Cotopaxi & the Quilotoa Loop

As the Secret Garden Hostel in Quito offers a highly acclaimed 3-day & 2-night package at Cotopaxi, we took the chance and ventured into nature. The hostel is very secluded and the drive on unpaved roads, squeezed in an old jeep, made it difficult for us to enjoy the view. However, our destination in the middle of the plain is so beautiful and peaceful that the bumpy road is definitely worth it! The name Secret Garden fits perfectly here. Nestled in a small garden where you can watch hummingbirds in the flowers, we immediately feel at ease! You also have the opportunity to sleep in a Hobbit Home, but unfortunately they were fully booked. Our dormitory, however, more than deserves the title cozy! Wide beds with cuddly blankets and a fireplace that is heated shortly before bedtime!

Shortly after arrival, we had a short 2-hour tour to a waterfall that was supposed to acclimatize us to the physical activity at high altitudes. And yes... at the beginning, we were like huffing walruses! And while we were struggling, a lady in her seventies explained to us that she had decided to travel the world in her old age! Gossiping at about 3500 meters above sea level. She wasn't out of breath any more than we were. Impressive personalities are often encountered where you least expect them.

Just enjoying the overwhelming view of the volcano took up the rest of the afternoon. The hostel staff told us that we were incredibly lucky to have such a clear and unobstructed view of Cotopaxi! After that, it was all about relaxing in hammocks or in front of the fireplace.

The next morning, the longer hike began. We were lucky to be only a small group of 5 people. Beth (an Australian who would accompany us for a longer time), a Canadian couple in their late 50s, and us. Even though the trails were easy to pass and the ascent was not steep, the altitude was challenging! The best part was that, because of the Canadians, we had a valid excuse for many short breaks. After all, they were older, so they should take more breaks, right? After about 4 hours, we had lunch at the summit and enjoyed the famous banana bread, which you can eat as much as you want at the hostel (unfortunately, they ran out before I could have more). The dachshund Milo, who accompanied us on the way, was also very cute! This even made it easy for me to share snacks. The view at 4200m was impressive and the effort was definitely worth it. Plus, it's something to brag about climbing a peak at that altitude! On the descent, we saw wild horses that let us pass quite closely. Once we reached the bottom, it was all about eating banana bread, doing nothing, and relaxing. Selina went for a horse ride on the 3rd day and was very excited about it. Beth and I just enjoyed the landscape and the sun, and tried to spot hummingbirds. After lunch, we headed to Latacunga, our starting point for the Quilotoa Loop. To get there, we took public buses for the first time. This means: stand by the 'highway' and signal the buses that you want to get on. Wait until they slow down a bit passing by, shout 'Latacunga', and repeat this until one stops because it actually goes there and takes you along.

At the hostel in Latacunga, we inquired about the Quilotoa Loop. A three-day hike that ends at a crater lake. In the evening, we met a second Australian, Lyndal, who spontaneously joined us. We stored our large backpacks, bought snacks for three days, and packed our small daypacks. So the four of us started hiking on Sunday morning. We had instructions, black and white pictures, and the statement: 'You can't get lost because there are markings everywhere!' packed in our bags. Feeling confident, we started hiking after two hours of bus ride from Sigchos. Well... the markings looked like this: about every kilometer, there was something marked with orange spray paint... rocks, roots, trees, or even thin branches. I give us credit for getting lost only once and realizing our mistake, standing in the middle of a field, after just 10 minutes. The first day was easy, only the last part, roughly 300 meters of altitude in 1 1/2 km, was tough! We should have known better, considering that part was already announced with a -brace yourself-. However, overall, we were more than on track and it took us about 4 hours to reach Isinliví. We arrived at our hostel (Llulu Lama) completely exhausted. After a good dinner, a hot shower, and the obligatory small talk with other backpackers, we fell into bed as if we were dead! We didn't even have the energy for a beer!

Early the next day, we continued to Chugchilán. The first kilometers of the route were downhill. Which, to our reluctance, meant that we would have to climb up again later! Soon, we entered an incredibly green valley. A mountain river snaked through the middle, and cows, sheep, and horses grazed all around. Again, the next few hours were quite easy. It was the last 2-3 km that killed us. The uphill trails were mostly made of sand, which led to a few not-so-PG-rated curses! However, it turned out that the four of us were the ideal constellation for the tough spots. Lyndal and I were in one pace, and Sini and Beth in another. When we reached the road for the last 1 1/2 km, a small delivery van promptly offered us a ride in the back. I practically threw my backpack half onto the loading area, when Lyndal quickly declined, leaving me to watch the dust cloud of the car in tears. Despite all the effort, we had a great time in the end, taking 4 1/2 hours. Thanks to the sun and everything, we were so exhausted that we were lying in our room, laughing hysterically over silly realizations like: 'Has anyone ever noticed that the toilet paper here smells like roses'? We had bellyaches from laughing so much. The Cloud Forest Hostel was quite basic, but cheap and with comfortable beds. And to our voracious delight, there were plenty of ice cream and chips to buy :)

The last day was announced from the beginning as the hardest of the three days. And indeed, it was only downhill for the first hour. By now, the landscape had completely changed again. The trail now led through canyon-like rock formations. Unfortunately, the weather was merciless! The sun was beating down on us relentlessly, and we felt like we had sweated out our body weight. Sexxxxxxyyyy! Towards the end, we were so exhausted that we couldn't even admire the scenery or the views! It wasn't until we FINALLY reached the Quilotoa Crater and the euphoria of victory set in that we could laugh again! This view made up for all the hours before!!! It's incredible how blue, turquoise, green, and yellow this crater lake shines! In the first moment, all you can do is stand there with your mouth wide open, staring! After we had marveled and taken enough pictures, we hiked further uphill to the starting point. The last three-quarters of an hour were a bit more challenging, but with the crater lake on the left and the view of the surrounding valleys and mountains on the right, this was definitely the better choice!

Arriving at the starting point, we finally got our victory beer. And of course, a big bag of chips that we shared. Everything afterwards was a piece of cake. We took a taxi to the next small town and from there took the public bus back to Latacunga.

Here, we planned our onward journey to Banos the next evening. Beth decided to come with us, unfortunately Lyndal was already there. We had to say goodbye to her the next day.