The Mission

The Mission
Level: Easy, 15% dirt-road, 1.520 km
Price 10 Day tour:  2.090 Euro                       Price Info

“The Mission” is a short motorcycle tour in the lowlands of Bolivia (Chiquitania), which combines motorcycle riding with culture and nature. The tour is specially designed for people with an interest in photography.

The difficulty level is classified “Easy”, ideal for motorcyclists with little to no dirt-road experience looking for new challenges.

Also we offer an dirt-road Bolivian safely training session on request, please ask us.

The Mission tour takes to the 300 year old and only remaining Jesuit missions of South America. The 7 remaining of these spectacular mission churches have been classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites since 1991.
In addition to this cultural aspect of the tour, the Chiquitania region offers a wealth of unique natural attractions, all listed on day 6.

 

Highest riding peak: 1.650m (Samaipata).

This tour always starts on Wednesday.

 

Day 7. San José de Chiquitos (alt. 300m) 150km  100% asphalt

In the morning we continue with the excursions the group has selected around

Santiago de Chiquitos.
After lunch we ride via the Brazil expressway and we follow a good asphalt road to the small village of Chochis. No tour would be complete without seeing the giant 180m rock tooth which stands solitary and dominates the landscape. After a short visit of the sanctuary, we reach our hotel in San José de Chiquitos, the last mission church of the tour. This final church is architecturally different compared to the other mission churches, but no less spectacular to photograph.

 

Day 8. Samaipata 390 km, 100% asphalt

Liaison stage.

With amazing memories and experiences from our adventures we head back to Samaipata. We continue over the recently asphalted Brazil expressway, crossing again Rio Grande, in direction of the metropolis of Santa Cruz.

Following a winding mountain road, we reach Samaipata, where we started 8 days ago. The hotel´s pool awaits us …

 

Day 9. To Santa Cruz

Late in the morning, we set off for Santa Cruz where we can relax, hanging around the plaza and do some souvenir shopping. In the evening we have a farewell dinner.

 

Day 10. To the airport

On the last day its time to say goodbye and the arranged taxi will take you all to the airport, until we may meet again.

 

Day 1.   Airport pickup at Viru-Viru, Santa Cruz   (alt. 400 m)

We will pick you up at the airport of Santa Cruz/ Bolivia from where we drive to the small town of Samaipata (120 km, 3 hours). There we check into a comfortable hotel and spend the rest of the day to relax and discover.

If your flight arrives late, you need to spend the night in Santa Cruz. In that case the following day is considered as Day 1.

 

Day 2.   Samaipata   (alt. 1.650 m)

We start with a briefing where we learn more about safely riding, our route, the local traffic rules and get to know each other. To get used to the bikes, we go for a ride to the archeological site of “El Fuerte”, classified World Heritage by UNESCO, which is an old Inca town built around the much older and largest stone sculpture in the Americas.

Some people believe it to be an ancient Alien landing field!

Day 3. To San Javier (alt. 540m) 380 km 100% asphalt
Liaison stage.

Early in the morning we start our tour on a winding asphalt road, towards Santa Cruz. After dealing with the traffic chaos, we cross the Rio Grande over a huge modern bridge that runs parallel to the old railway/ road bridge built in 1959 in Puerto Paila. After two hours of relaxed driving we stop to admire the grandeur of the first mission church in San Javier.

Day 4. To San Miguel (alt. 485m)  270 km  20% dirt-road
After the village of Concepcion, the capital of the missions, where we visit the great mission church, we ride a special dirt track to a mysterious black rock into the jungle.

Next stop is the completely rebuilt mission church in San Ignacio. After a short visit there we begin the off road part of this tour and if we are lucky we will see some Capivaras (big rodents) along our road. 40km later we arrive in the small village of San Miguel, where time flows at a more relaxed pace. We visit a wood art workshop, we then have plenty of time to shoot night pictures of the stunning mission church.

Day 5. To Santiago de Chiquitos (alt. 620m) 330 km 60% dirt-road
Early in the morning we take a dusty road in the direction of the impressive mission church of San Rafael. This mission and its contents have been preserved for 300 years. After a chance to take photo´s we continue our journey to the hidden Santa Anna mission. For lunch time we stop at a tavern in a Mennonite a religious community center.

Then we continue on a strait jungle track for about 2 hours, 5 wooden bridge crossings and then rubber touches the asphalt again. Late afternoon we arrive at our destination: San José de Chiquitos. Photo shooting of the mission church is a must.

 

Day 6. Santiago de Chiquitos – Excursions day

For day 6 and the morning of day 7 the group can decide which excursions they want to do or use it as a rest day.

  • Aguas Calientes consists of a hot water river that is fed by multiple sources of 35 – 40 °C and that are said to have healing powers.
  • Further exquisite swimming possibilities:
  • 10m waterfall with a sandy beach,
  • Dark, mysterious crater, with luck we can observe turtles during the descent.
  • Two impressive waterfalls (one with sandy beach) after a secured descent and 5 water crossing with safety lines.
  • By dirt track a drive down into the Amazon basin where we try our luck at Piranha fishing on a small river in Tucavaca region. Swimming only for the brave and crazy.
  • View point of Cumbre de Santiago: Here we can see the passage to the Amazon basin razor-sharp, surrounded by mysterious phallic stone formation, this panorama is an absolute tourist highlight!
  • Stone arch and stone tunnel. With patience and silence we can observe howler monkey clans on the way.
  • The Chiquitania region is rich in very detailed and epic rock art paintings. Anthropomorphic “Kokopelli-style” hunting and war scenes, geometric motifs or zoomorphone representations. Various sites are available.
  • Travel back in time to the steam locomotive cemetery of Roboré.

  

The best way to explore Bolivia by motorcycle

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