Santa Cruz de la Sierra Travel Risk — Moderate Risk (43/100)
Is Santa Cruz de la Sierra safe right now? Checked 9 October 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra scores 43/100 on our travel risk index (Moderate). The US State Department rates Bolivia Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 18 Aug 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country (updated 22 Sep 2026); Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Natural disasters (score 30)
Political instability (score 55)
October 7, 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia has a current Travel Risk Calculator composite score of 43 out of 100 (moderate risk tier); the highest-rated risk category is political instability at 55/100; the lowest-rated category is natural disasters at 30/100; last updated October 7, 2026. For official nationwide security advisories, entry requirements, and health notices, see the Bolivia travel risk page. Real-time conditions below include live weather, official advisory levels, GDACS disaster alerts, and current news.
Get a personalized assessment for your tripHow safe is Santa Cruz de la Sierra to visit in 2026?
Santa Cruz de la Sierra currently sits at 43/100 on our composite travel-risk index, which puts it in the moderate-risk tier. Most travelers will be fine with normal precautions, but a few categories below score high enough that planning matters. The highest-rated risk category for Santa Cruz de la Sierra is political instability (55/100), and the lowest is natural disasters (30/100). This page was last updated on October 7, 2026; the baseline category scores reflect analytical indicators, layered with live conditions throughout the day. Live conditions — weather and air quality every 30 minutes, US State Department advisory every 6 hours, GDACS disaster alerts every 30 minutes, CDC health notices every 12 hours, and news every hour — are cached at the source and refreshed automatically when stale.
Driven by: security (53/100) and natural hazards (45/100).
A score of 43 is higher than the scores of 56% of the 241 countries we cover.
AI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 3, 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra currently has a moderate risk baseline safety score of 48 out of 100 with a Level 2 travel advisory from the US State Department. Travelers should also note an active green forest fire notification in Bolivia and a Level 2 global polio health notice from the CDC.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Oct 9, 2026 13:41 UTC
What should I do now?
- Run a real assessment. Open the calculator for live data (weather, advisory, news) layered onto this baseline.
- Political instability (score 55/100): Avoid demonstrations and political gatherings. Monitor news the morning of travel. Have a flexible departure plan.
- Government advisory (score 50/100): Read your country's current official advisory within 7 days of travel. Register with your embassy on arrival if available.
- Check your country's advisory. The single most authoritative live signal. Linked at the bottom of every real assessment.
Day vs Night Safety in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Exercise heightened caution even during daylight hours. Stick to primary thoroughfares, travel in groups where possible, and avoid navigating quiet residential side-streets alone.
Nighttime movement carries significant risk. Strictly avoid solo walking after dark; rely exclusively on hotel-arranged transportation or registered radiotaxis, and confirm destination security before leaving your accommodation.
Safety by Traveler Type in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Solo travelers
Crime risk is elevated. Solo travelers should avoid quiet areas at night, keep a charged phone and offline map, and share a live location with someone.
Women traveling solo
General crime risk is elevated. Plan arrivals in daylight, avoid isolated areas, and prefer accommodation with 24h reception. We do not hold gender-specific incident data for Santa Cruz de la Sierra, so also check the live official advisory above and local women-traveler communities.
LGBTQ+ travelers
Local laws and social attitudes toward LGBTQ+ travelers vary widely by country and are not captured in our category scores. The official advisory/political indicators are elevated. Read your government LGBTQ+ travel guidance carefully and weigh trip purpose against current conditions.
No group-specific warning is triggered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra for families with children (Health 45/100 · Natural disaster 30/100), older travelers (Health 45/100 · Transport 45/100) and business travelers (Digital 30/100 · Money 45/100 · Transport 45/100): these scores sit in the low-to-moderate range, so standard precautions apply. Local laws affecting LGBTQ+ travelers and gender-specific incident rates are not captured in our scores; check your government's travel guidance.
Score layers
Safety categories
Source: Grounded open data research & citations
Quick facts
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | low |
| Road safety | medium |
| Public transport | medium |
| Tourist scam risk | medium |
| Night safety | high |
| Last updated | October 7, 2026 |
Live conditions in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Real-time data refreshed from public sources — weather and air quality from Open-Meteo, official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For an AI-synthesized briefing tailored to your specific trip, run a personalized assessment.
Official travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Bolivia - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
Disaster alerts
Active Disaster Alerts
-
Green forest fire notification in Bolivia GREEN · country-wide · 2026-10-05
On 02/10/2026, a forest fire started in Bolivia, until 08/10/2026.
“~N km away” = event centroid within ~500 km of this location; “country-wide” = a national/regional alert that may not be near this specific city. Source: GDACS · fetched 2026-10-09 13:41:04 UTC
Natural hazard calendar & history
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Wildfires | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of Santa Cruz de la Sierra happened in January, June, November and December (4 of 4 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Bolivia travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Bolivia entry requirements.
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
-
Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-10-02
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Vietnam, Maldives, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Mar
-
Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-09-23
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
-
Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-10-09 06:18:29 UTC
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit Santa Cruz de la Sierra
The most weather-stable two-month window for Santa Cruz de la Sierra is June–July, when typical daily temperatures run from about 17°C to 25°C and monthly rain averages 52 mm.
No threshold-level heat, cold, wind, or cyclone flag appears in the stored normals; January is the wettest typical month at about 175 mm.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Sep 7, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Practical safety map
Safety infrastructure nearby in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra has 10 hospitals, 10 police stations, 5 embassies, 10 pharmacies and 5 fire stations within 7 km of the city center in the latest OpenStreetMap extract.
