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Cotoca pilgrimage 2026 (7–8 December): where to stay

The feast of the Virgin of Cotoca, patron of Santa Cruz and eastern Bolivia, is held every 8 December with masses at the Cathedral of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and at the Cotoca shrine, according to the city's Culture and Tourism Department. The romería, the walk from the city to Cotoca, takes place on 7 and 15 December. In 2026 that means Monday 7, Tuesday 8 and Tuesday 15. If you are coming from another city or province to walk, this guide helps you choose your nights and sort out what still needs confirming.

White and yellow façade of the Cotoca shrine, with its clock tower and arched galleries, under a clear sky.
Shrine of the Virgin of Cotoca, 20 August 2010. Photo: Wilmer (Willaq). Archive image; it does not show the 2026 feast.Wilmer (Willaq) · CC BY-SA 4.0

2026 dates and what is still unconfirmed

The fixed dates come from the tradition: the feast on 8 December and the walk on the 7th and the 15th. As of 9 November 2026 we had not found this year's official programme (novena, mass times, road closures) published. The Archdiocese of Santa Cruz usually presents it a few weeks ahead: check it before you finalise your trip.

As a reference, not as the 2026 schedule: in 2025 the Cotoca parish priest announced, according to El Deber, the closure of the road from the fourth ring road at 17:00 on 7 December, a first mass at 19:00, another at 22:00 and then masses every two hours, and the solemn mass on the 8th at 10:00 followed by a procession. The 2025 novena began on 29 November, according to the Archdiocese.

Which nights to book

If you walk on Monday night the 7th, you will hardly use the bed that night, but it is the booking that gives you somewhere to leave your things and come back to on Tuesday morning the 8th. Check the departure time on that booking: if you return from Cotoca mid-morning and want to sleep, add Tuesday night the 8th rather than counting on a late checkout.

Arriving on Sunday 6 leaves you a day to rest before a long walk. If instead you only want to attend the mass on the 8th or the walk on the 15th, plan your nights around that date. If you need a different check-in or check-out time, ask before booking; we do not treat it as guaranteed.

Where to stay

No 518 space is in Cotoca: the shrine is about 19 km east, in a straight line, of our Calle Quijarro studios, based on map coordinates. Those studios are about 800 m from the Cathedral, which the Culture Department mentions as a venue for masses on 8 December. For the walk, in 2025 pilgrims set off from the fourth ring road: decide in advance how you will reach that point and how you will get back from Cotoca.

If you are travelling as a family or group

Most of our studios take 2 guests. If there are 3 of you, Chill Studio Equipetrol takes up to 3 according to its listing and lists a kitchen and air conditioning, useful if you stay several days. It is in Equipetrol, farther west, about 21 km in a straight line from the shrine. Before travelling, check the Archdiocese's 2026 programme and confirm availability, the total for your stay and your arrival time with us.

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