How To Visit Torotoro National Park
Found in the Potosi region of Bolivia, Torotoro National Park is smack bang in the middle between Cochabamba and Sucre.
However, the small town is only accessible from Cochabamba, 140km away. The only way of getting to Torotoro is by public transport from Cochabamba.
Here’s a quick summary:
| Step | Timing | Cost |
|---|---|---|
|
1 – Mini Bus From Cochabamba to Torotoro |
4-5 hours |
$4-5 |
|
2 – Overnight Stay |
1-2 Nights |
$15-30 |
|
3 – Find A Guide / Start Tour |
Half Day |
$10-25 |
|
4 – Return to Cochabamba |
4-5 hours |
$4-5 |
Step 1 - How To Get To Torotoro National Park From Cochabamba
- Timing: 4-5 hours
- Cost: $4-5
On the morning you wish to travel, take a taxi (no more than 20Bs) to the mini-bus station which is on the corner of Republica Avenue and Valle Grande.
I asked the staff at Running Chaski Hostel to organise one for me, and they kindly spoke to the driver as well to let him know where we wanted to go.
I recommend getting there around before 9.00 AM to get your names down and leave on the first bus.
There’s a small shop next to the waiting area if you want to stock up on water and snacks. It’s a hot and bumpy ride!
Step 2 - Organise Your Accommodation / Decide On Days
- Recommended Stay: 2 nights
- Cost: $15-30
Torotoro still isn’t a popular destination among travellers although it is growing in popularity.
You shouldn’t have any trouble finding accommodation, however, check the season as we imagine it’s popular among Bolivian tourists during high season.
As the town is tiny and welcomes a small number of tourists, there’s no need to book ahead. Once you arrive, you can walk the main street and find a hotel.
I stayed at Torotoro Hostal which has double rooms with private bathroom for around $18 a night.
Other options include:
For an option just outside of the town with some incredible views of the valley, try Rumi Kipu Ecohotel.
“Joe turned our fragmented ideas into a seamless itinerary. His expert advice saved us time, money, and stress – making our 3-month trip feel easy.”
Sam & Amy – 3 Months In South America
Planning a trip to
Struggling with any of this?
✔ Don’t know where to start planning
✔ Unsure how to pick the best route
✔ Spent hours researching… and still feeling lost
✔ Want freedom, not a rigid tour
✔ Don’t want to spend $5,000+ on a travel agent
You don’t have to figure it out solo.
I help travellers like you plan custom South America trips that are efficient, affordable, and totally personalised.
Step 3 - Organise A Tour In Tortoro National Park
- Timing: Half Day (4-5 hours)
- Cost: $10-25 depending on group numbers + park entrance fee
There are three main tours when entering the National Park from town.
You must have a guide when going into the national park. Sorry to those who love exploring on their own, but the guides are knowledgeable, and you learn a lot. It also supports the local people and economy.
Tours are arranged next to the National Park Office. You will first need to pay the 100Bs park entrance fee at the office to get your ticket, then head to the guides office next door to pick your tour and guide.
Tours start from 7AM – 2PM each day.
As foreign tourism hasn’t exploded in Torotoro yet, guides only speak Spanish, so take this into account when visiting.
At the time, my Spanish was good enough to understand most of what the guide was saying even if I missed out on some detail. Helpfully our guide carried toy dinosaurs with him, so we were visually clued up!
Tour Options In Torotoro National Park
There are three tours on offer and take between 4-6 hours each. Each one offers a slightly different experience:
1. El Vergel
You start by visiting dinosaur footprints just outside the city.
After this, you will visit the Torotoro Canyon viewpoint and then descend into the canyon to visit the El Vergel waterfall.
The trek is relatively easy as most of it is flat until you head down into the canyon. The only hard bit is coming back up.
You will spend 20 minutes at the viewpoint and will have about an hour down at the waterfall to eat and swim in the canyon waters. I did this tour and would recommend it as it had a nice mix of scenery and trekking.
2. Cuidad De Itas
The tour starts with an hour drive into the park up to an altitude of 3,800m.
Then you trek for 2-3 hours until you reach the ‘City of Rocks’, a collection of weird and wonderful rock formations and caves that resemble animals.
Along the way, you will also come across cave paintings and dinosaur footprints. Once you reach the end of the trek, you’ll have incredible views of the mountains and unique geology of the region.
3. Umajalanta Caves
Torotoro has an underground river (Rio Umajalanta) that created a vast network of passages and caverns after millions of years of erosion.
This tour will take you on a route through the parts of the caves that have been explored and will include some climbing, scaling and descending with safety ropes.
Some sections will require you to squeeze through small gaps, so this isn’t one for claustrophobics.
While exploring the caves, you’ll come across impressive stalagmite/stalactite formations, underground waterfalls, and the local population of vampire bats.
You also have the option of combining these tours into one day and paying extra. It would make for an exhausting day, but you’d see most of the park.
Step 4 - Returning To Cochabamba
When departing from Torotoro, the mini-bus leaves from the main square where you get dropped off.
The town is four roads so you won’t have trouble finding it and will see the buses lined up. With 10 seats in a mini-bus, it shouldn’t take too long to fill up.
Is Torotoro National Park Worth Visiting?
