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Laguna Quilotoa Travel Guide: 62 reviews and 415 photos

The village Quilotoa

Quilotoa is a small village by the beautiful volcanic crater lake Laguna Quilotoa. The village is situated high in the Andes at an altitude of 3900 metres. Many tourists come here to see the crater lake and for the good hiking possibilities. So, in the village, even if it is small with only 150 inhabitants, there are several places for accommodation, restaurants and a few small stores. Because of the altitude it can be very cold, especially during the night. The village is also very exposed and it ca be windy. I heard that the days before I came it had been very, very windy, but luckily it wasn’t when I visited.

In the village you can stand on the rim of the crater and watch the stunning view over the lagoon with its steep surrounding cliffs. The walls of the caldera drops 400 metres down to the lake and across the diameter of the caldera is about 3km. The colour of the lake changes depending on how cloudy it is but the colour is often greenish and that is because of high content of dissolved minerals. It is still an active volcano, but it has passed over 850 years since the last eruption. You can at some places see bubbles in the lake coming from fumaroles.

Women in Quilotoa by the crater rim

Many people only visit Quilotoa on an organised daytrip from Latacunga, Baños, Quito or another city. Some people arrive by bus from Latacunga, but on weekdays there is only one bus a day in both directions. On Sundays there are three buses though. You can also take a pick-up truck from Zumbahua or Chugchilan. Others arrive by foot like me. I hiked from Chugchilan to Quilotoa and also when I left Quilotoa I did it by foot and hiked to Tigua. I stayed two nights in Quilotoa which I think is good because it gave me time to both hike down the crater and one day around it. The hikes were all beautiful!
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Update 2012: I visited Quilotoa in July 2011 and then again in July 2012. When I visited in 2012 it was very windy and cold. There was no electricity, which in Quilotoa also meant no water, so unfortunately no hot showers (nor cold). I had planned to stay for two nights but because of the strong wind it was too dangerous to walk around the crater rim this year, so I hiked back to Chugchilán after one night instead.

Last visit to Laguna Quilotoa: Jul 2011
Intro Updated Feb 10, 2013
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Reviews (11)

The legend of Vulcán Quilotoa Things to Do (8)

A legend says that once upon a time the god of volcanoes, Quilotoa, lived at the surface of the lake and the Pacific god... more travel advice

Laguna Quilotoa, Ecuador - Laguna Quilotoa

Reconstructions Things to Do (8)

I hiked from Chugchilán to Quilotoa both in 2011 and in 2012. The later year they hade done some improvements along the... more travel advice

Iliniza Norte and Iliniza Sur - Laguna Quilotoa

Mountain views Things to Do (8)

On some Tigua paintings I have seen the Laguna Quilotoa depicted with Volcán Cotopaxi in the background. Well, from the... more travel advice

Hiking from Quilotoa to Chugchilan - Laguna Quilotoa

The wrong path from Quilotoa to... Things to Do (8)

My plan for that day had not been to walk to Chugchilán but to walk around the Quilotoa crater. However it was too windy... more travel advice

Restaurants (1)
Three Restaurants and Hostels
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Comments (12)

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Kuznetsov_Sergey Mar 25, 2013 at 10:17 AM

Yes, your climbing up the vulcan Quilotoa had a very good result - breathtaking views! Pity that the water in the lake was alkaline and you couldn't neither take a swim nor even rent a kayak...
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  MalenaN Mar 25, 2013 at 10:56 AM
  
  Yes, the views are stunning at the crater. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't hike around the crater the second time I visited, which I had done the first time. It was absolutely too windy.
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Redang Feb 17, 2013 at 12:31 AM

What a beautiful laguna!
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  MalenaN Feb 17, 2013 at 1:06 AM
  
  Thank you for visiting Santi! Quilotoa is a lovely place, but unfortunately it was too windy during my last visit.
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balhannah Jun 8, 2012 at 4:25 AM

Another lovely page and more fantastic scenery!
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toonsarah Jan 3, 2012 at 9:26 AM

What fantastic scenery around here! It even looks good in the fog - quite moody and mysterious :-) Great travelogues too - I liked your photos of the local people in Quilotoa, and of the scenery on your hike to the village - oh, and the alpacas (?) down in the crater!
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yumyum Dec 19, 2011 at 10:44 AM

Awesome intro photo!
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mircaskirca Dec 17, 2011 at 8:50 AM

Laguna Quilotoa looks beautiful! It somehow reminds me of Laguna de Apoyo. The country seems to have no shortage of hiking opportunities and the landscapes you captured in your pictures are absolutely stunning!
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LoriPori Nov 28, 2011 at 4:33 AM

The main pic overlooking the Lake is absolutely breathtaking. Looks like you did a lot of walking Malena. and you picked a lovely hostel too.
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Nemorino Nov 22, 2011 at 3:16 AM

Great stories of your hikes and your problems with finding the way. The photos are marvellous!
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  Nemorino Feb 15, 2013 at 7:34 AM
  
  Brilliant photos on your new and updated tips! I always enjoy reading about your hikes and travels in these remote places.
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  MalenaN Feb 15, 2013 at 8:03 AM
  
  Thank you for visiting Don! It is a beautiful area but unfortunately too windy the second time I visited.
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vichatherly Nov 22, 2011 at 1:31 AM

Fabulous pages. Scary but exciting to do the hikes on your own!
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Redang Nov 5, 2011 at 5:34 AM

Another excellent page and great opening pic!