The interactive map loads when it approaches the viewport.
Facility list (works without JavaScript)
- Hospital: Caja de Salud de la Banca Privada
- Hospital: Caja Petrolera de Salud
- Hospital: Clínica Ángel Foianini
- Hospital: Clínica Niño Jesús
- Hospital: Cossmil
- Hospital: Hospital de Niños
- Hospital: Hospital Materno Infantil
- Hospital: Hospital San Juan de Dios
- Hospital: Maternidad Percy Boland
- Hospital: ProSalud La Madre
- Police: Unnamed police
- Police: Comando Departamental de Policía
- Police: Direccion General de Sustancias Controladas
- Police: Distrito policial #4 (4 de Noviembre)
- Police: Policia Boliviana
- Police: Policia Boliviana
- Police: Puesto Policial Estadio Ramón “Tahuichi” Aguilera Costas
- Police: Secretaria Municipal de Defensa y Protección Ciudadana Santa Cruz
- Police: Servicio Aéreo Policial
- Police: Servicio Aéreo Policial
- Embassy: Consulate of Argentina
- Embassy: Consulate of Belgium
- Embassy: Consulate of the Netherlands
- Embassy: Honorary Consul of South Korea
- Embassy: United States of America Consulate
- Pharmacy: Farmacia Diego Mauricio
- Pharmacy: Farmacia Ladit
- Pharmacy: Farmacia Maelo
- Pharmacy: Farmacia Natalia
- Pharmacy: Farmacia Olivia
- Pharmacy: Farmacia San Diego
- Pharmacy: Farmacorp
- Pharmacy: Farmacorp
- Pharmacy: Farmaliada
- Pharmacy: Tu Farmacia
- Fire station: Bombero Voluntarios
- Fire station: Bomberos
- Fire station: Bomberos UDEM
- Fire station: Unidad de Bomberos
- Fire station: Unidad de Bomberos
Map and facility data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Locations can be incomplete or outdated; confirm before relying on them. See this destination’s numbers or browse emergency numbers by country.
Emergency numbers (Bolivia)
| Police | 110 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 118 |
| Fire | 119 |
| General | — |
See nearby hospitals, police, pharmacies, embassies, and fire stations on the safety map.
Medical access
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy access | medium |
| Emergency response | low |
| English-speaking care | unknown |
| Evacuation complexity | high |
Medical infrastructure in Santa Cruz may be limited compared to major international standards. Travelers should ensure they have comprehensive travel insurance covering potential emergency medical evacuation.
Common scam patterns
- Armed Robbery and Assault. Violent crime against foreigners, including armed robbery and assault, occurs in tourist areas such as Santa Cruz. Criminals may target individuals or money-changers in public locations. Tip: Remain highly vigilant in public spaces and avoid displaying valuables or large amounts of cash.
- Petty Crime. Petty crime is common in urban areas, around tourist sites, and near public transport facilities. Opportunistic thieves frequently target distracted travelers. Tip: Keep your belongings secure and close to your body at all times.
Area notes
- Santa Cruz de la Sierra. As the country's largest municipality with 1.6 million people, it experiences urban petty crime and occasional violent incidents.
- Plan Tres Mil. This zone has been the site of violent armed robberies and public street assaults targeting individuals.
Nearest embassies & consulates
Find your home country's diplomatic mission in Bolivia for consular support, lost passports, or citizen emergencies:
Run a personalized assessment for Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Get a tailored briefing in ~15 seconds, with live weather, advisories, and recent news.
Calculate my trip riskScore history
| When | Score change | Tier | Reason / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 8, 2026 | 44 → 43 | moderate | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| Oct 8, 2026 | 0 → 0 | unknown | Data update Grounded open data research & citations |
| Oct 7, 2026 | 46 → 44 | moderate | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 36 → 46 | moderate | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
Every editorial change to Santa Cruz de la Sierra's composite score is logged here, with the source and reason for the change. Live data overlays (weather, advisories, disaster alerts, news) refresh continuously on their own cadences and are not recorded as score changes — see the Live conditions section above for current overlay state.
Been to Santa Cruz de la Sierra? Share your experience
+ Share your first-hand experience in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Transparency & Sources
We document the baseline sources, coverage scope, and data inputs for this destination below.
Sources used
- SimpleMaps World Cities (CC BY 4.0): Coordinates, region, population for Santa Cruz de la Sierra
- Travel Risk Calculator score (method v2): Security, crime and scams, health, natural hazards and current alerts for Santa Cruz de la Sierra, from US, UK and Canadian advisories, INFORM, World Bank, UCDP, CDC, GDACS, USGS and OpenStreetMap
- Editorial baseline (Travel Risk Calculator): City-level threat scoring across 9 categories (crime, health, advisory, political, disaster, transport, environmental, digital security, money safety)
Live data overlays on this page refresh asynchronously on the source cadences shown above. Run an assessment to create a trip-specific briefing using your dates and traveler profile.
Baseline scope
- Category scores represent an analytical baseline, updated from official feeds and public records.
Coverage notes
- Transport-hub safety notes (airport, train stations).
Methodology · Full data-source registry · Report a correction
Popular travel-safety searches right now
Cities our visitors look up most frequently — useful for trip planning, comparison, or just curiosity.
PAGE LAST UPDATED:
Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.