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Sign in with FacebookLatest Laguna Quilotoa hotel reviews
MalenaN Says: A legend says that once upon a time the god of volcanoes, Quilotoa, lived at the surface of the lake and the Pacific god Toachi lived at the bottom. Quilotoa didn’t like the presence of Toachi and therefore throw a ray of light towards him to make him leave. Toachi got angry...
MalenaN Says: I hiked from Chugchilán to Quilotoa both in 2011 and in 2012. The later year they hade done some improvements along the trail. There were now sings at several places pointing out the direction and the distance. Along the trail they had also put up benches and bins. From the...
1 Review and 0 Opinions I stayed two nights at Hostal Cabañas Quilotoa where I paid $12 per night (July 2011) including...
MalenaN Says: Near the rim of the crater, just on the opposite side of the road from where the path down to the lagoon begins, are three restaurants and hostels. From left to right they are Princesa Toa, Restaurante y Hostal Pachamama and Restaurante y Hostal Chukirawa. At least at the...
Kirutwa: Café at the crater's edge
toonsarah Says: We ate our lunch in a friendly café which is perched right on the crater’s edge near to the viewpoint – Kirutwa (I am indebted to MalenaN, one of VT’s experts on Ecuador, for the name as I forgot to note it on the day). Jose Luiz explained that he likes to patronise this...
Helpfulness
Nightlife in the Andes is pretty slim. That’s okay, it’s really a place to relax and get away from the hustle bustle of everyday life anyway. There are not a lot of sights but there are lots of roads to walk down or up as is generally the case in the mountains. After a day of exploring on foot kicking back is about a perfect an activity as you’re likely to find. So, sitting around the hostel and talking to fellow travelers is common. At the one in Chugchilán they had a great space for this resplendent with a wood burning stove that fought off the chilly night mountain air. Since the rooms were very small and really only good for sleeping, everyone congregated in there as close to the fire as they could get. They had beer, wine, soft drinks and even hard alcohol which you drank on the honor system and a nice old movie popcorn machine which was gratis as long as you were drinking. We spent a few fun nights in there but the best was when a contingent of small local girls came by in traditional dress and danced to folk music typical of the area. They were incredibly cute and by the end everyone was up dancing with some gentle cajoling from them. Some of the tunes were particularly catchy and we had met a couple of English travelers prior to coming to Chugchilán who were madly searching for one song in particular to no avail. They sang it out to us and once we heard it in person we too became enthralled with it. We never found it either but it remains one of the great auditory memories of the trip. Maybe someday we’ll hear it again. I hope so.
Dress Code: The little girls dressed in traditional garb but we opted for something warm though once the fire got going we could peel off a layer or two.
Updated Feb 15, 2008
Rent a horse or a donkey to get back up
malianrob Says: They dont usually rent the horse or donkey to go down the crater but you can rent then to go back up the crater. Thank God! I was so tired, it would have taken me forever to come back up.You can rent to horse or donkey for about $4-5 dollars usd. It was so worth it to me.
acemj Says: The only real way to see Quilotoa is to have your own wheels so you can explore at your own pace and see the countryside the way you want to see it. We had a 4 WD Toyota that did the trick just fine (we rented it in Quito).
Crafts cooperative: Support the local economy
toonsarah Says: On our way back to where the car was parked we stopped in the nearby crafts cooperative where local people have stalls to sell their handiwork. This is a new initiative and it felt like it too – very pristine and soulless – a bit like a church hall! But I’m sure it will...
Market Stalls: try the local produce and baked goods
richiecdisc Says: Shopping in Ecuador is a joy especially when you are away from touristy areas. Indigenous vendors enjoy their work and interaction with their customers. It's playful and never taken too seriously. Stands can be incredibly simple, sometimes nothing more than a blanket on the...
richiecdisc Says: A lot of travelers get romantic notions about what should remain the same in cultures not their own. I am certainly guilty of it myself but it's not right to expect indigenous people to live without the creature comforts that we enjoy. Sure, at one time locals traveled...
richiecdisc Says: One of the more common sights in the Andes, be it Peru, Bolivia or Ecuador is that of mothers carrying their children on their backs. Since most locals are on foot and the paths they travel are anything but flat and even, it seems a great method. It's no wonder the women...
malianrob Says: Be warning especially for the ladies. I couldnt wait to get to the bottom of the crater that way I could use the facilities. When I found them, I decided I could wait til I got back up. When I got back up I decided I could wait til I got to Latacunga.Guys might not have too...
richiecdisc Says: The indigenous markets are good fun but vegetarians, those with weak stomachs or overly sensitive to smell might not always enjoy them. Animals are treated like what they are for locals: food and that might not sit well with tourists but that is life in the Andes. Fish and...
What to bring when hiking in the Quilotoa area
MalenaN Says: If you are hiking between the villages in the Quilotoa area it is good to leave some of your luggage somewhere else, as you will be hiking for many hours at high altitude. I left many things at Hostal Tiana in Latacunga, where I stayed both before and after visiting the...
richiecdisc Says: The Quilotoa Loop does not lend itself to a roll away suitcase. Local buses can be crammed and your bag is likely to be tied to the roof. It's much easier to travel with a backpack and even at that it's best to leave some of your gear in Latacunga in case you want to do...
Pujili – on the road to Quilotoa
toonsarah Says: We stopped in the small town of Pujili on our way to Quilotoa, to visit the market. As we had been in Otavalo a few days before, I wondered whether this would be similar, but it was an altogether more local and authentic affair. Market days here are Wednesday and Sunday (we...
acemj Says: Driving around the Quilotoa Loop, you'll be impressed by the landscapes. You'll find jagged cliffs, interesting rocks, rough, wind-whipped grasses and sturdy, weather toughened locals. Even the animals are hardy creatures, able to withstand the fairly harsh conditions of...
Helpfulness
Backpacking is a great way to see things you would never see otherwise. It's true that taking the local buses lets you see an aspect of the culture you would miss but traveling on foot is another way to see how locals get around as they do a lot of walking from place to place. Many places are only accessible on foot. It's also a great way to get some exercise in and burn the calories you invariably consume when traveling!
Equipment: A backpack allows you to carry everything you need and gives you freedom from any form of transportation. You leave when you like, not at 4 AM on the bus! You'll need sturdy boots as he extra weight on your back requires more support. You'll need to carry rain gear as you are at the mercy of the elements. A walking stick comes in handy on steep slopes especially when carrying a pack.
Written Feb 13, 2008
toonsarah Says: In addition to the great enjoyment of seeing Quilotoa itself (one of the images of Ecuador I had stored in my head and which had inspired my wish to visit), I also loved the journey to and from the crater, despite sometimes poor weather and lengthy delays in the road-works....
richiecdisc Says: It was not as direct as we would have liked and though there were likely local shortcuts we didn’t like being led off the main path in an area we were completely unfamiliar with. The trail descended sharply now and with our packs and no walking sticks it was a knee bracing...
The difference between off the beaten path and those more traveled on is only a matter of well…being traveled on. We’ve all seen it before when one of our little secrets becomes run of the mill on the...
Quilotoa is the westernmost of the volcanoes in Ecuador’s Andean range (the country of course has volcanoes further west, on some of the islands in the Galápagos). Its large caldera is an awesome...
I have been sustaining my godchild in Quilotoa for one year and I wanted to visit her once I am in Ecuador. From Quito I went by bus to Latacunga and from there to Zumbahua. Once or twice a day there...
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