Following our Super Bowl weekend in Quito (don't even get me started on the 9-7 Giants), we made our way down the Carretera Panamericana on Monday morning for the 90 minute drive south to Latacunga in Cotopaxi Province. Latacunga sits at 2,760 meters (9,055 feet) above sea level, although that is nothing compared to what we were about to experience. Latacunga is the jumping off point for the trek around the Quilotoa Loop, the jewel of the Loop being the 3 km wide, 250 meter deep, emerald greenish coloured water-filled caldera (a crater lake) formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption some 800 years ago into which looks the tiny village of Quilotoa, which sits at 3,850 meters (12,631 feet) above sea level. The entire area is growing in popularity for trekkers as the scenery is absolutely delightful and the Kichwa indigenous people who live there are very welcoming, elegantly wear their hats and their donkeys, sheep and llamas are encountered everywhere. For us, this was also a bit of a test and preparation for our planned hike of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in April. We observed that most of the land in this area has been clear cut for farming, probably many generations ago, before environmental issues associated with such practices became well publicized. But also of note, the people must subsist on something and farming is the only way of life here for most people.
After spending our first night in Latacunga and getting organized for our 5 day escapade, we took a bus to Isinlivi (2,960 meters / 9,711 feet above sea level) where we would spend the night in a hostal that was more like our own private country home than a hostal
. We were the only two guests, and after dinner was served to us, Gladys left for home until breakfast the next morning, leaving us alone for the evening. From Isinlivi, after a big breakfast, we hiked through magnificent valleys and farm land built on steep hills for about 5 hours to Chugchilan. A few angry dogs worried us early on, but we stared them down and then moved on. The first few hours were mostly down and flat along the rocky river. We crossed a couple of log bridges and kept trekking along the river. There had been lots of rain recently, but on this day we hiked mostly in sunshine. As we entered our final two hours, we could see the thick clouds slowly forming over the hills and moving in and we sensed that a downpour was imminent. It was at this point that we met the steep trail up to the tiny and poor village of Itualo. It was not the hike up to Itualo that was so difficult since it was actually not that long compared to what we were used to, but it was the altitude as the thin air really makes it all so challenging on the lungs. We walked into tiny Itualo, passing the striking little church on its right, observing the schoolchildren, dressed in their spiffy crimson red and grey uniforms, and then we hiked up another steep trail, quite a bit longer this one, arriving huffing and puffing in the village of Chinalo some 40 minutes later. From Chinalo, which is on the road to Chugchilan, we looked down at tiny Itualo as it began to drizzle a bit. We began walking along the road for the final 45 minutes to Chugchilan (3,200 meters / 10,499 feet above sea level) and within 30 minutes, as the rain was intensifying and our lungs were taking a beating, we flagged down a camioneta (pick up truck) driver who took us the rest of the way and dropped us at the wonderfully cozy and tastefully decorated Hostal Mama Hilda, one of only two in town, just as the floodgates opened.
We spent two nights at Mama Hilda’s in Chugchilan
. After an evening of chatting it up for a couple of hours with some fellow travellers from France in the sitting room with a view, a communal dinner in the dining room and a well deserved sleep, we spent the next day hiking the hills above town with Benoit from France. We thought that we’d be hiking for a couple of hours. The plan was to hike up to the queseria con tecnologia Suiza (the cheese factory with Swiss technology). Somehow, we wound up hiking for 5 ½ hours up to 3,600 meters / 11,811 feet, through a small pueblo, observing some outstanding views in the process, finally making it to the queseria, which operates as a cooperative, and tasting some fine emental before heading back down to Chugchilan.
In the process, we got a good look at the hike that we had planned to do the next day. Our target was to be Quilotoa and its crater lake (3,850 meters / 12,631 feet). We discovered that most people start the Loop by taking the bus from Latacunga to Quilotoa and then they hike down to Chugchilan from there, which involves 4 hours of hiking straight down to the river (without many switchbacks) and one hour of hiking back up to Chugchilan, and then onto Isinlivi
. Hiking it in reverse, like we were doing for some reason, meant hiking down to the river from Chugchilan for 30 minutes or so followed by a grueling 7 hours + ascent straight up to Quilotoa. Given our experience of hiking at this altitude over the past 2 days and seeing very clearly what we were about to embark on with our own eyes from a clear vantage point on the other side of the river, we opted instead to hop on a public bus which picked us up at our door at 6:30 AM the next morning and dropped us in the dusty town of Quilotoa 75 minutes later. Although we did less hiking than we would have liked on the Loop, it turned out that we arrived at the rim of the crater at 7:45 AM under a blue sky with the sun shining, and with Volcan Iliniza Norte and Volcan Iliniza Sur in full view in the distance. We hiked around part of the rim and enjoyed the breathless site until the clouds slowly moved in within a couple of hours. Weather changes on a dime around here, especially at this time of year (the rainy season) and everyone who we met along the way told us that the crater was in the clouds when they arrived or that it was pouring rain and that the water was black, so in the end we really lucked out. Had we done the Loop in the direction that most people do, we would not likely have seen Quilotoa’s crater lake the way it was meant to be seen.
We ended the adventure yesterday morning at the Saturday market in Zumbahua and then returned to Latacunga yesterday afternoon where a hot shower and a much needed lavanderia awaited us
. We loved the entire experience ... hiking the Quilotoa Loop is breathtaking in every sense of the word!
This morning, back in Latacunga, we awoke to a beautiful day and to outstanding views
from the rooftop terrace of Hostal Tiana of the Cotopaxi and Iliniza volcanos in the distance with Latacunga in the foreground .
In addition to the pictures below, you can click on the following links to view selected video clips (with sound) which will give you a bit of a sense of our hikes:
Hike from Isinlivi to Chugchilan 01;
Hike from Isinlivi to Chugchilan 02;
Hike from Isinlivi to Chugchilan 03;
Hike from Isinlivi to Chugchilan 04;
Hiking around the Quilotoa Crater Rim;
Hiking up from Chugchilan.
Hiking the Quilotoa Loop is Breathtaking
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Latacunga, Cotopaxi, Ecuador
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