City: Cotopaxi Province
Top Things to do in Cotopaxi Province
10 Things to Do in Cotopaxi Province That You Shouldn't Miss
Cotopaxi (Spanish pronunciation: [kotoˈpaksi]) is one of the provinces of Ecuador. The capital is Latacunga. The province contains the Cotopaxi Volcano, an intermittent volcano with a height of 19,388 feet.
Restaurants in Cotopaxi Province
1. Laguna Quilotoa
Overall Ratings
5 based on 565 reviews
Reviewed By LivingTheQLife - Colorado Springs, Colorado
Volcanoes are a common sight when you visit Ecuador and we decided to visit several of them during our visit. Although many of them are still active, Quilotoa hasn’t erupted for several hundred years. One if its last eruptions was violent enough to create the enormous crater or Caldera that has since filled with water that is 800 feet deep. You can either hike around the rim of the crater or hike down the steep trail that takes you down to the lake. We ended up doing a bit of both, but we didn’t go all of the way down to the lake itself. If you want to, there are kayaks for rent if you want to go out on the sulfur laden water, but that didn’t sound too appealing to us.
The trail down to the lake is actually deep sand and not an easy hike going down and even harder going back up. There are mules available for $10 per person if you don’t want to make the difficult hike back up the side of volcano. The spectacular views more than made up for our exhaustion when we made it back to the top. Fortunately there are a couple of restaurants on the rim, so we were able to stop and have lunch before deciding to hike partially around the rim. Going around the entire rim would have taken us about three hours, so we only made it about a third of the way before turning around and heading back.
Visiting Quilotoa is only about an hour and a half drive from Quito and we would definitely recommend going there to anyone who travels to Ecuador. This was the first of three volcanoes that we hiked on or around during our time in Ecuador, but it was also one of the most memorable. The colors of the water and the sheer size of the Caldera are quite impressive to see. We were fortunate to have beautiful weather, although hiking the trail can be very dusty when it isn’t raining.
2. Laguna Quilotoa
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 440 reviews
Reviewed By Tigerman777
I've had the great privilege of hiking many places around the world, including active volcanoes, and this hike is very high on my list!!! It's very unique to see different colors in the water of a small lake (3km/2mile wide) in a large Caldera. You can see turquoise, Emerald green and even yellow and green about the color of your lawn along the edges of the lake. It all depends on light refraction though. No sun may mean not a lot of color, but I was fortunate enough to see sunlight at times, causing intense color. There are great views from the rim, but it's great fun to hike down to the lake. Be aware this is a steep hike downward, meaning it could be hard on the knees. It is in loose terrain, lots of sand, meaning risk of falling on your backside. If you want to take a horse or mule (quite funny to see a muchacho (young man) trying to coax his mule down. I had to start yelling at it and clapping my hands loudly to get it moving) you can. Just please be aware that some have gotten thrown off. When I was there, a woman was thrown off, which messed up her shoulder. I saw another horse get spooked and the owner in at least her sixties ran after it to get it under control. Please be respectful of these animals, they're worked hard (in my opinion very overworked), which can make them act unpredictably. Don't do anything to spook them like yell or stop directly in front of them or anything else for that matter. Make sure to step aside when you see them coming. The views along the trail to the lake are great. My favorites are at the rim because the elevation helps you to see the whole lake, which is great for those who don't feel like they're in good enough condition to go down and hike back up. My second favorite is the area near the bottom at a lookout to the right, which gives great up close color if the sun is shining, with bright blue sky in the background. You can see where to camp in that area as well. There is no potable water and a pit toilet is the best you'll get. I wish I could've stayed overnight there. The hike back to the rim is not easy. It's about 200m/918ft vertical. It's quite steep, again it's on sand, which took me a little over an hour. I'm in good condition though. If you're a bit older, like myself (49), and in good condition, you can do it no problem. I was first back up from my group(with exception of the guide, who's ran in races on this trail). Just make sure to acclimatize as I did. I stayed in Quito for four days(hiking the Mindo Cloud Forest in that time), which is at 9,350 feet above sea level. It was a great workout to prepare me two days before climbing Cotopaxi volcano, another hike I highly recommend. Make sure to bring water and a few snacks to give you energy and keep you hydrated, which is, as most are aware, essential to prevent problems with elevation. One place I highly recommend if you can go on Sunday is to visit the Pujili Market, in Pujili, about 1 1/2 hours from the crater. I simply fell in love with this market❤️. There are virtually no tourists there and you get to see what Ecuatorianos really live like. Although I've been to markets all over Latin America, there's something special about this place.
In conclusion, you MUST visit the wonderful Laguna Quilotoa. It's very worthwhile.
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Simplemente la Laguna Quilotoa es asombroso. La vista de la laguna arriba es lo mejor porque puedes ver todo de los colores brillantes( como turquesa, esmeralda, amarillo e verde parecido al color de su césped) cuando hay mucho sol e es posible a ver todo de la laguna a la vez. Los colores dependen en la refracción de la luz. No es posible a ver todo al fondo de la laguna, pero puedes sentir que profundo es el cráter. Es posible acampar al fondo, pero no es agua para beber. Es disponible solamente un retrete sin agua. Sería un privilegio acampar alli. Cuidado: si quieres que caminarte hasta al fondo, es mucho arena, cual es muy resbaloso. Para subir es muy duro si no eres bien condicionado, pero es posible para hacerlo con tiempo e cuidado. Si eres bien condicionado, aun si tienes poco edad avanzada como yo (tengo 49 años), no será un problema. Yo subí en poco mas que un hora. Sí quieres que usar un caballo o burro, cuidete porque hay incidentes cuando personas tienen problemas. Ha sido veces cuando los caballos echaron personas de su espalda, e causaron mucho daño a las personas. Una persona rotó su hombro a causa de eso cuando yo subí. Esta información no es asustarte, pero para su seguridad.
