia? Here is some things you need to know before you go (and can save you a lot of money)Culture in Samaipata
Weekend is the best time to catch some live music and visit the markets.The best place to catch up with Samaipata events is the local facebook group – Samaipata Foro. Otherwise, check the bulletin boards around Café Tango and La Boheme.
- Live music often takes place on weekends (including Friday nights) in venues like la artistica Pizzeria, La Tipa Cafe, Hotel Casa Blanca and the main square.
- A crafts and local produce market takes place in Arce street on Saturdays and Sundays. You can find local jewelers, cloths and other crafts as well as honey, coffee, jams, and a super sweet (but yummy) coconut drink.
- Ask around for Yoga, Breathwork and other hippie workshops.
Hiking in and around Samaipata, Bolivia
You will need a taxi to get to most hikes. Annoying but possible, and not so expensive.This was a hard one to crack, so here is all the info we got. Please share if you have any other tips! The following hikes can be done in the area of Samaipata:
- Mirador Cerro de la Patria: Nice walk to the hilltop overlooking Samaipata.
Great for sunset and panoramic views, no need for taxi!
~1h from the main square by foot. It’s 1.8km, 300m incline. Route can be found in Mapy.cz or maps.me. - Codo de los Andes and Cascadas de Cuevas: 10-15km hike in the beautiful area, ending in the beautiful las Cuevas waterfall where you can go for a swim to cool after the hike. Many tour agencies offer this hike, but you can also do it without a guide. Getting there requires a taxi. Detailed post on our experience of the hike here!
- El Fuerte de Samaipata and Mama Pascuala Pool in a day tour: Visit El Fuerte a pre columbian historical site 15 minutes drive from town (In direction of the city of Santa Cruz). It can be done by taxi (40 BOB) or motortaxi (20 BOB). We tried walking there but the way is not very scenic and goes a lot uphill, so we gave up in the middle.
After visiting the historical UNESCO World Heritage site (50 BOB), you can walk down the road (about 30 mins) to Mama Pascuala, a nice natural pool where locals hang out. Entry to the pool is supposed to cost 5 BOB (we were asked 10 and eventually got in for 7 BOB…).
During the weekend the winery “Bodegas y Viñedos Landsuá” can also be combined in this path for a visit (but we heard their wines are still not very mature). - La Pajcha waterfall: 40k from Samaipata through a rough road. You can camp there. If you have any info about cost and duration of travel – please share!
- Bosque de los helechos gigantes (amboro national park): You need a guide, but it can also be your taxi driver. Can also be done in foggy / “humo” days, as it’s mostly in the bush. Several companies in town offer daily tours there, ~150 BOB per person. Entry to the park is 20 BOB.
- Condor Nest Hike: According to our research you need a tour and guide to do this hike as a days trip from Samaipata. We ended up not doing it. Let us know if you have more information.
Markets in Samaipata, Bolivia
There are a few mini-markets but no big supermarket.Where to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, and other groceries in Samaipata? Your best choice are the two mercados:
- Mercado Municipal Samaipata: The locals call it the new market – el mercado nuevo – it’s a 6-minute walk from the Plaza Principal, but it’s less central than the second market. Anyway, we felt like prices here are a bit lower than in the central market.
- Let’s call it Mercado Central: In the corner of Calle Arze and Calle Arenales just next to the main square. There is one entrance from Calle Arze to the restaurant section and another entrance from Calle Arenales, directly to the produce section. On the weekend the market is bigger and there are many fruit and vegetable sellers on Calle Arenales directly around the entrance to the closed market. Nice findings: Tarija wine for 20 BOB; Gluten free products (gringo-stall in the entrance to the right); sweet empanada de queso for 3 BOB.
Accommodation
We stayed in 2 places in Samaipata:
- Hostal Camping El Jardin Samaipata: This nice and budget-friendly hostel is quite close to the center. It has a good backpacker vibe and a lot of hammocks in the big garden. It’s eco-built in mud with glass decoration and has a really cool vibe. Many backpackers come for a few nights and end up staying longer. You can stay in your own tent (30 BOB per person) and they also have a dorm and multiple private rooms (double room with shared bathroom: 100 BOB). The kitchen is not the cleanest but also not the worst we’ve seen on our trip.
- Finca La Víspera: Beautiful farm with some cabins and the option to camp, a 15-minute walk out of town. The cabins are on the pricier side so we did sleep in our own tent for 60 BOB per person. The camping area does have a well-equipped kitchen and gas-powered showers (the best shower we had in Bolivia). You can explore the farm and the many terraces where vegetables and herbs are grown for the on-side restaurant (which is a bit pricey, for Bolivian standards, but GOOD!) and we were also allowed to harvest some vegetables to cook our own dinner or breakfast 🙂 When we were there, we were the only people camping and were missing a more social vibe.
Best food and bars in Samaipata Bolivia
- Finca La Víspera – they use local veggies from the farm. We had a yummy cheese plate and heard the pasta is great too. Note they are only open for breakfast and lunch, and weekends are busier.
- The best sonso of Bolivia – just at the entrance to the Mercado Central. Although not the best sonso in Bolivia in our opinion, the nice lady had other yummy gluten-free options like Masaco de platano (5BOB) and cuñapes (3 BOB), as well as empanadas and other baked goodies. If you sit inside, coffee is free.
- Anto’s / Sebastian’s alfajores – every day Argentinian Sebastian goes around town with a basket of goodies, including gluten-free alfajores, cakes, and sweet buns. You can follow @Anto Diaz in Samaipata Foro Facebook group to see what’s cooking today, order directly at +59171606228, or just search for Sebastian around the main square or el Jardin hostel.
- Baguette – a French guy selling “pan de masa madre” – sourdough baguettes – is also walking around town with his yummy bread for 10 BOB. Let us know if you find his contact.
- Happy hour at La Boheme – an Australian-owned bar with various drinks for 18 BOB on happy hour. We also heard their sandwiches are great but haven’t tried them.
Want to learn more about glutenfree food in Bolivia? Read our post: Gluten Free Bolivia
Weather alert – smoke in Samaipata during September
Better not visit Samaipata in September as it's "fires season", causing bad air quality that might effect your travel plans. You can check the current air quality online.
Every year during end of the dry season (around September), wild and organized fires unfortunately take place in the Brazilian Amazon as well as in the soy plantations in Santa Cruz area. Strong winds bring “el humo” – a grey cloud surrounding the town most of the day. During some hours, your eyes may burn and breathing can be difficult. It is not advised to do physical activity during that time, as there are around ten times more particles in the air compared to allowed. We visited here in September 2024, and in some of the days felt unwell or were unable to continue our plans.
