With a picture-perfect cone and permanent cloak of snow, Cotopaxi is considered one of the most beautiful volcanoes on the continent. At 5897m, she is Ecuador’s second tallest peak after Chimborazo, rising serenely above the páramo grasslands, where wild llamas and horses roam amid the wildflowers. Cotopaxi’s name, which means “Neck of the Moon”, is a tribute to her heavenly appearance.
While her neighbours Chimborazo and Imbabura are both referred to as “Taita”, or “grandfather”, Cotopaxi is considered to have a female gender. And, according to folklore, her loveliness hides a dark past. Legend tells that Cotopaxi was once an old woman who was turned into a volcano by shamans as punishment for killing her son’s new bride and cooking her up in a cauldron. Even today, elderly local residents sometimes refer to Cotopaxi as “Mama Juana”, the name of the murderous old woman.
The Cotopaxi National Park
The Cotopaxi National Park is a highlight of any trip to Ecuador and can be easily visited independently in a day. While you need climbing experience, equipment and a specialized guide to summit Cotopaxi, anyone with a basic level of fitness can walk a breathless kilometer to the first refuge on the flanks of the volcano at 4800m above sea level. Even for the less mobile, the national park is worth a visit, for the chance to gaze up at the beautiful volcano from the pristine páramo, with its clouds of purple lupin flowers and herds of wild horses.
On a clear day, the journey to Cotopaxi through the Avenue of the Volcanoes is spectacular. Coming from Quito, you pass the peaks of Cayambe, Antisana and the Ilinizas. Even if they are hidden behind clouds, keep your eyes open because when a sudden gust of wind momentarily reveals the face of one of these giants, it’s an unforgettable sight. For the best chances of a clear day, visit between July and September.
Just 50km south of Quito, Cotopaxi is located between the towns of Machachi and Latacunga on the Panamerican Highway. Buses going north or south on the highway can drop you off near the main entrance, making Cotopaxi one of the most easily accessible national parks in Ecuador.
How to go to the Cotopaxi
The national park has two entrances. The South Entrance or Control Sur is the main gate, located 25 minutes’ south of Machachi along the Panamericana. To get to the South Entrance from Quito, take a bus from the Quitumbe terminal heading to Latacunga (or any destination south of the park along the Panamericana) and ask the driver to let you off at the park, after about 1.5 hours’ drive ($2.10). From any destination south of the park, take a bus heading north to Quito along the Panamericana and ask to be let off at the park (check with the driver when you board the bus that this will be possible).
Buses will drop you at the side of the Panamericana, which is ten minutes’ drive from the park’s South Entrance. Local guides with trucks wait by the highway offering transport and tours of the park. Those planning on taking a tour with these guides are advised to use this entrance, especially if hoping to meet fellow travelers to share the cost.
The North Entrance or Control Norte, accessed via the village of El Pedregal to the north of the park, is lesser used and more complicated to get to by bus, but the route is more scenic. This is a good option if you have your own transport.
Both the North and South Entrances are open to admit visitors between 8am-3pm daily, although you can remain within the park until 6pm. It’s free to enter upon presentation of valid ID. If you have your own 4×4 vehicle, you can drive around the signposted tracks that lead to the various attractions. Alternatively, you can take a tour offered by the local guides who wait by the two main access points to the park. These guides are part of a licenced association and offer a safe and professional service, but speak little English. They all provide the same standard tour, which costs $50 for 1 person (may be negotiable to $40); $25pp for 2 people; and $20pp for 3 people. The 3-hour itinerary includes three stops.
What to do in the National Park
The first stop is a small museum with an exhibition on the geology, history, flora, and fauna of the park.
The second stop is the parking lot for the José Rivas Refuge, which is reached after a beautiful 9km drive through the park. The guides are happy to stop for you to take photos en route. Although the walk from the parking lot to the refuge is only 1km, it takes most people 45 minutes to an hour, due to the altitude and level of difficulty. At 4800m above sea level, the air feels very thin. The path is steep and rocky and there’s a good chance of snowy conditions. If you’re planning on doing the walk, bring water, snacks (especially chocolate, which is an excellent source of energy at high altitude), sunglasses, warm clothes, and sunblock.
The refuge is warm and welcoming, with hot drinks and food available. After the cold and strenuous walk, it just might be the best hot chocolate you’ve ever tasted! Be aware that prices are high because all supplies are carried in on foot (a corn cob with cheese costs $5). If conditions are good and you’re feeling fit, it’s possible to walk beyond the refuge for another hour to the glaciers at 5000m. Your guide might accompany you while you walk to the refuge or glacier and back, or may wait with the car. If you guide chooses to wait with the car, don’t worry, the path to the refuge is well marked and there will be other people using it!
After you descend from the refuge, the third stop on the tour is the Laguna Limpiopungo, a shallow lake at 3,800 meters elevation whose reeds provide a habitat for several species of birds. On still days, the volcano is sometimes spectacularly reflected in the lake’s surface. The standard tour only includes a quick stop at the lake, followed by transport back to the Panamerican highway to flag down a passing bus.
Those with their own transport can hike or bike one of the well-marked trails that lead from Laguna Limpiopungo. Options include an easy 90-minute easy trail past a natural spring and a viewing point to the Control Norte; and two circular cycle routes, one to the natural spring (3 hours), the other to the Santo Domingo Lake (4-5 hours).
Another trail leads northwest around Laguna Limpiopungo to the volcano Rumiñahui. Located 13 kilometers northwest of Cotopaxi, it was named after the Inca leader Atahualpa’s bravest general. From the lake to the base of Rumiñahui is about a two-hour hike, with camping possible along the way. A path toward the volcano’s central peak is clearly visible along a well-defined ridge. Unlike Cotopaxi, it is legally permitted to climb Rumiñahui without an accredited guide, but it’s not recommended. Though it’s a relatively straightforward climb, combining an uphill hike with a bit of scrambling, the quality of rock can be poor. A rope and climbing protection are required.
On the eastern edge of the park, 15 kilometers beyond the lake, are the oval ruins of El Salitre, formerly an Inca pucara (fortress), abandoned soon after the arrival of the Spanish.
There is only one hotel within the national park. At Tambopaxi (www.tambopaxi.com), the rooms have wood-burning stoves and there is a decent restaurant with vegetarian options. Private rooms are quite pricey ($91 for a single and $115 for a double, including breakfast), but camping ($16 pp) and dormitory beds ($20pp) are more affordable. A few kilometers outside the park, Cuello de Luna (www.cuellodeluna.com) and Hacienda El Porvenir (www.tierradelvolcan.com) have more economically priced private rooms available. Camping at El Porvenir is good value at $6 pp.
Further afield, both Machachi and Latacunga are worthy of an overnight stay before or after your visit to the park.More information about the Cotopaxi National Park can be found at http://areasprotegidas.ambiente.gob.ec/en/areas-protegidas/cotopaxi-national-park or on Facebook @Parque Nacional Cotopaxi.
If you would like to take a tour to the Cotopaxi National Park, we offer the Cotopaxi Bike and Hike Tour and the Cotopaxi & Quilotoa 2 Day Adventure.
