Jodanga Backpackers Hostel

Welcome to Jodanga on HostelWorld!

"Jodanga" is a backpackers hostel completely run by young people like you! We are a true travelers hostel; one of the few in Bolivia. Not the cheapest, but definitely the best in Santa Cruz . If you don't want to stay in a dingy old saggy mattress residencial or alojamiento without life, Jodanga is the place for you!

We´re the only hostel in Santa Cruz that has a refreshing swimming pool, and even a Jacuzzi, which are both free for your use. Enjoy a beer or a drink in our poolside bar or try some Cruceño style meat from the bbq.

Located just 800m from the main bus and train stations and 800m from the local airport in the other direction, we are ideally situated between these transit locations and the main plaza.

We offer spacious air-conditioned dorms with comfortable beds, private bathrooms with hot water 24hrs a day and a buffet breakfast is included in the price (until 10am). There is also cable TV in the lounge and the bar, plus you can watch well over 100 DVDs for Free!

There is also a billiard table, free internet access, laundry service, the best tourist information in Santa Cruz (seriously), and free use of the kitchen.

Day trips to hard to reach places like Las Lomas de Arena and Espejillos can be organised on your request.

Monday to Saturday our Spanish teacher is available and conducting Spanish classes in our school 'La Lengua Jodanga' - the best value Spanish classes available in Santa Cruz.

Close to the hostel you will find a great mix of top class restaurants, fast food venues, street vendors and markets. We are just across the park from a supermarket, pharmacy, laundry, more internet and phone points, Parque Urbano plays host to some great concerts and activities on weekends and the hostel is within easy walk of Bolivia's largest cinema. The centre of town is just a stroll (15mins) away - or $1 in a cab.

This hostel is about relaxation, meeting other travellers and experiencing the local hospitality. Jodanga is the best starting point for exploring all that the city and surrounds has to offer so come, feel at home and have a ¨Jodanga¨ (Fu**ing awsome) time with us!

Facilities in a Nutshell:
breakfast and linen included, 24 hours reception, free use of kitchen, swimming pool with jacuzzi, poolside bar with grill/bbq, chill out areas, laundry service, free wifi or internet, printer and telephone, free use of safety lockers, billiard table for free, cable tv /DVD room, luggage storage, the best tourism information in town, credit cards welcome, food ordering service, daytrips to surrounding areas organized on request

A note on our private rooms: If you think you will stay for more than 1 night reserve it for the number of nights you want - they are very popular and if you don't reserve them but want to stay longer, we can always accommodate you in our dorms.

If you plan to arrive late in the night (after midnight and before 6.30am) remember to book for the night before, our check in time is at 2.00pm

More about Santa Cruz & what to do

The city of Santa Cruz is bigger than La Paz. Santa Cruz is made up of 10 "rings" that form main roads of the city - (yes that's right - rings like you put on your finger) you can see the southeast corner of just the first 2 rings in the map shown in the picture given on this site. At the very centre point of the 10 rings is the plaza "24 de Septiembre" and the oldest Church on the city. In this part of town there is plenty of modern shopping and office buildings. The main square and the church are very pretty and definitely worth a visit for an hour or so.

The really interesting sites and cultural attractions of Santa Cruz are to be found outside the 1st ring - Rio Pirai for instance (4/5th ring), La Lomas de Arena (10th ring), Plan 3000 (the poorest area, popular for volunteer projects), Barrio Equipatrol (3rd and 4th ring, the clubs district), The cine centre entertainment centre (largest cinema and shopping complex in Bolivia, 2nd ring), Biocentro Guembe (worlds largest butterfly dome, 10th ring) plus all the newest restaurants within the growing districts of Santa Cruz - the 3rd ring outwards. If you limit yourself to the town square - you limit your travels and severely limit your experience in Santa Cruz. Stay long enough to see them all….!

We have written a complete online guide to Santa Cruz to cover all the things your guidebook couldn't be bothered researching - we can't list it here because we are not allowed to link out! Grab one of our maps - there is not enough space here for more!

Taxis are cheap! The cost within the first 1 or 2 rings is just 8 Bolivianos, that's US$1, 0.50 pounds or 80 Euro cents. The hostel will call your taxi for free or you can take one from the corner.

Jodanga Backpackers Hostel belongs to Hostelling International but please notice that the HI cards discounts don´t apply to bookings placed on Hostel World , you can use the HI website :)