THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Bolivia - page 328

acquired taste, and can play havoc with the digestion, but drinking a few glasses is the best
way to get talking with the local campesinos.
Parque Nacional Cerro Tunari
Immediately north of Cochabamba • Free
Some three thousand square kilometres of the Cordillera Tunari - the mountain range that
forms the northern boundary of the Cochabamba Valley - is protected by Parque Nacional
Cerro Tunari . Named after the region's tallest peak, the 5200m Cerro Tunari, the park was
set up primarily to protect the forested watershed that provides the irrigation water that is
vital to the agriculture of the Cochabamba Valley, and to conserve rare high-altitude queñua
forests, home to the Cochabamba mountain finch, which is found nowhere else in the world.
Given its proximity to the city, the park's ecosystems are far from pristine; the lower slopes
closest to Cochabamba in particular are affected by illegal building. It's easy to visit from the
city, however, and is popular amongst Cochabambinos at weekends.
From the gate, a track climbs steeply up into the park; an hour or so's walk (or a short drive)
will bring you to a series of picnic sites and children's playgrounds amid eucalyptus groves
where Cochabambinos like to relax around a barbecue, enjoy the views and stroll or ride
mountain bikes along the various tracks and trails. If you continue walking uphill for two to
three hours you'll reach a series of small lakes from which the views are even more spec-
tacular. If you make an early start and travel via Quillacollo , it is also possible to visit the
higher reaches of the park and the peak of Cerro Tunari itself, from where you can gaze down
at Cochabamba and the valley and - on clear days - across to the shimmering peaks of the
Cordillera Real far to the west. Condors are also a frequent sight.
Quillacollo
About 15km west of Cochabamba, and all but engulfed by the city's urban sprawl, is the
bustling market town of QUILLACOLLO , the Cochabamba Valley's second-biggest settle-
ment. It's a lively commercial centre and transport hub famous for its Fiesta de la Virgen de
Urkupiña , staged annually in August. Outside fiesta time, however, there's little to see other
than the reputedly miraculous but rather ordinary-looking image of the Virgen de Urkupiña
herself, inside the modest Neoclassical Iglesia de San Idelfonsino a few blocks south of the
main plaza. The town is also well known for the spicy food and heady brews available in its
raucous chicherías (traditional restaurants serving chicha ).