ONE DAY TRIP
Trekking to Cotopaxi National Park & Laguna Limpiopungo

A few minutes after leaving Quito at 6:00 am, we make a short stop on the mountainside to take in a bird's-eye view of Quito. We then take the Panamericana highway south along the famous AVENIDA DE LOS VOLCANES (Avenue of the Volcanoes). This route, which travels through the mountain ranges of the Ecuadorian sierra, offers the opportunity to see beautiful rural landscapes, including corn, bean and potato farms, which produce the staples of the local diet.

Available of Sundays Only: A 40-minute drive brings us to the agricultural centre of MACHACHI (2900 m), where we stop to make a short visit to the town's Indian food market, bursting with fresh produce from the surrounding region.

We then continue eastbound along a countryside road where we begin our ascent by car into the Cotopaxi National Park (3800 m). With the change in altitude, we can observe the transition to a colder climate, smaller highland vegetation, and different wildlife: wild horses, white-tailed deer and Andean foxes.

Also, as the last major eruption of VOLCAN COTOPAXI took place in 1877, we can follow the lava tunnels and debris along the side of the volcano and throughout the park, which results in a lunar landscape.

We continue our journey to an altitude of 4500 m, where we will leave the vehicle and proceed on foot to climb the awe-inspiring snow-capped Cotopaxi (5897 m), one of the world's highest volcanoes. It is a 45 minute walk to the Refuge (4800 m) and a further 15 minutes to reach the glacier, for stunning views of the Park.

After our descent from the refuge and the glacier, our hike continues through the paramo highland vegetation towards LAGUNA LIMPIOPUNGO, a small picturesque lake, where we will stop for a picnic lunch. There is an optional 30 minute walk around the lake, which is a good place to spot some of the Park's abundant birdlife.

We arrive back in Quito at about 5:00 pm. Download Tours