Cochabamba lies in a broad, warm valley at around 2,550 metres, and the climate is what the locals brag about first: dry, sunny, and mild for most of the year, which earned it the name City of Eternal Spring. It is Bolivia's food capital, a city of nearly a million people if you count the whole urban area, spreading across the valley floor with the Tunari range rising behind it.
The Cristo de la Concordia is the landmark you will see from everywhere, a statue of Christ on a hilltop above the city that is taller than the more famous one in Rio, and you can drive or climb to it for a view over the whole valley. The city also has a stubborn political history. In 2000, residents rose against the privatisation of the water supply in what became known as the Cochabamba Water War, an event that echoed far beyond Bolivia. People here are proud of their independence.
Food is the reason to linger. Try silpancho, a thin breaded steak on rice and potatoes with an egg on top, or chicharrón, fried pork with hominy, and wash it down with chicha, the maize beer of the valley, for which the region is famous. La Cancha, the enormous open-air market on the south side of town, sells almost everything under the sun and is a sensory experience in its own right, though keep your belongings close.
For riders, Cochabamba is a launch pad. Heading west toward Oruro, the road climbs to the high plateau; heading east, toward Santa Cruz, it dives into the Chapare lowlands; and south it runs into valleys with excellent riding toward Torotoro. Traffic in the city itself is dense and sometimes chaotic, with minibuses stopping anywhere, so the best approach is to enter early and leave early. Tiquipaya and Sacaba, the neighbouring towns, are bigger than most places you will have crossed in days.
There is no problem with fuel, repairs, accommodation or anything else, since Cochabamba has everything a major city offers, and it is the best place for service before the rural roads. After weeks at altitude, the valley's thicker air is a welcome change for both rider and engine.