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Santa Cruz is in Bolivia’s Amazonian Basin, surrounded by jungles, with the hot, humid climate of a rain forest. So the existence of a massive field of sand dunes just sixteen kilometers south of the city is a geological marvel. On our very last day in Bolivia, we visited Las Lomas de Arena, declared a National Park in 1990.

There wasn’t much practical information online about the dunes, so we arrived woefully unprepared. Entry to the park costs ten Bolivianos per person (about $0.14), but the gate is almost two miles away from the sand. Luckily, our taxi agreed to drive us most of the way, until the path became too difficult to navigate. The dunes were visible in the distance, so we paid the fare and prepared ourselves for a hike.

But boy, we picked the wrong day to visit sand dunes! A strong wind was gusting down from the north, sending sand flying at incredible velocities. Protecting our faces as best we could, we clambered to the top of the first dune and discovered a beautiful lagoon on the other side. The park is home to 286 different bird species who use the safety of the dunes’ lagoons for rest. We spotted a small falcon, and some other birds… that were colorful … Sorry, I’m not an ornithologist. But they were definitely birds.

Though our skin was under ceaseless attack by thousands of little sand bullets, we endeavored to explore a bit. But after thirty minutes of misery, with our eyes shielded and unable to enjoy the view, we decided to cut the trip short. Unfortunately the park’s entrance was over two miles away, but we got lucky and waved down a semi-truck going in our direction. For the price of a coke, the driver agreed to take us the rest of the way.

It wasn’t the most successful trip, but Las Lomas de Arena is a strange and beautiful spot. The heavy winds were bad luck, but in retrospect, we should have chosen to go with an organized tour operator that offered explorations in 4x4s. It’s the perfect area for that kind of excursion, and would have been worth the extra cost.

Location on our Bolivia Map
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On the second morning of our trip from Uyuni, we awoke with sore backs and cold toes after having spent the night in a salt hotel. The place was built entirely from the stuff: salt tables, salt floors, salt walls. Instead of sleeping, I spent the night licking my bed. But we loaded our tired bodies dutifully into the jeep and, within no time, had reached the desert of Chiguana. Shrubs, sand and the occasional llama were our only companions as we cut southwest through one of Bolivia’s most underdeveloped corners.

Even though we were in a desert, there was plenty to see. We stopped at a group of irregularly shaped, volcanic rocks, and in the distance could admire their creator: the semi-active, still-smoking Ollague Volcano. The most famous rock formation is the Arbol de Piedra, a 26-foot stone in the approximate shape of a tree. Its trunk is long and narrow, and the day the entire thing topples over surely can’t be long off.

As we continued our drive, the peaks of the Andes were ever present, constantly shifting to reveal new facets, and I spent a long portion of the journey staring wordlessly out the window. After emerging from the desert, we reached a few small lagoons, and were greeted by the pungent stench of sulfur. Many of the mountains in this region are tinted yellow with the mineral, which inevitably runs off into the water. Laguna Cañapa, Laguna Honda (Deep Lagoon), and the appropriately named Laguna Hedionda (Stinky Lagoon) each offered a different kind of beauty, though the smell of rotten eggs detracted a bit from the experience.

Although less spectacular than the Salar, this region still impressed with its size and solitude. Besides the other tourist-bearing jeeps, we were completely alone. Regardless of how much Bolivia develops and grows, it’s tough to imagine anyone ever settling this area.

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