Cotopaxi Trekking
$1225
$150 single supplement
Starting and ending in Quito, Ecuador
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Travel Highlights
- Cotopaxi Volcano
- Hacienda El Porvenir
- Santo Domingo Lake
- Santa Rita Ecological Reserve
- Pucará Del Salitre Inca Site
- Quito
Hike in the shadows of the Cotopaxi Volcano and follow the ancient roads of the Incas during our 5 day/4 night trekking trip. Enjoy full day hikes, tasty food, stories around the fireplace, a good night's sleep in a bed each night, and hot showers provided by the haciendas' hosts. This trip is fully-supported trip (you just carry a daypack, and we carry the rest!) Experience the hacienda culture of the Andean highlands and explore Inca sites during an active trekking circuit near the Cotopaxi National Park and in the Condor Biosphere (a 5.4 million acre conservation project consisting of public and private land).
For travelers with additional time to spend in the Condor Biosphere, we invite you to combine your trekking trip with our Ecuador service projects that promote conservation and community development in the region.
Cotopaxi Rural Schools Service Project
Cotopaxi Conservation Service Project
- Day 1 Arrive Quito
- Day 2 Hacienda Santa Rita Ecological Reserve
- Day 3 Pedregal Village and Hacienda El Porvenir
- Day 4 Cotopaxi National Park
- Day 5 Hacienda El Tambo
- Day 6 Santo Domingo Lake. Return to Quito
- Day 7 Return home
ActiveOur most active trips for travelers who are fit and looking for vigorous adventures. Tours include multisport activities and multi-day treks.
HikingIncludes guided hiking excursions. Hikes may vary from easy and optional three hour hikes to more difficult multi-day treks.
HistoryVisit ancient ruins and historical sites.
Nature ViewingIncludes intentional opportunity to observe flora or fauna with an experienced guide.
Day 2 Hacienda Santa Rita Ecological Reserve (B,L,D)
After breakfast, depart Quito and travel south along the "Avenue of the Volcanoes" towards Cotopaxi National Park. You arrive at the Hacienda Santa Rita Ecological Reserve to start the acclimatization hike with an easy 8 km hike at around 3,200 meters. ( 10.500 ft.). Santa Rita has a fantastic circuit of trails crossing both native forests and grazing pastures with views of six surrounding volcanoes, Cotopaxi, Antisana, Cayambe, Rumiñahui, Sincholagua, and Pasochoa. The area preserves one of the last remnants of high Andean native forest and is a protected habitat for hummingbirds and other Andean birds. Tonight you overnight at La Cabaña de Santa Rita.
Click here to watch Youtube video to learn more about the Tierra del Volcan's area near Cotopaxi.
Duration of Trek: Four hours
Total distance trekked: 8 km
Altitude: from 3,000-3,200 meters
Day 3 Pedregal Village and Hacienda El Porvenir (B,L,D) 
Today's hike starts on native forest trails and will take you to the the cobalt stone roads of the village of Pedregal, a Chagra ( Andean Cowboy) community where we will have the chance to experience the local culture of the area before continuing to Hacienda El Porvenir, a fully-functioning hacienda set high in the Andean paramo with spectacular views of Cotopaxi. Lunch awaits you, and in the afternoon, visit Manto Blanco Waterfall and some lookouts with nice views of the mountains and surrounding landscape.
Duration of Trek: Seven hours
Total distance trekked: 19 km
Altitude: from 3,000-3,500 meters
Day 4 Cotopaxi National Park (B,L,D)
Today hike to Pucará Del Salitre, a strategic military fortress of the Inca Empire that was used to monitor the roads that led to the Amazon Rainforest and Latacunga Valley. The old road or “incañan” will lead into the Cotopaxi National Park to Chirimachai Refuge, an Andean hut formerly used by chagras and shepherds for 200 years to rest during the night after a day of “rounding up” and counting the cattle. It was chosen due to its great supply of natural water coming straight from the glaciers of Cotopaxi.
Duration of Trek: Eight hours
Total distance trekked: 24 km
Altitude: Flat hike at 3,700 meters
Day 5 Hacienda El Tambo (B,L,D)
Today we trek to Hacienda El Tambo, a pre-colonial Inca refuge and stockyard that hosted and supplied the Inca travelers that moved through the area on the road to the jungle. Along the way, you will cross hills and valleys underneath Quilindana, a peak resembling the Matterhorn that has been blocked on the previous days. Overnight at the hacienda that has the original handcrafted stone floor of the Inca tambo. This magical place is surrounded by volcanic sand and has fantastic views of Cotopaxi.
Duration of Trek: Seven hours
Total distance trekked: 22 km
Altitude: from 3,700-4,000 meters
Day 6 Santo Domingo Lake. Return to Quito (B,L)
After breakfast in Hacienda El Tambo, trek through an area that was flooded with lava during the last Cotopaxi eruption. Today’s trek will be exciting as this area has fighting bulls, and a “Chagra”, or local cowboy, will accompany us. Don't wear red (just kidding)! You reach Santo Domingo Lake at the base of the Cotopaxi Volcano where the transportation is waiting to return to Quito in the evening
Duration of Trek: Seven hours
Total distance trekked: 24 km
Altitude: Flat hike at 3,850 meters
Day 7 Return home (B)
Or continue your travels to the Amazon, the Otavalo region north of Quito, Cuenca, or visit the Galapagos!
| $1225 | Tour Cost |
| $1225 | Total cost |
Includes
Excludes |
Recommended Budgeting
Start Dates |
Please note that the circuit for this trip is relatively flat with gradual ascents and descents, but it is at an elevation of 3,000-4,000 meters above sea level. An extra night in Quito or in the highlands is advised to acclimate, and we can help make extra arrangements.
