I visited all six churches on the circuit in March 2023. It was not particularly hot, mostly it was clouded and it rained every afternoon, which made the afternoons often cooler than the mornings. I entered Bolivia from Brazil, crossing the border between Corumba and Porto Quijarro. The passenger trains between Santa Cruz and Porto Quijarro have not been running for two years but there are busses leaving around 11 am (and there are night busses too). I took one of the busses, it was rather comfortable, if not too clean, and the bus dropped me off around 17.30h in San Jose. It was a Sunday afternoon and seeing the church open, I entered the church with my lugguge. The sight of the church made my heart jump a little in surprise. All churches would have that effect on me, except the one in Concepcion, which made a more reconstructed impression.

The church in San Jose is a brick structure, unlike the other ones. The courryard has beautiful naive paintings. While I was admiring the interior, a procession entered the church and the priest started to speak. I left with my luggage and found a hotel a little off the square, which was not too expensive and still had all the comforts. After that I came back and was happy to find the church open and empty. The church exterior is very beautifully lit at night.

I took a quiet day of rest on Monday where I visited the remains of old Santa Cruz and it’s museum, which is mildly interesting, but the attendent seemed happy with my visit. 

The church has also a museum but it is closed on Monday. The opening times are displayed on a board behind the gate (which is generally closed outside opening times ..), but I guess visiting the church in the evening for free is a better option than paying during daytime, even if it's only 20 BOB.

On Tuesday I took the 9.30h trufi to San Rafael. It takes a good 3 hours on a road in various states of construction, about 25 kilometer of the total of 130 was asphalted. The trufi ends at a bus station just outside the town. I theory one could run to the village and go through the church in a hurry and run back to get the connecting trufi to San Miguel/San Ignacio. But I chose to take my time, knowing there was a 17.30h trufi to San Ignacio. There was no one around the church, but the gate to the courtyard was open, as well as the side doors, so I could enter the church. The church is very different from the one in San Jose and it was nice to be able to visit and enjoy the quietness and peace.

After a while, I went back to the bus station but nothing was happening there. I tried to hitchhike to San Miguel but there was next to no traffic going that way. Then I managed to find one of the very rare mototaxis. He said it will take 80 BOB to drive to San Miguel. I tried a lower price but it seemed fixed. I thought we had agreed on 80, but then he drove off, apparently he had better things to do. Then I sat around a bit on the square where nothing was happening, San Rafael takes it’s siesta very seriously. I went back inside to see more of the church, and later, I did find a friendly mototaxi driver who did bring me to San Miguel. His motorbike was a bit older though and my feet kept sliding off the grips, and the road was difficult in places, with more construction going on and muddy parts. But we made it.

I was happy to find the priest in office, and even more happy when it turned out he is American Mexican and speaks English, and it seemed he was happy to talk too. He gave me a tour around the church, and subsequently allowed me to stay on my own in the church for a while. After my visit I crossed the square where I waited for the trufi to San Ignacio to fill up. We left just before dusk, and were dropped off close to the center, where I walked to a closeby hotel and found a room.

I had a look at the church in San Ignacio, which is a reconstruction, and I thoroughly disliked it. I had another look next morning when the side door was open as the lady was cleaning.

A bit after 10.00h I arrived at the bus terminal and I was happy to find there is a trufi to Santa Anna at 10.30h and a return at 13.30h (and not at 17.00h as the friendly tourist office in San Ignacio and my guidebook stated), making a visit feasible. We rode on a muddy road and arrived just before noon, so I could catch the guy from the tourist office before his lunch break. He said the church is normally closed as the caretaker passed away. But someone else is responsible now, and after a few unsuccesfull calls he closed up office and we walked to the lady's house. However she was busy with the preparations for almuerzo, but her daughter (I think) took me to open the church and gave me a wonderful tour in very slow and clear Spanish. Highlight was the visit to the choir where the original organ stands and one can see the painted columns and capitels with angels. 13h00 was almuerzo time and I tried to find the Viborón, an archeological stone formation in the shape of a snake just outside the village, but the sign pointed into a bush filled with mud. I feared an encounter with a real snake, and was I running out of time anyway. We arrive back a bit before 15.00h at the terminal of San Ignacio where I had left my backpack. There is a 15.30h trufi to Concepcion but unfortunately it was already fully booked, so I booked the next one at 18.00h. This one was fully booked too and we left already at 17.30h on a fully paved asphalt road, it felt like a wonderful invention. We arrived three hours later in Concepcion where I quickly found a hotel for 100 BOB. It was a really cool evening, so I could save the extra fee for A/C.

Next morning after breakfast, I visited the Mission museum, Cathedral museum and the church itself. One caretaker attends all, and he is usually at the Mission museum, unless a visitor goes to visit the Cathedral, then he closes up and goes there. I finished my visit at 9.45h and at 10.20h I was already on a trufi to San Javier, arriving 11.20h, in time to enjoy the small museum and the church there which close for lunch at noon. I found the whitewashed church interior quite a surprise after the other ones.

Just around the corner of the church on the main street, there was a busy lunch place where an older lady was running the kitchen, always a good sign, and I had a feyoada and a refresco for 13 BOB. The trufi for Santa Cruz was due at 13.00h but we lingered for unclear reasons and left only at 13.45h. 

Long story short, it is quite feasible to visit at least 5 churches using trufis, by staying overnight in San Jose, San Ignacio and Concepcion, all three towns have good and plenty of hotels. With the option of a mototaxi between San Miguel and San Rafael, all 6 are feasible but this is not exactly a pleasant ride, and probably a bit risky. Once the road from San Jose to San Ignacio is fully paved, transport options will probably improve too.