The Quilotoa Loop

All I can say is WOW!!! The 3-day Quilotoa Loop hike has to be one of the toughest, yet most rewarding things I have ever done! It’s not that LONG of a hike, I think in total it’s around 27kms in distance, but with all the up and down canyons, over rivers and up mountains, you feel like you’ve trekked to China and back.  Before we set off on the hike, we stayed in a small-ish town called Latacunga, where we spent 2 nights in the beautiful colonial hostel called Hostal Tiana. Great rooms, great outdoor kitchen and communal area and nice roof terrace where you have views of Volcano Cotopaxi on a good day. Just a pity it’s located beside a gym which provides you with a 6.30am wake-up call with salsa aerobics classes, which continue on until about 9pm at night. The hostel allowed us to leave our big rucksacks there while we took with us only the essentials for our hike around Quilotoa.

The Quilotoa Loop is essentially a hike around the volcanic crater lake of Quilotoa and the surrounding countryside, hiking through river valleys and canyons and staying in 2 small villages overnight. We found that our best source of info on the Loop was other peoples’ blogs and the information provided by the hostels on the loop. Directions and tips can be very sketchy and incomplete; the trail being totally devoid of any meaningful signposts to direct you on your way and getting lost is an easy possibility without a map and proper written directions. Once we had completed our trek, we promised ourselves we’d right a decent blog with decent directions in the hope that it would help other travellers who were thinking of doing the same hike, without needing divine inspiration to get you through.

So, first and foremost was choosing the starting point and the direction of our route on the loop. You can walk from Sigchos to Quilotoa or from Quilotoa to Sigchos. I HIGHLY recommend doing the Quilotoa to Sigchos route as there seems to be far less horrible daunting uphill segments if you go this direction!

Day 1 – Latacunga to Chugchilan

• ·         If staying in Latacunga, take the early bus (around 7.30 or 8.00am) from the bus terminal to a town called Zumbahua (costs about $1). This takes about 1 hour, but there were some road works and it slowed things down quite a bit.
• ·         Once in the bustling metropolis (not!) of Zumbahua, it’s easy to flag down a local pick-up truck to bring you the 17kms to the Quilotoa Park, where you have to pay an entrance fee of $2. Hop off here, I think we paid our guy about $1.25 each for the spin.
• ·         Veer North West, heading towards the rim of the crater. Your first awe inspiring sight will be the vast and beautiful lake of the Quilotoa Crater Lake. The water in the lake changes colour with the weather obviously, so if you’ve a very clear day and blue skies, the lake should be an aqua blue. We were there on a slightly hazy sunny day and it was a deep green blue, with some passing clouds casting dark ominous shadows on the glistening water. Don’t exhaust your camera just yet, there are plenty more opportunities for photo ops as you make your way around the crater rim.



The Quilotoa Crater Lake

• ·         The first part of the trail takes you around the Western edge of the crater rim. Follow a sign for Chugchilan (should read around 11kms). Follow the trail along the crater rim. You’re aiming for the Northern-most point of the rim, bearing in mind that where you started was the southernmost point. So, where you started (take note of what’s around you!) should be directly behind you as you look across the lake before you take any turns off the crater rim. Some official directions tell you to follow the blue arrows, but believe me, there are VERY few, if any! And there are now signs on the crater rim at all to tell you when to turn off.
• ·         Following the trail to the Northern-most point should take you about an hour including rest stops and photos. Don’t be tempted to take any paths off to the left along the way during this period.
• ·         When you come up towards the northernmost point, you’ll come up to a large gathering of pine trees on your left and the trail will bring you around the top of this clump of trees.
• ·         Once you’ve cleared the trees, take the next left down the hill, along a well-defined sandy / gravel trail, almost a road! Take this road all the way down the mountainside. Have some stones or sticks to hand as there are some pretty vigorous guard dogs about. Don’t be afraid to hit them as some hikers have been bitten by these e dogs; show no fear and bark right back at them! They’ll quickly back off!
• ·         The trail will eventually bring you to a small T-junction on the trail. Turn left and then right, following the trail to a town called Guyatame.
• ·         There’s another sign for Chugchilan as you pass through the town, so follow that off to the left.
• ·         This road will eventually bring you to the top of a very deep and daunting canyon. Awesome views here. Looking across the canyon you can see the small town of Chugchilan, so you’re aiming for that town, but don’t be tempted to veer off the trail, just stick to it, even though it may seem to be bringing you a long way off target.



The impressive Toachi Canyon

• ·         The descent down the canyon is steep and mostly defined by green-painted handrails. You are required to pass over quite a vertical-looking cliff face on a very narrow path, so leave the fear of heights at home.



Death-defying crossings!

• ·         Follow the trail all the way down to the river, where a small concrete bridge will take you to the other side. From here to Chugchilan is not far, only about 1.7km or so, but be prepared for the uphill bit! Great scenery here, so take some time to take it all in.
• ·         The ascent will bring you through a small community of huts and farmland and then onto a road, which you follow all the way to Chugchilan village. Take your time, it’s steep!
• ·         There’s a sign post directing you to the Cloud Forest Hostel, once you reach the top of the road; follow this and it will bring you onto the main road of the village.
• ·         Turn right once you get to the road and walk through the village. Here on the roadside we saw a family kill a cow for their dinner, slitting its throat and the little kid jumping on the cow’s tummy to increase the blood flow…..nice! At least you know you’re dinner’s fresh.
• ·         At the end of the road there are two hostels; Mama Hilda and Cloud Forest. Prices for both hostels include a decent dinner and breakfast, Mama Hilda being slightly more expensive, but just turn up and haggle, don’t book in advance, unless you’re travelling in the high season as there can be tour groups around.



