Quilotoa, Ecuador
Quilotoa, Ecuador
It was November 6, our trip to Quilotoa was planned. We left again around the same time as we did for Cotopaxi Volcano the day before. Quilotoa Volcano is one of the most popular attractions in Ecuador. The last time Quilotoa volcano erupted was in 1280 which formed 3 km gaping Caldera by the collapse of the most western volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. This caldera located in Cotopaxi province is filled with brilliant, stunning Sapphire water as a result of dissolved minerals is an amazing site for the visitors to the area.
When we left in the morning, we knew that Quilotoa was farther away from us than Cotopaxi where we went the day before. If you are lucky to be in the country and have extra time, you should make both Cotopaxi and Quilotoa an essential part of the itinerary and combine the visit over 2 to 3 days. This will not only save unnecessary travel time in the same direction, but also give you time to do activities such as horseback riding in Cotopaxi and hiking the Quilotoa Loop. For us that was not an option. We had limited time, we did day trips to both Cotopaxi Volcano and Quilotoa Lagoon. We just stayed around the Quilotoa lake and enjoyed stunning lagoon, amazing nature, and epic landscapes making it a highlight of our stay in Ecuador.
At an elevation of around 3,800 meters, Quilotoa Lake is a sight to behold. Daunting Andes mountains surrounded this beautiful Sapphire gem as if hugging in a tight bear hug.
views.
There was a shopping area where there were big warehouse style artisan and craft stores near the lake . We spent some time and looked at the things there. Merchants were, obviously, anxious to sell their goods but we didn’t have enough time to look as it was getting late, and a long drive was ahead.
At this point, we had two more days left to explore the Historic City Center, in Quito, Ecuador. Since we were staying very close to the City Center area, we did not need Jose to come back for the day. City Center in Quito has all pedestrian streets. We just needed a taxi to be dropped off at the point from where we would be able to walk around the Historic City Center’s pedestrian zone. Hoping for a lot of fun. Still no altitude sickness!!
