Angel Sandóval Province

Created in 1948 and located in the upper northeast quadrant of Bolivia's Oriente region, Angel Sandóval Province (named after a judge and author) shares a long border with Brazil, and is in many ways more culturally akin to that nation than to Bolivia. Like much of the region, it is flat and well-watered, making it one of the most fertile areas of the country, although its remoteness and lack of basic infrastructure make it ideally suited to the adventure or eco-tourist. In fact, unlike most of the Chiquitania, Angel Sandóval is neither agricultural nor grazing land. Much of it is simply empty space, as yet unaffected by modern life. You want solitude? Here you go.

What little is not empty space is known as the Pantanal Norte, an area that is periodically inundated by the summer rains, after which it blooms with an incredible display of flora and fauna. The Pantanal, which extends southward along the Río Curichi Grande, between December and March forms the largest wetlands system on earth. It has an amazing ecosystem all of its own, especially where aquatic species are concerned, if you hadn't guessed.

As a result, the area is beginning to offer various tourism options, although these are as yet confined to the Puerto Quijarro-Puerto Suárez area in neighbouring Germán Busch Province. But plans are underway to open the southeast of Angel Sandóval as well to ecotourism, through the establishment of the Area Natural de Manejo Integrado San Matías, one of the country's newest park/multi-use areas.

Somewhere in the Pantanal Norte: Angel Sandóval Province

Along with Germán Busch Province, Angel Sandóval is home to enormous deposits of Bolivianite, a beautiful purplish stone. Technically a mix of amethyst and citrine (scientifically known as ametrine) and one of the country's principle mineral exports, walk into any jewellery shop in Santa Cruz and you'll see everything from the truly beautiful to the truly hideous made from it.

This province is the least populated of the Chiquitania, with the capital of San Matías the only town of note. There is a small aeroport (served by TAM on Fridays and sporadically otherwise), but only one paved road that links the settlement with Brazil to the east and two parallel dirt tracks that tie it to the Jesuit settlements of Velasco Province to the west.

There is a small Jesuit mission settlement (although no longer served by Jesuits) in the area: Santo Corazón (the last one established before the expulsion). Otherwise, along with Cordillera province to the southwest (not technically part of the Chiquitania, but bordering it), Angel Sandóval is virtually untouched by civilisation, making it one of the last authentic wildernesses areas on the continent. In fact, the Serranía Sunsás in the extreme southwest of the province - the Bolivian equivalent of the Rub' al-Khali - remains largely unexplored to this day.