"don't drink the water" Top 5 Page for this destination Provincia de Cotopaxi Local Custom Tip by richiecdisc

It’s hard to believe you can’t drink water from a fresh mountain stream but there aren’t too many places that giardia is not present. This parasite is the cause of great stomach ills so it’s best to boil you water for five minutes or treat it with a reputable filter or idodine/chlorine tablets. We opted for the latter and used additional tablets to counterbalance the awful ensuing flavor. Like I said, it’s a shame you can’t drink water that must taste so sweet on its own! You’ll soon find that you want to camp on the same level as your water source or you’ll quickly realize how many trips you have to make up and down for your daily needs.