"Chugchilán" Chugchilán by MalenaN

Chugchilán Travel Guide: 18 reviews and 201 photos

Chugchilan is a small village high in the Andean mountains, above the Río Tuachi Canyon. Chugchilán is situated at an altitude of 3200 metres and there are some very nice views from the village. It lives about 100 people in Chugchilán. The village has one main street and along that street you will find the church, a basketball court, an Internet place, a restaurant and a few small stores.

Chugchilán is one of the villages along the so called Quilotoa Loop and many tourists arrive here by foot from Quilotoa or Isinliví . Besides very good hiking possibilities in the area you can take a horseback riding tour to the cloud forest of Iliniza Ecological Reserve and visit a cheese factory higher up in the páramo. I have read there is a local market in Chugchilan on Sundays, but as I didn’t visit on a Sunday I can’t say how it is.

The church in Chugchilán

There are three places for accommodation in Chugchilán and they have all got good reviews. I stayed at the cheapest place, Hostal Cloud Forest.

I arrived to Chugchilán by foot and also left by foot, but if you want to take a bus to Latacunga from Chugchilán it leaves already at 3am and at 4 am (and later on Sundays). Other options are to take a pick-up truck or the lechero to a place where you can find more buses.

In the beginning of the hike to Quilotoa

I stayed two nights in Chugchilán in 2011 and two nights in 2012. I hadn’t planned to come back in 2012, but because I broke my wrist while traveling in Ecuador 2012, there was things I had planned to do which I couldn’t do (like climbing Chimborazo). At least I could hike and as I knew the area was beautiful, I knew the way between the villages, accommodation is cheap and I didn’t have to carry too much packing I thought it was a good idea to come back and do some hiking.

In 2012 there were problems with electricity in the area because of strong winds. The electricity came back in the evenings in Chugchilán, but the Internet connection (yes there is one internet place in Chugchilán) didn’t.

Last visit to Chugchilán: Jul 2011
Intro Updated Dec 28, 2012
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Reviews (10)

Hiking from Chugchilan, Ecuador - Chugchilán

The wrong path from Quilotoa to... Things to Do (5)

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

From Chugchilán to Latacunga Transportation (1)

The buses from Chugchilán to Latacunga leave very early in the morning. I can’t remember if it was at 3am or 4am, but it... more travel advice

Hiking to Chugchilan, Ecuador - Chugchilán

Hiking from Isinliví to Chugchilán –... Things to Do (5)

In 2011 I had followed a description from Llullu Llama and I know I would have found the same way in 2012 without... more travel advice

What to bring when hiking in the... What to Pack (1)

If you are hiking between the villages in the Quilotoa area it is good to leave some of your luggage somewhere else, as... more travel advice

Hotels (1)
Hostal Cloud Forest

Restaurants (2)
See All Eating at Hostal Cloud Forest

Travelogues (17)

1 - 4 of 17

Comments (9)

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Kuznetsov_Sergey Feb 9, 2013 at 9:34 AM

The hike to Quilotoa - Chugchilán seems to be very exciting and difficult enough at an altitude of 3200 metres! You must have been quite hardy to stand it...
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  MalenaN Feb 9, 2013 at 9:40 AM
  
  Thank you for visiting Sergey! I had already been on quite high altitude for some time when arriving to Chugchilan.
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Yaqui Dec 28, 2012 at 7:03 AM

What a beautiful place! The horseback riding is always fun. The Cloud Forest is fanscinating. Nice page!
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  MalenaN Dec 28, 2012 at 7:19 AM
  
  Thank you for visiting Dee! Both the hikes and the horseback riding was lovely in such a beautiful landscape.
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Redang Apr 13, 2012 at 10:51 PM

Another great one!
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balhannah Feb 18, 2012 at 11:47 PM

Malena, Another wonderful page! I love the fantastic scenery, and all the different types of flora you found, have never seen lots of what you photographed. The scenery is fantastic, I never realized it was such a scenic country.
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LoriPori Nov 28, 2011 at 4:38 AM

Again more walking/hiking and again another lovely hostel. Horse-back riding sounds good to me.
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Nemorino Nov 12, 2011 at 1:35 AM

A beautiful new page on hiking and horseback riding in Ecuador!
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mircaskirca Nov 5, 2011 at 4:25 AM

Good to see a new page about your Ecuador trip :) Great hiking opportunities and beautiful landscape along the horse riding tour, with lovely travelogues! And the excellent packing list tip will be very helpful to anyone hiking in the Quilotoa area.
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toonsarah Nov 3, 2011 at 1:20 PM

What beautiful scenery! I like the look of the colourful hammocks in the hostal too :-)
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globetrott Sep 24, 2011 at 6:03 PM

a great scenery for a hike, thanks for sharing, Malena !