Quilotoa Day Trip

from Quito

Pick up at several hotels located in the 3 main areas of the city of Quito:
La Carolina Park, Plaza Foch, Plaza Grande
Pickups between 07h00 a 08h00 am
End of the tour between 7pm approximately, depending on the traffic on the roads.

Full Day Trip to Quilotoa

Pickups

We will make the pick-ups at several hotels located in the 3 main areas of Quito:
La Carolina Park, Plaza Foch, Plaza Grande
Pickups between 07h00 a 08h00 am
If you want to be picked up from another point further away, we can do it with an additional payment, you have to write to us, and we will coordinate your boarding.
Pick-ups are always reconfirmed until the night before the tour departure, if one day before the departure of the tour if you have not received the confirmation, you can write to WhatsApp 0983359-796.

Machachi town stop

We begin our journey south along the Pan-American highway, we will make the first stop in Machachi where you can enjoy a delicious breakfast (Breakfast not included), there are several options that you can buy, as well as snacks and drinks for the road, since lunch it will be late in the afternoon.
At this stop you can also use the bathrooms and the ATM. It is preferable to carry cash to make the payment in restaurants and craft shops since most do not accept payment by credit card.

Visit a traditional house in the Andes

We will make the first stop in a traditional house located in the middle of the moorland, here you will be able to learn about the construction materials used in the area, you will also learn about the breeding of guinea pigs and you will meet a local family that is dedicated to agriculture and raising animals.
The young people of the family are dedicated to the sale of some handicrafts, if you wish you can buy their products to support them and be part of their growth.

Quilotoa Lagoon

The access to the lagoon is managed by the community and the system of protected areas, so we will register and then we will go to the viewpoint of the lagoon, from here you will be able to enjoy one of the best landscapes in our country.
At this point you can decide if you want to take the walk to the lagoon or if you want to walk in the small town.
If you want to walk you will take the path that is approximately 2 kilometers away. Going down to the lagoon is not that complicated, however, if you are not in good physical condition, going up again can be somewhat difficult. In that case, there is the possibility of renting a mule (transportation on mule not included), and you can do it both to go up and down. Do not forget that if you are going to make the walk to the lagoon you must wear appropriate footwear, that is, you must wear trekking shoes, so you will avoid slipping.
Another activity that you can do is take a boat ride or kayak in the lagoon, when you arrive you can rent the equipment to take advantage of your visit to the lagoon. (boat and kayak not included)
After the activities, the ascent to the viewpoint is made.

Stop for lunch

Finally we will make a stop for lunch in a restaurant in the area, with various options from tourist menus to typical dishes, we recommend you try the delicious potato soup called locro for the cold. (Lunch not included)

Naif art workshop in Tigua

Then we will visit the Tigua community, cradle of Naif art artists. In the gallery we can see the different handicrafs made by hand. The paintings are hand painted on llama and sheep leather.
Tigua artists are famous for portraying their environment, they make pictures of everyday life, their pictures are colorful and many of them do not maintain proportions, all this makes this type of art very unique in this sector.
Note: The order of the visits may vary according to weather conditions.
Return to Quito for disembarkation in the same boarding places.

Return to Quito

Return to Quito for disembarkation in the same boarding places.
Note: The order of the visits may vary according to weather conditions.

It includes

Touristic transportation
Pickups and drop off from hotel in Quito in the 3 main areas
Bilingual guide (english and Spanish)
Visit a local house and meet a local family
Visit Art Gallery in Tigua
Entrance to Quilotoa lookout
Trek to the lagoon

Not included

Food
Tips
Others

Recommendations

Wear warm clothing (preferably in layers), walking shoes, glasses, water, cap, gloves, scarf.
Bring a copy or photo of your passport.

Recent travelers reviews

Laura N

2023-11-22

Lo pasamos genial! Tuvimos mucha suerte de tener a Mauro y Mauricio como nuestros guías!!! Lo pasamos realmente bien y tuvimos tiempo suficiente para subir al refugio de Cotopaxi y también se aseguraron de que fuéramos juntos!!! Había muy buena vibe! Nos gustó también mucho el sitio donde comimos y poder darle de comer a las Alpacas 🙂 muy recomendado!!!!

Christina

2023-09-26

i would strongly recommend this day tour! our guide was amazing!! i learned so much the entire day. i would strongly recommend this day tour!!

