Discovering Cochabamba

Departure around 08:00 from your hotel. It's a two-hour drive to the start of our hike. We first arrive in Quillacollo, then leave the main road to climb a track that will take us to the foot of Cerro Tunari, to the Macho lagoon at 4650m altitude. On the way up, we'll see a forest of kewiñas and, if we're lucky, we'll catch a glimpse of the majestic condor that inhabits this region. The route also passes through typical Andean villages. The higher we climb, the more the grass-covered mountains turn into rock formations, the summits of which are sometimes covered in snow. We'll leave the main road and drive up to the top of the valley, where we'll find crystal-clear mountain lakes and shepherds grazing their llamas and alpacas. At Lake Macho, we'll have a snack before starting our ascent. The ascent is a gentle climb up the east side of the mountain. Some sections are a little more exposed, but not very difficult. It will take you between 2 and 3 hours to reach the summit. There is a breathtaking 360° view of the Tunari mountain range and the Cochabamba valley. If the weather is fine, you can see as far as the Cordillera de Quimsa Cruz. After a well-earned break, we'll head down the north side to Laguna Macho and our vehicle for Cochabamba.

Simon Iturri Patiño, born on 1ᵉʳ June 1860 in the department of Cochabamba in Bolivia and died on 20 April 1947 in Buenos Aires, was a tin mining pioneer and multi-billionaire nicknamed "the Rockefeller of the Andes". Simón I. Patiño was of mixed race, small in stature and the son of a tinsmith. After studying business, Simón Patiño went to Oruro, Bolivia's silver mining centre. Realising that silver deposits were running out and that the industry needed more, he decided to try his hand at tin mining. He spent several years searching for tin seams alone with his wife in the Bolivian mountains. In 1900, he finally discovered a huge tin deposit, called "La Salvadora", which was to become the country's largest mine. He exploited it using the most modern methods and the best engineers in the world. Success was in the air. Patiño took over other mines, marketed the ore, set up smelters, founded a bank and invested in Malaysia and Canada. By the end of the 1930s, Patiño was processing more than 60% of the world's tin in his smelters. He had promised his wife that the day he made his fortune, he would build her a palace. At the beginning of the 20th century, he bought several plots of land in the Pairumani region, on the outskirts of Cochabamba. He then built a palace named after his wife, Villa Albina. The palace features a central patio in the Mediterranean style that was very fashionable in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The surrounding gardens are spacious and splendid, featuring both native and introduced species. You can also visit the Patiño family's main palace, in the centre of Cochabamba.

Bodega Marquez de la Viña is the oldest in Cochabamba. Three generations have carried on the family's 60-year-old ancestral tradition. They see themselves as a boutique bodega, producing high-quality wines and spirits in small quantities. They use oak barrels from France to produce high quality wines. The grapes come from Cochabamba, Camargo, Luribay and Tarija. During the visit, you will learn about the history of this family and follow the stages in the wine-making process, culminating in a pleasant tasting. The ageing wines are kept in barrels purchased in France, offering the highest quality.