Excursion: Quilotoa-Loop (short version)

This blog post tells you about a two day trip to the quilotoa lagune. I am aware that there are more hikes and things to see in this region, but I wanted to keep it simple for people who don’t have much time or only want to do the essential. Those who do a longer trek anyways need to inform themselves better than just reading a blog.

On the first day you take a bus from Latacunga to Chugchilan. Buses leave at 11:30, 11:45, 13:00 and 15:15. It is advisable to take an early bus, as the ride takes up to 4 hours and you want to go to bed early, as you need to get up early.

I recommend the Hostal Cloud Forest in Chugchillan. They prepared a vegan dinner for me and also a vegan breakfast box. Those two meals are included. The atmosphere is like in a big cottage in the alps. There are fire places to keep the rooms warm and it’s a great place to meat other travelers and make friends, so you don’t need to hike alone.

Dinner at Cloud Forest.
Dinner at Cloud Forest.

On day two you have two options. You either take the 5 am bus or the 6 am bus to Quilotoa. You can also go at some other time with the milk truck. But seeing the sunrise over the lagoon is a special experience. Therefore I would recommend to take the 5 am bus.

When you arrive at Quilotoa you can walk all around it (it’s advisable to do it counter clockwise) or only do a part and walk back. The whole circle takes about 5.5 hours. With a very hard wind and some breaks it took me about 7 hours (also because we got lost, which cost us at least an hour).

The path is not always clearly visible and therefore one can get lost quickly. Also there are a lot of paths made by locals or sheep and at several points the situation can be quite irritating.

Buses from Quilotoa to Latacunga run at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00. Another possibility is to take a taxi to Zumbahua (1-2$) and take a bus there (every 20-30 mins until 9pm). Hostal Cloud Forest provides maps and information.

Cotopaxi

A short tour to the Cotopaxi from Latacunga costs 40$ and includes a visit to the Museum, the Limpiopungo lake and a small hike to the first refuge on 4800m. Lunch is included (check for vegan food or bring your own). For another 10$ you can descend on a bike.

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