En conclusión, disfruta mucho la Laguna Quilotoa, sin importar si tienes muchos años o eres un chico o joven porque este Luger es bellísimo. Es una gema de Ecuador.
Muchas grácias para leer este informaciòn. Si piense usted que esta repaso usted ayudó, apreciaría si tocaría el abajo. Muchas grácias.
3. Cotopaxi Volcano
Overall Ratings
5 based on 277 reviews
Reviewed By James A - Mc Donald, Tennessee
OMG! Altitude! Altitude! Altitude! I’ll admit I’m not the most physically fit person. I wasn’t mentally prepared for what my body felt when trying to walk around once we arrived at the final parking lot to begin our climb. I rented a 15 passenger van in Quito and brought along 11 family members (ages 5-75) for the day. After just a few minutes I knew I wouldn’t attempt the climb, 5 others in the group didn’t try either. The rest of our group tried but didn’t make it to the refuge. Conditions that day not perfect but typical for Cotopaxi; 30-35 degrees, 20-40 mph winds, sleeting. If you go, go arrive very early and give yourself plenty of time.
4. Cotopaxi National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 506 reviews
Named for the highest active volcano in the world (5,897 meters), this national park is dedicated to protecting llama and other animals such as bears, wolves, puma and deer.
Reviewed By lisanicely - Los Angeles, California
We booked a tour via aviator with Rebecca Tours. Angel picked us up from the hotel in Quito, he was incredibly knowledgeable about the city, statistics, points on interest and general country facts. It was awesome to interact with a local with such passion for his country. The tour took us to the lodge in Tambopaxi then a 3 hour horse ride with incredible views of the volcano.
5. Mirador Shalala
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 85 reviews
Reviewed By Indiana_Jonesse - San Francisco, California
It is about 7 kms around the lake perimeter for hiking guide. It can get very windy and there are many narrow trails. But you are rewarded of the spectacular view and the wildflowers, tons of lupine, paintbrush, yellow slippers and local species. The lake is full of sulphur and has no life. The drop to the lake is 1300. You can go down and rent a mule up. We tackled this in two days starting on the east side to the viewpoint. Then the next day, we took the trail to Chugchilan on the west side of the trailhead. The sign says 10.24 Kms. Do not be fooled. It was actually 11.48 miles accdg to our GPS. Perhaps they do not take into account the up and down climbs into the canyon. It is not for the fainthearted hike.
6. Laguna de Limpiopungo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 120 reviews
Reviewed By Hammrah - Utrecht, The Netherlands
A stop over place on your way towards or from the Cotopaxi walk, but also suitable for a longer walk. Unfortunately during my visit rained a lot and the laguna was a bit grayisch place with 4 wild ducks and 1 Andean seagull. In good weather it provides spectacular mirror images of Cotopaxi..so always worth of a stop...
7. La Catedral
Overall Ratings
4 based on 30 reviews
Reviewed By Mike_Sump - Dallas, Texas
There's not that much to do in Latacunga if you aren't scaling the volcano. They light up all 7 main churches as night and maps are available to route you to all of them. This is a good way to get the lay of the land around town.
8. Canon del Rio Toachi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14 reviews
Reviewed By Luis Jose T - Quito, Ecuador
Canyon of Toachi river is a long area because start in the Zumbahua area and finished close to the tropical area, when I make the hike from Chugchilan to Isinlivi I have chance to walk in the border of Toachi river and on the bottom of Toachi Canyon there are a lot of information above hikes in this area but I recommend to use a guide because you have chance to enjoy and know more
9. Siete Cascadas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By Ben P - Guayaquil, Ecuador
One of the most unique experiences of Ecuador is the Andean foothills. This is where the climate differences of the Highlands and the Coast, converge to produce lush Forests with many cascadas (Spanish for waterfalls). 7 Cascadas is a perfect example of this geographical treasure; a mixture of warm moist air from the Coast and cooler air from above produces a comfortable temperature to climb and hike either via a trail on a hill running along the gorge, or up the 7 varying sized Waterfalls. The amenities are primitive so you should be prepared for any type of situation, though you may be able to find one or two local places serving traditional fare, there is a small fee to enter the area. You may need to find a guide if you are not familiar with the Ecuadorian Coast area, the closest major town is Narajal which is about an 1 hour 1/2 from Guayaquil. The path up the Waterfalls is not for the casual tourists, as you may need to use ropes or ladders to scale the different formations until you reach the top. Excellent hands on nature experience for those with an adventurous itch, can be accomplished in half a day.
10. Sendero al Fondo del Crater
Overall Ratings
4 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By JonnyC000 - Bristol, United Kingdom
We booked with El Nieges tours because we hadn’t been to this kind of altitude before and we were a bit apprehensive. In fact, though it was definitely a slow tough trek up from the lake, we needn’t have worried. Neiges were professional enough but it was pretty clear it was a boring day for the guide. He was much more interested in climbing Cotopaxi. He was a safe driver and answered all questions but not the most enthusiastic guide we’ve had in SA.
Would definately recommend kayaking on the lake, it felt very otherworldly. Would like to have gone around thr rim as well as the views from the top were spectacular. One of our highlights of Ecuador.
