
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.


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.

