El Vergel
Canyon waterfall.
Gaumut — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Vaido Otsar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alberto Espinoza — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gaumut — CC BY-SA 3.0
A national park since 1989 in semi-arid mountain country between 2,000 and 3,500 metres, packing natural wonders into a small area: a canyon with walls up to 300 metres deep, vast limestone caves, hills of coloured rock layers and thousands of dinosaur footprints preserved in stone. Right by Torotoro town, clear trackways of meat- and plant-eating dinosaurs cross tilted rock slabs that were once the shores of ancient lakes. The park's best-known outing descends a long stairway to El Vergel, the green canyon floor with a waterfall and clear pools among the boulders. In Umajalanta cave visitors crawl with a guide among stalactites and stalagmites through narrow passages to an underground lake with blind fish. There is also the rock «city» of Itas, with formations like buildings and arches. Entry requires a mandatory local guide hired in town, and the road from Cochabamba is long and partly mountainous. Allow at least two days. Bolivia is under a state of emergency with protests and road blockades, so check road conditions and your government's travel advice before the trip.
Canyon waterfall.
Underground lake.
On the rock.
Northern Potosí department, about 140 km south of Cochabamba (4-5 hours by road)
At least two, as the road from Cochabamba is long and each park outing takes about half a day with the guide.