Experience the best of Vallegrande

The town stands at roughly 2,000 metres in the foothills of the Andes, in a region of valleys between the highlands and the lowland plains. A central plaza with trees and a church anchors a grid of low colonial houses, and the pace of life is slow. To the north the road runs towards Samaipata, where a huge carved rock of pre-Inca origin is a World Heritage site.

In October 1967 the body of Che Guevara was brought to the hospital laundry here after his capture and death nearby, and the town briefly became known around the world. His remains were found near the airstrip in 1997 and taken to Cuba. Memorials now mark the story, and the village of La Higuera, where he was killed, lies a drive away through the hills.

Cattle and maize farms fill the valleys around the town, and the cooking of this part of the Santa Cruz department leans on beef, cheese and maize, with cuñapé, a cheese bread made with cassava starch, a favourite across the region. The days are mild at this altitude, and rain falls mostly between November and March.