A man enjoys an afternoon stroll in San Ignacio de Moxos

Photo: Julia Bollag

Stranded on the bumpy road between Rurrenabaque and Trinidad, the charming Amazon village of San Ignacio de Moxos is worth a thousand and one hellish bus rides.

Once you've made it here, you'll definitely want to stick around for a few lazy days, devouring mangoes straight off the tree, swinging in your hotel hammock, chatting with locals on a park bench in the leafy main plaza, cooling off in the inviting waters of Laguna Isirere or browsing the intriguing frescoes and Jesuit religious artifacts in the spacious church.

This is arguably the friendliest community in Bolivia and the few tourists who make it here are warmly received and subjected to endearing levels of curiosity. The majority of San Igancio's population are indigenous Moxos who - as well as Spanish - speak a dialect known as 'Ignaciano'

Life here is pretty chilled-out and non-eventful, unless that is, you happen to stumble into town on July 31 when the annual Fiesta del Santo Patrono de Moxos kicks off. What follows is three days of drumming, dancing, music and fireworks, as well as the downing of copious amounts of alcohol and bizarre theatrical displays.

San Ignacio de Moxos lies 90 kilometres west of Trinidad and four to six hours (depending on the state of the road) east of San Borja.