After the wonderful stay at Cotopaxi, we moved further south. Our goal: The lagoon of Quilotoa crater. Since the way by bus was too long for the afternoon, we decided to take a hostal in Latacunga. The location of the city is also suitable for a day trip to Quilotoa. Quilotoa is the name of the caldera and the crater lake in it, at the same time the westernmost volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. Today, the highest point is at an altitude of 3,914 m. The diameter of the caldera is 3 km. The last outbreak may take place in 1280. Says Wikipedia.
The next day, we spontaneously decide to "only" take a day trip to the crater and hike a part on its edge. We were still quite limp from the Cotopaxi adventure. Basically, you can easily spend several days around Quilotoa Lagoon. There is almost 200 km of hiking trails around the most famous and probably also impressive mountain lake in Ecuador. After all, we manage a third of the crater and move again through breathtaking heights, on narrow paths and on very steep slopes. It is nice that we do the tour with two couples we met at Cotopaxi. Except for the six of us, we have not seen anyone during the entire 4-hour hike on the rim of the crater. Only our fleeting dog acquaintance, baptized by us in the name of Diego, has faithfully accompanied us! At least until we run out of snacks. Visiting the lagoon is definitely a must-do. Unfortunately, the associated village of Latacunga, with numerous hostels and restaurants, is currently more comparable to a ghost town, which is of course due to the pandemic. Here two hearts hit our chest. It is very special for us that we are able to enjoy this place so lonely and wonderfully peaceful. Of course, it's just bad for the people who live from tourism there.
*The English version of this blog is supported by automated translation*
Comments