Quilotoa Lake
A turquoise crater lake ringed by Andean highland trails.
- Crater rim viewpoint over the turquoise lake
- Stop in the indigenous market town of Zumbahua
- Optional descent to the lakeshore
- Panoramic Andean highland scenery
- 1Transport from origin to Quilotoa
- 2Indigenous community visit
- 3Quilotoa volcano
- 4Crater hike
- 5Lagoon tour
- 6Return
From Quito, we will take the North Pan-American highway towards a community where we can visit the home of an indigenous family and observe their customs and lifestyle alongside the animals they raise. Continuing our journey, we will make a stop at the Toachi Canyon, which is a large geological fault where we will observe the erosion caused by water over the years.
Subsequently, we will arrive at our destination, the edge of the crater of an ancient volcano called Quilotoa. Within the crater is a lagoon, which, depending on the weather, changes the shade of its color: light green, dark green or just green. We will hike for 30 minutes descending to the lagoon, where we can rent a motorboat or a two-person kayak for a 30-minute tour of the lagoon.
We will then ascend in approximately 1 hour of hiking, or if you wish, you can rent a horse and ride to the starting point in about 35 minutes. Upon arriving at the community, we will have lunch, and then return to Quito in approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.