Edgar P

2023-09-20

Un viaje muy especial al Cotopaxi El tour fue muy completo e interesante, la ruta hacia el cotopaxi ofrece muchas vistas espectaculares y se consiguen excelentes fotos. La subida al cotopaxi es algo pesada pero nuestra guía Dany nos dió tips para que no fuera tan difícil y todo el tiempo nos esperaba si nos quedabamos atras, también nos contó mucha información sobre el Cotopaxi y los demás volcanes, además nos contó varias leyendas muy interesantes. Un tour muy recomendado sobre todo con Dany.

Sally M

2023-08-26

Beautiful day Enjoyable day. Tour guide arrived in time to pick us up and made sure we had everything we needed during the day. The walk into the crater was beautiful but if you're older, you'll need to take your time and watch your footing. Hiking sticks helped. Unless you are in peak condition, be sure to reserve a horse for the ride up. Even the 20 something's were breathing hard and resting a lot. I would definitely recommend this tour. Great company and very organized.

Elainn

2023-08-18

Una aventura El tour estuvo muy bien, con tiempo para adaptarse a la altura y demás. Lamentablemente el clima no ayudó ya que había mucho viento. Eso hizo que la subida al refugio fuera un poco más complicada. Igual, este hecho acrecentó el sentido de aventura (aunque no obtuve las mejores fotos del volcán). Al descenso nos encontramos con dos zorros. A la hora del almuerzo fuimos a un sitio donde uno podía alimentar a las llamas y a los patos. Muy completo todo.

Elainn

2023-08-18

Un día perfecto Originalmente había contratado dos tours con la empresa, pero lo pasé tan bien que agregué uno nuevo. El tour a Quilotoa estuvo genial. Muy completo y bien organizado. Muy buena comunicación previa a la salida. Además me olvidé los lentes de sol en la combi y al otro día me los llevaron a la recepción del hostal. Jess, la guía, fue fantástica. ¡Gracias Mauricio también (él encontró mis lentes)! Hermosos paisajes y tuve la oportunidad de subir a una mula para ahorrarme la subida empinada de Quilotoa.

Lindy

2023-08-11

Fun day on Cotopaxi! My family of 4 (youngest child 11) really enjoyed this tour. Josue was very enthusiastic and kind. The hike was definitely challenging due to altitude and cold wind, but the hot chocolate at the top was delicious and worth the hike. Lunch on the way home was also very good. Overall a great day.

QQQ99999

2023-08-06

Great Tour to Cotopaxi National Park - Irene was a fantastic tour guide! We recently took a tour to Cotopaxi from Quito (booked thru Viator) offered by the Quito Tour Bus company with extended family (party of nine so we had the van to ourselves). Irene was a fantastic guide for our tour. She kept the entire trip both fun and educational! We made a stop inside Cotopaxi National Park that allowed us to pick up the necessary outerwear to make the hike to Refugio José Rivas (our luggage hadn't arrived with us in Quito so we didn't have appropriate clothing for the hike). Once we got to the trailhead, not all of us wanted to hike to the Cotopaxi base camp (Refugio José Rivas) using the same trail and she did a great job of keeping an eye on both groups as we ascended (Pro Tip: Ascend using the switchback trail and descend using the more direct but steeper and looser trail just below the hut). We made a stop at the lagoon on the way out and then stopped for lunch (there were a number of options that we could try on the menu) and some of us tried eating guinea pig while others settled for chicken plates, etc. Great time! So glad we did the tour.

Elysa D

2023-08-06

Exhilarating Hike to Cotopaxi Base Camp We had a beautiful day at Cotopaxi National Park, so that we were very fortunate in that. The views of Cotopaxi were stunning as we got closer. The hike to the Base Camp was challenging because of the high altitude. We began at the parking lot at 14,700' and reached the Refugio Jose Rivas at 15,953' to be exact. We are in our 60s and fit hikers and we were well acclimatized having been in Ecuador for 3 weeks before this tour. There were people who had just arrived in Ecuador who did not do well with the altitude and had to descend, so know yourself and be wise about the elevation. We wore hiking boots and used our poles, which helped a lot because much of the soil is soft and unstable. Otherwise, it was a short but exhilarating hike to the Camp - it took us 30 minutes. Others took longer and, as I said, some turned back. The weather was fabulous on our ascent but turned for the worse while we were at the Camp. The clouds came in and our descent was foggy and drizzly with little visibility. After the hike, we toured the museum and walked the lake and had a nice lunch. It was a great day and our guide, Josue, was fabulous and took great care of everyone.

Bhushan S

2023-07-29

Amazing tour Cotapaxi is amazing and a must visit - one of the most beautiful volcanos/mountains you could see let alone climb. The guide, tour company and group were just fabulous. Such personalized attention to detail and I cannot complement them enough. Thanks to my guide Jessica and our driver Freddy