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I had heard that you should not do the hike from Quilotoa to Tigua without a guide as it is very difficult to find the right way, but I had also heard it is possible to do the hike alone, but you must ask people you see along the way for direction. I decided to do the hike alone, but without a map and description it was not easy. For Isinliv´- Chugchilán I had a simple map with description, and for Chugchilán - Quilotoa I had a simple map. And for both those walks I knew the direction more or less, for example you can see the top of the Quilotoa crater from Chugchilán, even if it is far away. For the hike between Quilotoa and Tigua I didn’t know anything, only that you follow the crater rim for a while in the beginning.
When I saw someone outside their house or in their field I asked for direction, but there were not always people around and if there was a fork in the path I had to choose which one to take. A few times I turned around to go back and take another path. I walked down and up two deep canyons and around mountains. After 5.5 hours I came to something that looked like a village and I asked I woman for the direction. She said that that village was a part of Tigua, called something I can’t remember. I thought I must be close and followed the dirt road. It took ages as the dirt road was winding up to the main road.
I had already heard that Posada de Tigua is situated a few km from Tigua, but I had hoped to get something to eat in the village and to visit the art gallery where they sell Tigua paintings. How wrong I was. Tigua is not a proper village, but a very spread out community, so I didn’t see a place to eat, and the gallery was situated even further away than Posada de Tigua from where I reached the main road.
When I finally reached the main road (Latacunga - Zumbahua) I had no idea if I should take left or right and had to go down a path to ask some people working in their field. I got the right direction and now there was a few km more to walk, but this time along the main road, and it had also started to rain. I reached Posada de Tigua 7h after I left the hostel in Quilotoa. It had been a long walk, which definitely had been shorter if I had walked with a guide, but I don’t regret walking alone. When I reached Posada de Tigua I could see that ”as the crows fly” it was not too far from where I had been 1.5 hours earlier, but the question is if there had been another way getting past the canyon.
Since I came home I have looked at Google Earth to figure out the way I took and too see if there was a better one. It is hard to say as the landscape is full of canyons, rivers and mountains and I don’t know were it is possible to pass and there is no strait path.
Written Nov 6, 2011
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The weather was not so nice this day, it was cloudy and a little rainy, but it was the only day I had for the hike around the crater. After breakfast I set off, but first I asked which direction that was the best to take and I was advised to walk around the crater anti-clockwise.
Along the first stretch of the path there was a lot of flowers by the sides. I saw a woman working on her field and later met two children with a dog. About halfway I met a tourist who also walked around the crater, but in the opposite direction from me. When I came to the sandy patch, where the path goes down towards Chugchilán I saw a few other tourists, and later I caught up with a woman from Quilotoa. She had gone to Chugchilán very early in the morning by bus or car, and was now walking back by foot. I helped her carry her plastic bags the last bit to Quilotoa and I must say they were quite heavy. How hard work it must be for her to go up in the middle of the night to go to Chugchilán and than walk back to Quilotoa with packing and in those shoes, with a small heel, that the women were here.
The views were not so great as the previous day. At one point the whole lagoon was covered in fog and couldn’t be seen, but it soon went away.
This walk is said to take 5-6 hours, but because of the weather I walked on and only stopped to take photos and look at flowers and the view. So for me the hike around the crater took 3h 45 minutes. If it had been a nicer day I would have brought lunch and a book and would have looked for a beautiful spot to sit down in.
Written Oct 22, 2011
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There is a nice view of the crater lake (Laguna Quilotoa) from the view point in the village. And from there you will also find the path down the crater to the lake, which is 400 metres below the rim. The path is quite sandy at some points and it is easy going down. It took 30 minutes. Going back up again can be harder, especially if you are not adopted to the altitude. For me it took one hour to walk back up. If you know it will be hard you can rent a mule to take you down and up (or only up).
The lake is 250 metres deep and the water is alkaline. You can rent kayaks for $2.50/30 minutes (July 2011). But I didn’t see anyone doing that. There is a rustic hostel down in the crater and I went there to see if I could have coffee, but there was no one there. I sat down at a table to read for a while. It was very peaceful and it was nice to rest the legs after hiking from Chugchilán earlier that day. After a while a Spanish woman arrived and then someone returned to the hostel so we could buy coffee. The coffee was $0.50. The woman serving the coffee asked me if she could get my watch, and I politely told her I need it myself.
Written Oct 6, 2011
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Hiking from Chugchilán to Quilotoa is quite easy to do on your own. As you can see the rim of the Quilotoa crater from Chugchilán you will know the direction. I left Chugchilán after breakfast, but before leaving a man at the hostel drew me a simple map.
With the map it was easy to find the starting point of the trail in Chugchilán. For a while you walk along a dirt road past some houses, then you should take a path. The path leads down to the bottom of the canyon, where you cross a small stream. From here it is a quite steep ascend until you come to a level surface where there is a single house where you can buy something to drink (if it is open). Then you will continue along a small dirt road up to the village Guayamo. In Guayamo you turn right and follow the road out of the village till the end of it, where you take a path going up to the rim of the crater.
To the rim of the crater it took me 3 hours. Coming up on the rim you will be rewarded by a beautiful view over the Quilotoa lagoon. If you look back there is a stunning view over the valley and Chugchilán far away. Were you reach the rim it is very sandy and I took the only path I saw. It was a small path, with flowers growing on the sides, and it was going slightly downhill into the crater. After a while I realised it must be the wrong path so I took a very steep path up to the rim again. Finally I reached a path on the rim and continued to Quilotoa. I reached Quilotoa 4 h 15 minutes after I started the walk in Chugchilán.
