Quillacollo and Inca Rakay

Cochabamba Department · Culture and history

The Inca Rakay ruins look down over the valley from a rocky spur. You walk up from Sipe Sipe and the view more than repays the effort. On the way back, Quillacollo is the town of the Virgen de Urkupiña, whose August festival draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and dancers.

2,900 maltitude

1 dayto spend there

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Things to do

Walk up to the Inca Rakay ruins (2 hours)
Quillacollo and the Virgen de Urkupiña sanctuary (big festival in mid-August)
Pools and chicherías in Sipe Sipe

What to eat

ChichaFermented corn beer, slightly sour, served in gourds (tutumas). Look for chicherías marked with a white flag.
ChicharrónPork cooked slowly in its own fat until golden, served with mote (big corn kernels) and chuño. A Sunday dish.
SilpanchoA thin breaded beef cutlet on rice and potatoes, topped with a fried egg and a tomato and onion salad. THE Cochabamba dish.

Tip. Half-day or day trip from Cochabamba.

Also here

Festivals Virgin of UrkupiñaHundreds of thousands of pilgrims and dancers in Quillacollo. On the last day, people climb to the calvary to break off stones, a symbol of prosperity.