Santa Cruz de la Sierra is Bolivia's largest city and, quietly, its real economic engine, even though La Paz gets the political attention. Founded in 1561, it sits flat in the lowlands with no altitude to fight and a ring road system that makes getting around genuinely easy. I lived here for three months, first in Equipetrol, then in Norte, and it remains one of the easiest cities I've called home in South America.

This guide covers where to stay by neighborhood, the best places to eat, the dishes you have to try (majadito, cuñapé, sonso), day trips to Samaipata and the sand dunes, the city's mix of new high rises and old colonial Centro, and the surazo, a genuinely wild weather phenomenon I'd never heard of before I experienced one myself.