The very cosy Mama Hilda Hostel

• Day 2 – Chugchilan to Isinlivi

Set off early for your next stop; Isinlivi. This was my favourite part of the hike; the hardest hike but the best scenery in my opinion.

• ·         Coming out of either of the hostels, turn left and follow the road all the way downhill towards a village called Itualo.
• ·         Before you come to the village there is a trail down to the left towards the river. Follow this river, which should be on your right, for several minutes,.
• ·         You’ll eventually come to a wooden suspension bridge. Though it looks impressive, DON’T cross the river here as there’s no real defined trail on the other side. Keep walking along the river, crossing some slightly boggy / marshy fields and you’ll arrive at a log bridge with a wooden handrail. Cross this bridge.



beautiful river valley of Toachi Canyon

• ·         You’ll come to some eucalyptus trees with a green clearing / pasture behind them. Cross this clearing, veering to the left. A small trail will bring you along the river for a while (river’s now on your left) and then it will gradually go uphill and around to the right.



Log bridge across the river








• ·         Eventually, you’ll see some exposed white-ish cliffs on your right.  Keep these cliffs on your right as you follow the trail and it will lead you through some earthen walls; tall ones, taller than you!
• ·         Once you get through the earthen walls, you’ll come again to a small clearing. Veer left and a small farm will appear on your left; the trail will bring you down towards a stream. Cross the stream by the little log bridge where you’re faced with a rocky-ish trail up and to the right. This looks worse than it is!
• ·         After about a minute or two you’re on a defined road which zig-zags its way all the way to Isinlivi. Once you get to the top of the trail, turn to the left and then left again onto the main road of Isinlivi.
• ·         Hostal Llulu Llama is about 30m down the road on your left. $18 each for a dorm room (!!!!) but also includes a lovely dinner and breakfast. Be prepared for the smelly compositing toilet tough; boys are encouraged to pee outside in the garden and to reduce toilet usage to Number 2s only……..

Day 3 – Isinlivi to Sigchos

Good news! The road to Sigchos takes about 3.5 hours, compared to the 5+ hour treks of the other 2 days, so even though your bones are weary, just think that it’s not that far to go!

• ·         Come out of Llulu Llama and turn left. As you come to the end of the road, veer right down a grassy trail and cross the stream (again!!) and follow this trail all the way to a road.
• ·         Follow the road for about 10 minutes past several bends until you see a huge amount of Eucalyptus trees on the hill in front of you. Now, telling people to look out for the tall Eucalyptus trees around there is like telling people in the Alps to meet you at the pine trees, but this big clump of them will be very obvious; almost forest-like!
• ·         Just before the clump of trees, there is a grassy trail down to your left, which brings you all the way downhill to a settlement called Cochoa de Isinlivi. The trail will bring you into the tiny town in front of the church.



the church at Cochoa de Isinlivi

• ·         Instead of walking towards the church, take the road to the right. This road will wind around and down and eventually lead to the river.
• ·         After about 10 mins, there is a short cut on your left which brings you down to a stream, and you can easily cross the stream by foot and follow the trail back up to the road; this just cuts off a few bends of the road.
• ·         Again, follow the road for a few mins until you come to a concrete bridge, and cross the river.  Just after the river, there’s a short cut up through the bushes to your left which takes a big chunk off the route if you’re following the road.  This shortcut will bring you up to the top of the hill almost and you’ll end up back on the road again.
• ·         Follow the main road again to your left and after about 10 mins you’ll come to a small church on your left. A sandy road veers up the hill to the left, up and away from the road, cutting off some bends again. Take this all the way to Sigchos; the main road will be winding around below you and on a clear day you’ll be able to see the “twin” volcanoes in the distance off to your right.



The Twins

• ·         Once in Sigchos, take a well-earned break, explore the market and catch a 2-hour bus back to Latacunga for about $1.80.

The Loop is tough going, hard on the heart, lungs, back and legs and it’s easy to feel faint and weak, especially if it’s hot. But it’s a MUST DO if you’re in the area. What better way to see the Ecuadorean countryside and meet indigenous locals as they work their farms. Asking them for directions is your own choice, sometimes they can send you the long way! But it’s 3 days that’s absolutely free except for the price of your accommodation which you would be paying for anyway. So get out and enjoy the glorious nature and breath-taking vistas on a budget!!

Where we stayed in Latacunga: Hostal Tiana http://hostaltiana.com/
How much?: $11.50 per person in double room, shared bathroom, including breakfast
                    $9.50 per person in dorm room, private bathroom, including breakfast

Where we stayed in Chugchilan: Mama Hilda http://www.mamahilda.com/

How much?: $14 per person in double room, shared bathroom, including breakfast and dinner

Where we stayed in Isinlivi: Llulu Llama http://llullullama.com/

How much?: $18 per person in a dorm, including breakfast and dinner