Cotopaxi Trips & Tours

Almost totally symmetrical, with a gargantuan, cone-shaped crown that pierces the clouds and strokes the cerulean sky, Cotopaxi is the tallest active volcano in the world and quite a sight. Beneath its watchful eye is the 32,000-hectare wilderness of Cotopaxi National Park, a moorland streaked with wildlife, waterfalls and wavering mists. Surprisingly, this wild land is a mere one-and-a-half hours outside Ecuador’s capital, Quito, but is without a doubt worthy of more than a day trip. Spend two or three days exploring the walking trails and meandering through unusual flora, with only wild vicuñas (a type of llama) for company; catch sight of pumas as they skulk in the undergrowth; mountain bike to long-forgotten waterfalls and cool off in the glacial water; and horse-ride across the grasslands whilst Andean gulls chatter overhead. Most epic of all, however, is the chance to witness Cotopaxi’s chagra culture, a traditional cowboy lifestyle dependent on cattle and horses that has ruled this part of the country for centuries.