Viru Viru International Airport

Viru Viru International Airport is about 17 km (11 miles) north of central Santa Cruz de la Sierra. A taxi to the city center usually takes 30 to 50 minutes, depending on traffic and where in the city you are staying. Allow extra time at rush hour when heading back to the airport for a flight.

Viru Viru is in the Santa Cruz metropolitan area but outside the city itself, about 17 km north of the center toward Warnes. It replaced the old El Trompillo Airport, which is closer to downtown, as the city's main airport in 1983. You will need a taxi, minibus, rideshare or pre-arranged driver to reach the city.

Viru Viru has one passenger terminal with separate areas for domestic and international flights. Check-in, immigration, customs and baggage claim are all in the same building, along with ATMs, exchange desks and car rental counters. Connecting between a domestic and an international flight does not require moving to another terminal building.

Boliviana de Aviación (BoA) is the main airline, with domestic and international routes. Other carriers include Air Europa to Madrid, Avianca to Bogotá, Copa Airlines to Panama City, LATAM Airlines to Lima and Santiago, GOL to São Paulo, Aerolíneas Argentinas to Buenos Aires and Paranair to Asunción. EcoJet and TAMep fly domestic routes.

Yes. Taxis wait at the rank next to the terminal and are available 24 hours a day. The ride to central Santa Cruz takes about 30 to 50 minutes. There may be no meter or posted rate, so agree on the fare before loading your luggage, and use the official rank rather than offers from people inside the terminal.

Yes. Green and white minibuses run between the airport and the city roughly every 20 minutes, from about 5:00 am to 10:00 pm. The trip is slower than a taxi and there is limited room for large suitcases. Services run less often on weekends and holidays, and there is no rail or metro link to the airport.

Yes, Uber can be requested at Viru Viru airport once you have collected your luggage. Pickup points may change without notice, so follow the app's instructions and check the car and plate before getting in. If the app shows long waits, the official taxi rank next to the terminal is the main alternative.

It depends on your nationality. Bolivia removed the tourist visa requirement for US citizens, as well as Israel, South Korea and several other countries, under Supreme Decree 5497 of December 2025. Citizens of some other countries still need a visa. Check with a Bolivian consulate or the immigration authority before you travel.

Samaipata is a hill town west of Santa Cruz, known as the base for the El Fuerte archaeological site and Amboró National Park. There is no direct public transport from the airport, so travelers usually take a taxi into Santa Cruz and continue by shared taxi or bus, or arrange a private driver from the airport.

The Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos are a group of mission towns in the lowlands east and northeast of Santa Cruz. Most visitors first travel into the city and continue by bus, organized tour or rental car, since there is no direct service from the airport. The circuit covers long distances, so plan several days.

Santa Cruz, like the rest of Bolivia, is on UTC−4 all year with no daylight saving time. The currency is the boliviano (BOB), and ATMs and exchange desks are available in the airport terminal. The city sits at low altitude and has a warm, humid climate, very different from La Paz in the highlands.

Viru Viru is operated by NAABOL, the Bolivian state agency that replaced SABSA in 2022. It handled about 4.1 million passengers in 2023, making it the busiest airport in Bolivia that year. It has one 3,500 m runway, opened in 1983 and serves as the hub of Boliviana de Aviación.