Torotoro National Park
This geological masterpiece is the highlight of any visit to Cochabamba but somehow is missed by many visitors to Bolivia. A high-altitude valley, it is filled with plunging canyon walls, caves and caverns shaped and eroded by rivers and winds, footprints embedded in the rock from some of the biggest dinosaurs ever to walk the earth, and an underground pool filled with blind silvery fish. The most-visited sights are the Umajalanta cave, Bolivia´s largest; the arched caverns of Ciudad Itas, sculpted over millennia by water erosion; and the El Vergel falls, which pour out of the rock and create a lush green oasis where you can refresh yourself. For the bird-inclined, a little persistence might reward you with sightings of condors and the endangered red-fronted macaw. The visit is best done in two or three days with a tour agency leaving from Cochabamba. Accommodation in the town of Torotoro is basic, but it's worth roughing it to spend the extra time in the area.
