While Ecuador is lovely, I have limited time to spend here as I am meeting a friend in Colombia quite soon, so I have to rush and skip a few things. However, one thing I couldn't miss was the spectacular Quilotoa trek.
After another bus misadventure, me and my mate Lachie ended up in the village of Quilotoa, a small, unassuming place almost 4000m above sea level. This was supposed to be the start of the trek, but there wasn't much signage and it didn't really seem like a tourist hub, so we were a bit confused until we found a hut where some friendly Kichua people showed us which way to go and let us stash our big bags.
We walk up a dirt track, over a hump and see this...
And that's what we got to see for the rest of the day. An enormous crater, the dismembered heart of a once massive volcano, filled with copper-blue water at the bottom of its steep slopes.
 |
The highest point, 3,930m above sea level. Not visible: sweat, the gruelling climb up to this point, ragged lungs from the altitude. |
We walked around the highest edges of the crater, which was no easy feat at the altitude! A stony path led the way, which was sometimes slippery with sand and scree, with dizzying views of the steep slopes on either side. it was a tough day of walking and bussing, but very much worth it.
 |
Knife-edge walk. A plunge into the lake on the right, a tumble down to the next village on the other |
There is an option to do a three day trek around nearby villages, but to be frank my mate and I were neither organised or bothered enough to take it, and besides, the volcano in the main event of that trek, and I am very happy to have seen it. I have heard good things from people who made the effort, so do it if you get the chance! You can also take a kayak on the lake if you want, we skipped it because we had to finish the trek by 5pm to get our bags back, but it looked like fun while the sun was out.
 |
Lachie looks at the lay of the land |
We got back to the main village just in time to dodge some freezing rain, then snoozed on our two buses to our next destination, Quito. This definitely ranks as one of the coolest hikes I've ever done, and I am very glad we made it after getting the runaround with the buses!
 |
Not in this photo: a herd of goats, two friendly local goatherds that had lunch with us. |
Comments
Post a Comment