Torotoro

A town in the Andes that serves as a gateway to a national park, with dinosaur footprints everywhere. You can descend into Torotoro Canyon to see waterfalls and explore the Umajalanta caves.

Torotoro is a Quechua town at about 2,700 m in northern Potosí Department, Bolivia, about 140 km from Cochabamba. It is also the gateway to Torotoro National Park (about 165 km²), established in 1989. The area is semi-arid mountain terrain on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Rivers have cut the limestone into canyons up to 300 m deep, there are caves underground, and the rock layers preserve more than 3,500 recorded Cretaceous dinosaur footprints and Paleozoic marine fossils, earning it the nickname 'Jurassic Park of Bolivia'. The main attractions are the dinosaur footprints in the riverbed around town; the Torotoro Canyon viewpoint and El Vergel waterfall on the canyon floor; exploring the Umajalanta cave; the Itas stone city at higher elevation; and fossil sites such as the turtle fossil graveyard and Seven Curves. Rules: entry to park sites requires buying tickets at the national park office in town and hiring a licensed guide. Guides charge per group, and you can join with other visitors. Each route takes about half a day, and a stay of two to three days is recommended. The best season is April to November, the dry season, when the roads are open. From December to March, the rainy season often washes out mountain roads with river flooding, and some routes may close. Small buses and shared vehicles run to Torotoro from southern Cochabamba, a journey of about 4–5 hours, and the road is now mostly paved. You can also hire a vehicle. Accommodation, restaurants and ATMs in town are limited, so bring plenty of cash in boliviano. Altitude here is not very high, but the sun is strong, so use sunscreen and drink plenty of water.

Top sights

• Torotoro Canyon – A limestone gorge about 250–300 m deep. A suspended viewing platform overlooks the river at the bottom, making it the most classic sight in…
• Torotoro Dinosaur Tracks – More than 3,500 Cretaceous dinosaur footprints are recorded in the park. Along the river in town and at Carreras Pampa, you can see cluster…
• Umajalanta Cave – One of Bolivia's longest caves. You climb and squeeze through narrow passages wearing a helmet and headlamp, with stalactites, an undergrou…
• El Vergel Waterfall – An oasis waterfall tucked at the bottom of a canyon, with mossy, fern-covered limestone walls and clear pools for swimming.
• Ciudad de Itas – A sandstone maze at about 3,800 m above sea level, where giant rock arches, caves and strange formations make up a 'stone city'. Ancient ro…
• Turtle Cemetery – Fossilized shells of Cretaceous turtles are scattered across a barren hillside, and mollusc and fish fossils can also be found in the rock…
• Siete Vueltas – A mountainside where the road winds through seven bends, with folded rock layers full of Paleozoic marine fossils, including brachiopods an…
• Llama Chaqui Ruins – The stone-built fortress ruins of the Inca period on a ridge southeast of town, with remaining walls and house foundations and wide views o…
• Torotoro Town – A Quechua town in the Andes with dinosaur statues on its square and streets. A small paleontology museum displays local fossils.

Where to eat

• Como en Casa Restaurant – The top-rated restaurant in Torotoro, located in a family guesthouse. The hosts cook home-style dinners fresh each day.
• El Dinosaurio Café-Bar – A café-bar and guesthouse in the town center, serving espresso, pizza and cocktails, with tourist information available.