I think Torotoro National Park is well worth visiting if you are the type of traveller who loves to get off the beaten track and explore a hidden gems.
The park itself is stunning, with perfectly preserved dinosaur footprints and fossils from millions of years ago. The nature is untouched, and there are several tours you can take to some beautiful and unique sights such as Torotoro Canyon.
However, it might not be for everyone. Here’s a quick summary:
| Worth It For... | Skip It Because... |
|---|---|
|
Off the beaten track with very few tourists |
Requires some effort to get to |
|
Untouched nature |
Cochabamba isn’t on the main travel route and requires extra travel time. |
|
An authentic travel experience |
– |
Bolivia is one of the least well-travelled countries in South America. Most people spend around two weeks in the country and hit the highlights of La Paz and Uyuni.
If you are looking for something a bit different or if you want to get off the gringo trail, get out into nature and see some extraordinary natural history in the form of dinosaur footprints and fossils – then give it a go!
Check out the video below to see more from our day exploring Torotoro:
What To Pack For Torotoro National Park
I only stayed for two nights. I knew my big bag wouldn’t fit on the mini-bus, so I left it at the hostel in Cochabamba.
Running Chaski has a luggage storage room and will look after your luggage for free. Depending on how long you want to stay and what you are planning to do there, here’s a list of essential things:
- Suncream – trekking in the park all day you will need to protect your skin
- Hiking boots – depending on what treks you choose, boots are essential. The rainy season will mean muddy roads and paths. Although the weather was perfect for our ‘El Vergel’ trek, we still walked along rocky paths, through rivers and muddy clay patches. If you do any of the other hikes, notably caving, you will want a safe, reliable pair of shoes.
- Waterproofs – we went in the middle of January, which is the rainy season but got lucky with the weather. The day we were leaving there was torrential rain so come prepared.
Other Things To Do In Torotoro National Park
If you aren’t looking to fill another half or full day with an excursion into the park there are a couple of other options:
- Cementerio de Tortugas – a small museum outside the city with fossils from the region.
- Pachamama Wasi Museum – another small museum set inside a local’s house. It’s like a botanical garden but made of stones, fossils, and other unusual rock formations.
- Siete Vueltas – a 7km circuit trek in which you don’t need a guide as it isn’t inside the park. Along the way, you will see lots of marine fossils in the walls of the cliffs and get a great view of the town and valley once you reach the top.
“Joe turned our fragmented ideas into a seamless itinerary. His expert advice saved us time, money, and stress – making our 3-month trip feel easy.”
Sam & Amy – 3 Months In South America
Planning a trip to
Struggling with any of this?
✔ Don’t know where to start planning
✔ Unsure how to pick the best route
✔ Spent hours researching… and still feeling lost
✔ Want freedom, not a rigid tour
✔ Don’t want to spend $5,000+ on a travel agent
You don’t have to figure it out solo.
I help travellers like you plan custom South America trips that are efficient, affordable, and totally personalised.
How To Get To Cochabamba
Whilst Torotoro is located in the state of Potosi, the only way to get there is from the city of Cochabamba currently.
One of the largest cities in Bolivia, it has enough there to keep you occupied for a day or two or to use it as a base for visiting the park.
I’ve covered the town briefly in this guide if you decide to stay longer there.
How To Get To Cochabamba From La Paz
Cochabamba is an 8-hour bus from La Paz.
You can book bus tickets online at Bolivia Tickets.
There’s one-morning bus-only that leaves at 7:30 and arrives at 15:30. Or three-night buses are departing at 22:00, 22:30, and 23:00. These all cost $15.47 and run by Trans Copacabana.
We always tried to book our buses online and go with this company as they have the best reviews. An alternative is to find smaller companies that cater to locals and book directly on the day at the bus station.
If you are heading back to La Paz, be sure to check out both of our guides to see all the amazing activities you can do:
Where To Stay In Cochabamba
Hostal Running Chaski is the most popular in town, with bunkbeds dorms, private rooms, free breakfast and helpful staff.
We stayed here and this would be our recommendation. The breakfast included eggs, bread and jam with coffee and juice.
They also let us leave our big bags in their locker as you only need to take a small bag to Torotoro.
Torotoro National Park Itinerary
You should need 4 days/3 nights minimum to get to Cochabamba and then visit the park. Here’s how I did it:
- Day 1 – Morning bus from La Paz to Cochabamba
- Day 2 – Travel from Cochabamba to Torotoro
- Day 3 – Full day tour in the park
- Day 4 – return to Cochabamba/ Night bus to Sucre or La Paz
I suggest you spend at least two nights in Torotoro.
Your first day will be spent travelling via mini-bus to the town. You could book on to a tour that day if you arrive early enough or do one of the other activities we mentioned above. Then on the second day, wake up early for a full day tour and stay that night.
We travelled back to Cochabamba on the morning of the third day. You will arrive back to Cochabamba in the afternoon, and you have the option to stay another night or hop onto a bus (night bus most likely) to La Paz or Sucre.
You could technically get the earliest mini-bus, do the tour that day, stay the night and leave the next day but its always better not to rush in our opinion.
Or you could easily do the first tour and then catch one of the last buses if you don’t want to stay two nights. You have lots of options.
Be sure to check out our month-long Bolivia itinerary to see how Torotoro fits in with travelling through the rest of this amazing country:
