City: Cotopaxi Province
Top Things to do in Cotopaxi Province
9 Budget-friendly 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
5.0 based on 1,194 reviews
Reviewed By nowshiva - Lismore, Australia
We hired a car, from Quito. Much better than dealing with buses etc. The roads are really good. Signs are non-existent - have your maps on your phone to guide you. Also, a tip, download a map from Maps.me for offline use, of Quilotoa. Ok, so you arrive in the town, park, and then you have some choices. You can wander around a little, you can go down to the water - hire a kayak, or just hang out. Its a steep walk back up that hill, but I believe you may be able to hire a donkey to take you back up. We chose to hike around the crater. 11km. Its almost 4,000m, so be aware thats its really hard work. Worth carrying a cannister of oxygen, which you can buy in Quito for $30. The winds are REALLY strong. So you need something to cover your ears. Hiking we warmed up, but you need clothes at the ready. It took us 6 hours, with some breaks and lunch. Bring your food and water - nothing on the route. We took the advice and went counter clockwise. There some hills to climb - a lot, and one is up and up. The path is dusty, scrabble. Very narrow in places (like, 1m), with steep cliffs falling steeply away on either side. Not for the faint hearted! It was a fantastic experience. But extremely tiring - its like walking twice the distance at sea level. Worth doing, but be prepared for an intense time. The wind was very strong, the whole day. There are some choices - at times, you can go exactly up the ride. Other times, you can go around the sides of the hills, either on the outside or inside. We started at 10am. You wouldnt want to start much later than that, if you are going to do the whole loop. We met one guy who does it regularly, who claims he can do it in 4 hours, but thats serious power walking, and knowing what you are doing. The alternative is that you might walk for say 2 hours, and then retrace your steps. I am quite fit, but by the end, I felt a little dizzy. Very satsifying though.
2. Cotopaxi Volcano
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 369 reviews
Reviewed By ArmyRangeratMIT - Wayne, United States
It’s not often most people have a chance to get to 15,000 feet without climbing equipment, but at this awesome Park site, you can have a vehicle bring you to the base at 12,000 and start walking from there… What an ethereal experience as you feel “drunk in a snowstorm” climbing ever higher. Our awesome guide Jose packed hot chocolate and cups for a treat!
3. Mirador Shalala
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 112 reviews
Reviewed By ABM817 - Panama City, Panama
Beautiful place overlooking the Quilotoa Lake. Its a 10 min hike to the "mirador"; which is a beautiful wooden platform. From there you can hike down to the lake.
4. Cotopaxi National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 631 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 dslatts - Hinsdale, United States
We visited Quito for a few days prior to heading to Galapagos. One day Trip was to Cotopaxi National Park to hike up to the Refugio and glacier. We organized the trip with Lincoln Guaman from other Trip Advisor reviews. Lincoln did an outstanding job organizing the day hike for six of us. He helped us adjust to the altitude and climb higher than we imagined. It was a wonderful way to see the countryside around Quito along with seeing the wild horses who live at the base of the volcano.. Cotopaxi is magnificent. We wished we had more time to do more trips with Lincoln. Highly recommend using his services. He can be contacted at [email protected].
5. Laguna de Limpiopungo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 164 reviews
Reviewed By Nicoleta7 - Quito, Ecuador
I love this place...i am going there 6 or more times in the year...if you like to walk this is perfect...all the round of the Laguna is more and less 4 km and the vegetation is wounderful and you can see rabits too...is a quiet place and you can take a very nice pictures of the Cotopaxi Volcano
6. Canon del Rio Toachi
7. Tierra Zero Tours
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 68 reviews
Tierra ero Topurs offer in Ecuador Tours to the Galapagos IslandsClimbing and Trekking in Ecuador Mountains, Cotopaxi Volcano, Chimborazo Expeditions, Cayambe Volcano, Ilinizas Rocks, Cuyabeno Jungle Ecuador Trips and more.
8. Mercado Indigena
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 32 reviews
Reviewed By PeteLee2013 - Valparaiso, Chile
There is nothing 'artisanal' about this place; it is a working market that swells the town of Saquisilí on Thursdays. I'm not sure why there is the half-hearted 'indigenous market' angle; country folk of all stripes (indeed including highly indigenous people) are about. You don't need to take much money with you; keep most of it in a security belt. About $25 a head ought to be fine. If you're a bit of a clown or mobility- impaired, you can pay someone a lot to drive you, but for the others, the best way to get there from Quito is to take city buses to the southern Quitumbe terminal (took 50 minutes to get there from La Floresta starting just before 7am), and a bus - some of the buses will farm Saquisilí passengers off to another bus at a turnoff from the highway, others will go straight there. The bus cost a less than $2.50. The livestock market requires a short pick up truck taxi (get a legal one with a green registration number on the door) - they charged $2.50 for our group, but locals deservingly get a better deal. The livestock is quite interesting if you are an animal lover (but not a vegetarian activist!); hairy donkeys, llamas and other camelids, a variety of pigs, sheep, goats, cattle. Back in town, the best lunch is cuy asado (charcoal-grilled guinea pig) at one of the small restaurants at the side of the various plazas serving as market squares; inside the plazas, there's a spirit of gouging the overenthusiastic tourist. The cheesy pikelets are also illuminating. Yes, there are pickpockets, but try not to take much in the way of bags, or phones, or wallets. The point is to experience a fantastic market, not to buy up on tat, although there are modest amounts of that available; it isn't really a dedicated tourist trap. Can't recommend this place highly enough.
9. La Catedral
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