Cotopaxi National Park is a protected area of Ecuador that is located in the province of Cotopaxi. The park is home to the famous Cotopaxi active volcano which is an elevation of 5,897 meters above sea level. It is the second highest volcano in the country and one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. For these reasons, Cotopaxi is one of the favorite destinations for tourists when visiting Ecuador. If you have plans to go to Cotopaxi from Quito, and still do not know how to get there, in this note we will give you directions so you can get to this amazing destination of Ecuador.
Cover photo by: Elijah Lovkoff – skylark
By bus
To get to Cotopaxi National Park, you have to go to Quitumbe Bus Station (Terminal Terrestre de Quitumbe) which is located in the south of the city of Quito. Once there you can take any of the buses that leave for the province of Cotopaxi (Latacunga) or the province of Tungurahua (Ambato), since these will necessarily leave you on the way to Cotopaxi National Park. Once there, you can hitchhike or walk to the entrance of Cotopaxi National Park. The walk can take around 01H20 to 01H30. It depends on your physical conditions.
By car
Cotopaxi National Park is located at 33 km from the city of Latacunga, and 50 km away from Quito. The park is connected to Quito and Latacunga through Pan American Highway. If you depart from the city of Quito, you must reach kilometer 42 and take the detour to enter the park. From the detour, it will take you 15 minutes to get to Caspi Control Income. The area has parking lots.
Another option to get to the park is to take the Pan American Highway and enter the city of Machachi to Güitig’s town. From there, you should go to Pedregal and in 20 minutes from that point you will find the guard house of Cotopaxi National Park.
Cotopaxi Tour from Best Trip Ecuador
Best Trip Ecuador offers Cotopaxi Tour. We will take you to know the famous Cotopaxi National Park. Once in the park, you will enjoy the landscape of the Andean moor, the volcanic soil, and the lagoon that emerges from the snowy mountains. In the park area, you can admire flora species and, with a bit of luck, animals such as: wolves, rabbits, bears, condors, and others that live in that territory.
We will take you to Mariscal Sucre Interpretation Center, known as the Park Museum, where you can familiarize yourself with all the information related to the National Park. This center is located within the Mariscal Sucre Station (or Control Caspi entrance).
Photo by: Tomás León – tvtommyec
After that we will walk to José Rivas Refuge located at 4,864 meters above sea level. This is the refuge that welcomes the mountaineers who are preparing to climb to the top of Cotopaxi Volcano. The refuge is located on the slopes of the volcano, and it is an hour and a half walking from the parking lot.
Later and back to the vehicle, we will take you to lunch in a ranch of the area where you can eat the daily menu or the vegetarian option. Finally, we will take you back to the city of Quito to disembark at the same boarding pick up points at approximately 7:00 p.m. Remember that in all our tours, you will always be accompanied by a Bilingual Guide (Spanish – English).
Photo by: Alejandro Miranda – alejomiranda
Regardless of the way you get to Cotopaxi be sure to visit this unforgettable destination of Ecuador that is recommended to visit especially between the months of July to December. We are sure that Cotopaxi Volcano and Andean Paramo will surprise you for its unique beauty.
