Last Updated on February 15, 2025
While in Bolivia, you won’t encounter extreme dangers in most cities compared to countries like Brazil or Mexico. However, certain cities and areas require increased vigilance regarding your personal safety and belongings.
By far, the most dangerous city in Bolivia is Santa Cruz, where the level of crime is noticeably higher. In many parts of the city, you risk being stabbed or abducted by criminals who may not hesitate to harm you. Despite this, being killed or seriously injured in this city during daylight hours is very uncommon.
Here, we’ll discuss the most dangerous city in Bolivia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, as well as other potentially dangerous locations and cities. We’ll also provide detailed precautions you should take in these areas to minimize the risk to your safety and belongings. We are Bolivian real estate experts (see our Bolivian website) who have lived in Bolivia all our lives.
Which is the Most Dangerous City in Bolivia?
Without question, Santa Cruz is the most dangerous city in Bolivia. Unlike other cities, such as La Paz or Cochabamba, you’ll find that criminals in Santa Cruz employ more sophisticated strategies to threaten your safety and steal your possessions.

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While criminals in other Bolivian cities and locations typically resort to snatch-and-grab tactics, targeting your phone and money, *in Santa Cruz, you’ll encounter more serious types of assaults* from these individuals:
- Armed robberies (even during daylight hours and within the city’s downtown area, although these incidents are relatively unusual).
- Kidnappings. Occasionally, criminals abduct individuals and demand payment for their release (though this is quite rare).
- Stabbing attempts. This occurs more frequently. Criminals under the influence of alcohol or drugs may not hesitate to stab people during assaults.
- Numerous grab-and-run thieves. Regardless of the time of day or night, in Santa Cruz’s commercial districts, countless robbers and snatchers will attempt to take your money, phone, or belongings.
The Most Dangerous Areas of Santa Cruz
The most dangerous parts of Santa Cruz are typically the most commercial ones, where numerous people sell goods on the streets (known as “ant markets” or “open markets”), and a large number of lower- to middle-income individuals shop.
Additionally, most neighborhoods located on the city’s outskirts are quite dangerous for foreigners. In these areas, locals are often very hesitant to interact with foreigners and tend to be suspicious.
These are the most dangerous areas of Santa Cruz:

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- Any neighborhood beyond the city’s 5th ring (the outskirts of the city).
- The eastern and southern parts of the city (where most lower-income residents live).
- The Pirai River (this area serves as a haven for criminals).
- All informal markets and open-air markets, e.g., El Abasto or 7 Calles, where countless thieves are constantly looking for victims.
- The Plan 3000 neighborhood, which is very risky both during the day and at night. No tourists venture there, and many criminals of different types can be found. Avoid this neighborhood as much as possible.
- Almost any location at night. In general, all commercial areas within the city’s downtown, as well as open-air markets and informal markets, are particularly riskier after 8:00 p.m. (the safest parts of the city remain relatively safe during nighttime hours; we’ll discuss this later).
The historic city center is generally somewhat unsafe, primarily due to the presence of thieves attempting to steal belongings, and intoxicated individuals exhibiting unpredictable behavior, even during daylight hours. At night, this area becomes considerably more dangerous. Exercise extreme caution during nighttime hours in the city center.
The Safest Areas of the City
On the other hand, you can also find very safe areas and neighborhoods in Santa Cruz, where high-income individuals typically reside and conduct their activities. You’ll find that *many good hotels and Airbnbs are located within these areas*.
These areas and neighborhoods are primarily residential, not commercial. Wealthy individuals and many foreigners generally live within them, or they maintain vacation or second homes in these locations.
The safest places in Santa Cruz are:
- Equipetrol and Las Palmas. Many hotels and Airbnbs are located within these neighborhoods, and they’re also relatively close to the city’s downtown area.
- Urubo. Wealthy individuals live here. There are numerous vacation and second homes in this neighborhood, Airbnb is available, and it’s quite safe.
- The northeastern part of the city. This area is where most of Santa Cruz’s affluent residents live. Neighborhoods here are very clean, all streets are relatively safe, and you won’t encounter serious threats even at night, although they are not as safe as Equipetrol and Urubo.
In general, residential, non-commercial areas where high-income individuals reside will be the safest areas in Santa Cruz. You can find many three-star or higher-rated hotels and numerous Airbnbs within these locations.
Other Very Unsafe Places and Cities Within the Country
Of course, Santa Cruz is, as a whole, considerably more dangerous than other cities or places within Bolivia. However, some locations in the country are still quite dangerous, as you’ll see below.