Chugchilán is situated at 3200 metres and Quilotoa at 3900 metres, so many people choose to start the walk in Quilotoa. I don’t mind walking uphill, and often prefer that over a steep descend.
Along the hike I only met one group of hikers and they had a guide.
Written Oct 6, 2011
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There are a few different trails here. We took the simpliest easiest one. It wasnt a tough trail but I did fall down a few times. Maybe it was just me, I am crumsy. I was also out of breath alot. The trail wasnt strenuous at all, it was just that the air was so thin up here.
Some people do the Quilotoa loop which is alot longer.
Make sure to where some good hiking shoes. Also layer up. When I first started down the crater it was so hot, plus I was getting a work out. When I got to the bottom it started to get cold. Soon the clouds started to come in and it was freezing. By the time we got to the top ready to go home it was so cold that I couldnt even feel my fingers. I brought no gloves. I couldnt wait to get back in the car and put the heater on.
Written Nov 1, 2008
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A lake this beautiful is worthy of your pursuit and so many have, indeed, pursued this sight that the circuitous route around the area is now referred to as the Quilotoa Loop. There is a nominal $1 fee payable at a small kiosk that you pass through before parking in the lot near the top of the lake. You're likely to see some locals selling some handicrafts and some kids looking for a few coins or other offerings from you, the pilgrim visitor. After dealing with these slight hassles, you'll find a crack in a cliff that leads to the top rim of the lake.
Upon my first sight of Quilotoa, I was struck by the emerald green color of the water and the spectacular setting. The lake is actually in the crater of an extinct volcano and the surrounding cliffs that hold the water, make it look like a giant bowl of windshield washer fluid!
Updated Apr 28, 2008
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Zumbahua is a small village unremarkable in itself but at 3800 m and nestled amongst an array of lumbering peaks, its setting is spectacular. The central square features a cool if simple church that is particularly atmospheric at sunset. Add to that, a colorful local Saturday market that draws indigenous people from miles around to buy, sell and often barter everything from pigs to produce and you have the makings of classic Andean investigation. Reportedly, the Friday evenings before the market are bacchanal affairs with dancing in the streets. Accordingly, a small contingent of gringos is now filtering into town on Fridays and must say we were two of eight or ten we saw. Unfortunately, the party never materialized so we sat on our balcony and had a few beers with some hostel mates.
Updated Feb 15, 2008
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Saquisilí market is especially a “can’t miss” if you do not have time to do the entire Quilotoa Loop. Though it’s not quite as spectacular as the one in Zumbahua it is nonetheless a colorful indigenous market where you’ll be able to count the gringos on one, okay maybe two hands. It is quite spread out so be sure to walk around and follow the locals to get to as much of it as possible. There aren't many touristy souvenir vendors as it mostly caters to locals, selling household items, produce, meats/poultry, and of course, local snacks. Beware if you are an animal activist as this is primarily a place to buy, sell, and trade animals which the locals use for transport and food. You can do this as part of the loop or as a day trip from Latacunga which is handy since it only runs on Thursday mornings and can be difficult to time from the loop proper.
Written Feb 13, 2008
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Chugchilán is perhaps the most pleasant of the small villages on the Quilotoa Loop. There aren’t any sights per se but there are lots of hills around and the lack of an itinerary is kind of nice in its own way. You can explore the central square area in about five minutes but it somehow lends itself to lingering. On weekends a few locals set up food stands and you can buy really cheap and tasty cheese empanadas. There aren’t any cafes but you can grab a beer from a local shop and just sit outside and drink it. No one will bother you and people are friendly.
Written Feb 13, 2008
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Laguna Quilotoa is the core attraction in this loop and one look over the precipitous edge tells you breathtakingly why. Some 800 years ago a huge eruption left a three kilometer wide caldera and the resultant lake now stands at 250 meters deep. Its greenish appearance is a result of its mineral density. Count yourself lucky if it is mirror-like in any way since at close to 4000 meters the wind just whips across it. You can walk around it in four hours and enjoy views of neighboring volcanoes like Cotopaxi and Ilinizas. A more typical walk is the half hour slide down to the lake shore where you can relax, hopefully soak up some sun and get away from the fierce winds at the caldera lip. Beware though as the walk back up is a steep 400 meters and we ran across many Ecuadorians that obviously don’t do much hiking. One poor woman was vomiting from her exhaustion. There are small boats for rent and a small concession at the bottom but it’s a pretty low key affair. On your way back up you will invariably be asked if you want to take a donkey to the top which if you are not in fair shape might be worth it! But it is a good acclimatizing walk and really not all that difficult if you take your time and drink plenty of water. The “village” next to the lake is only a few houses, shops, and hostels that only exist due to increased tourism so don’t expect much in the way of amenities. You’ll pretty much be eating and sleeping at whatever establishment you choose so have a look around and see which one fits your needs best.
Written Feb 13, 2008
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Laguna Quilotoa is the core attraction in this loop and one look over the precipitous edge tells you breathtakingly why. Some 800 years ago a huge eruption left...
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We stayed in the city of Latacunga, given to the proximity to Quilotoa and Cotopaxi volcano. We were originally going to go to Cotopaxi, but there was a park strike, and since the most interesting...
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