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These places are typically the downtown areas of Bolivia’s main cities, as well as their most commercial sections, where street markets and open-air markets are commonly located. During the night, most urban areas of the country become quite dangerous.
Other significantly dangerous neighborhoods, cities, and areas in the country include:
- El Alto city (quite risky as a whole, extremely dangerous at night).
- The 16 de Julio Fair (a very large open-air street market within El Alto city).
- Avenida Aroma in Cochabamba city, which is an open-air street market where countless thieves are seeking victims.
- La Ceja in El Alto city, quite risky during the day and extremely dangerous at night; it’s one of the most dangerous places in the country.
- Buenos Aires Street and nearby locations in La Paz city; numerous robbers and criminals are hidden within the crowds, and it’s much more dangerous at night.
- Any semi-rural or rural area. People from other countries are not welcome there. Locals will view you with considerable suspicion, and criminals will immediately recognize that you’re not a local and will threaten you in various ways.
Despite all of this, in most areas of the country, you are unlikely to be killed or seriously injured. These incidents are not as common in Bolivia as in other Latin American countries.
Precautions to Take to Avoid These Dangers
To mitigate many of the risks present in Santa Cruz city that we mentioned earlier, you should take the following precautions:
- Stay in a hotel or Airbnb located within one of the safest areas we mentioned earlier. In some of these locations, you’ll be very safe, even at night.
- Avoid the most dangerous places unless you have a qualified tourist guide and understand the risks. It doesn’t matter if it’s during the day or at night; simply avoid these areas. In any case, almost no tourists are typically found in these locations.
- Avoid going outside after 8:00 p.m. anywhere in the city, unless you are accompanied by a qualified tourist guide and are aware of the risks.
- Be extremely vigilant with your belongings when you’re in highly commercial areas of the city. Thieves and criminals will instantly recognize that you’re not Bolivian or a local and will target you in these areas.
- Don’t interact with strangers, and don’t accept anything they might offer you. You must never forget this general precaution. Thieves might attempt to distract you while another criminal steals from you, uses sleep-inducing substances, or even slips drugs into their offerings.
Always follow the recommendations of your tourist guide to ensure your safety in Bolivia and Santa Cruz.
Conclusions:
In this guide on which city is the most dangerous in Bolivia, you’ve learned that it’s Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and it’s significantly more dangerous than other cities. You now know that there’s a heightened level of risk within this city, but despite this, it’s not as dangerous as some cities in Brazil or Mexico.

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You’ve realized that you should always avoid going beyond the city’s 5th ring, the Pirai River, the Plan 3000 neighborhood, and the eastern and southern parts of the city. You should also be extremely cautious with your belongings in open markets and street markets, such as El Abasto or Las 7 Calles. Additionally, you should avoid being outside after 8:00 p.m. anywhere in the city.
You’ve also learned that to stay safe, you should take precautions such as staying within the safest neighborhoods of the city (e.g., Equipetrol, Las Palmas, and Urubo) and staying in locations within the northeastern part of the city. Also, avoid the riskiest places and outskirts of the city as much as possible, and don’t accept anything from strangers.
We hope this information has been helpful. If you’d like to learn more about the most dangerous places in Bolivia across all its cities and territory, please visit our dedicated guide here: [Link].
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