The Quilotoa Loop is an incredible hike you can do just South of Quito. This is a fascinating hike deep within the Ecuadorian mountains, where you'll see volcanoes and flooded craters, hike through flowing valleys and cross meandering rivers. This is often trekked as a multi-day hike as it is about 40km in total, which gives you the opportunity to experience the incredible beauty of the Ecuadorian landscape, and delve into the countryside and what it has to offer, by staying in local villages along the way.
While we decided we didn't want to hike anymore (after months of hiking through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru), when we got to Quito we felt we couldn't pass up on hiking either Cotopaxi or the Quilotoa Loop.
As we were pretty much hiked-out by month 5 of our trip, we said we would just do the Quilotoa Loop (as Cotopaxi just seemed like a lot more effort). And to be honest I think that was the right decision, because the Loop turned out to be an incredibly rewarding hike, despite begin moderate in nature (which is what we needed for our tired legs).
We spent about a week in Quito and did quite a bit of research in order to figure out what the best route was for the Loop. Yes, its a loop, so theoretically there should be two routes - one way around and the other way around). But, it's a little more complicated than that. And there's a few more things you need to think about before you head down to trek.
Getting To Latacunga And Staying The Night
About and hour and a half south of Quito lays a town called Latacunga. This is the hub for those looking to begin their hike to either the Quilotoa Loop or the infamous Cotopaxi Volcano (one of the most active in the world).
If you want to start your trek at a reasonable hour in order to avoid hiking in the dark (which is highly advisable), then you really need to stay in Latacunga the night before.
While you technically can get a bus from Quito to Latacunga and then begin your trek the same day, you may not have much time to do so, as the trek begins about an hour and a half west of Latacunga. Yes, you need to get a bus from Latacunga to the start of the trail.
In order to get to Latacunga, you will need to head to the South Bus Terminal (Quitumbe) in Quito where you will find frequent buses all day. We hopped on one for about €2.50 each and rode it into the centre of Latacunga, arriving there after about an hour and a half.
We stayed in Hostel Café Tiana for the night, which was a little expensive but the cheapest we could find - about €13 each. Breakfast wasn't included.
When we woke in the morning we quickly cooked some breakfast and left asap, as the hostel was full of backpackers doing the same thing. We wanted to make sure we got a seat on the bus that was heading towards the start of the trek.
We got to the terminal about 15 minutes later and bought our tickets for about €2 each. The bus filled up fairly quickly once we were on it at around 8am (they leave hourly from 6am to about midday).
We were heading towards the town of Sigchos to start as we wanted to cap our hike off by finishing at Quilotoa (the flooded volcanic crater). Which brings us to...
Deciding Your Route
Before you start you hike you need to decide on your route, and there are a few options you can choose from.
These options depend on how long you want to hike and where you want to finish.
We decided to hike for 3 days / 2 nights (not including a night in Latacunga), and knew that we wanted to finish at Quilotoa Lake, so our route was:
Sigchos > Isinlivi > Chugchilan > Quilotoa
This meant we stayed the night in Latacunga, then woke early in the morning to take a bus to Sigchos to start our trek.
From there we hiked to Isinlivi and stayed the night, waking the next morning to begin our hike to Chugchilan.
After our second night, we left Chugchilan and made our final ascent up to the Quilotoa Lake, arriving before 2pm to catch a bus to Latacunga and headed straight back to Quito that day.
*you will need to be at the Quilotoa Lake before 2pm, as the last bus leaves the small town then, unless you wish to stay there for the night.
Alternatively, you can complete the route in reverse, where you would catch a bus heading to the Quilotoa Lake:
Quilotoa > Chugchilan > Isinlivi > Sigchos
We didn't do the trek in reverse so aren't fully sure of the in's-and-out's of it, but we're fairly confident you can just do everything same (albeit you need to get a bus from Latacunga to Quilotoa, and not Sigchos). Those buses were plentiful in the terminal, and we imagine they cost a similar price, as it's a similar distance to Sigchos.
Another thing to take into consideration is whether you want to skip some towns depending on how many days you have to give the trek. As we had 3 days we wanted to start at Sigchos on day one and trek to Isinlivi. However, a lot of people doing the 3 day hike preferred to catch another bus directly from Sigchos and on to Isinlivi, effectively starting their trek there.
Where To Stay
Isinlivi: Hostal Taita Cristóbal
This was a gorgeous hostel with an incredible view and decent size dinner and breakfast. Our double room was very cosy and has a private ensuite. They had a nice open garden and porch overlooking the valley which was perfect for relaxing at after a sweaty hike.
It cost about €20 each (breakfast and dinner included)
Chigchilan: Hotel Lagoon
We stayed here as the more popular Black Sheep Hostel was that little bit more expensive. We seemed to be on our own here, so had the place to ourselves. Once again we had a private double and ensuite. The owner was incredibly friendly and she cooked us dinner for an additional cost.
It cost about €25 each (breakfast included and €5 for dinner).
How To Get Home
Getting home from this trek can be a little awkward, as we found out first hand. Unless you trekking in reverse and finishing in Sigchos (where buses to Latacunga are more frequent), you should be all good and needn't plan too far ahead.
However, for those finishing at Quilotoa Lake, a solid plan needs to be put in place.
If you're staying the night in Quilotoa, you can just wake up and head down to the bus station (more like the side of the road) in the morning and hop on a bus that goes directly to Latacunga.
But if you wish to hike from Chugchilan to Quilotoa with the intention of leaving immediately to Latacunga (like we did), you will need to arrive before 2pm, as this is when the last bus leaves.
We heard stories of people missing the bus and hitching a ride on the back of a farmers tractor to a nearby town, in order to flag down a bus to Latacunga. Once you miss the bus there really isn't many options to get to Latacunga.
For us, we arrived at Quilotoa and just missed the 1pm bus. We were then approached by a taxi man who said he could bring us to the nearby town of Zumbahua where we could catch a bus to Latacunga. We were cold and tired so just said yes. It cost us about €1.50 each and took about 20 minutes.
When we got to Zumbahua, we were dropped of on the main road and just stood and waited for about another 20 minutes until a packed bus arrived. Eimear managed to get a seat but I had to enjoy the 2 hour journey to Latacunga swaying in the aisle, feeling sorry for my hiked-out body and soul. We paid about €2.60 each for that experience.
And just to add insult to injury, we got a flat tire, so had to hobble back to Latacunga at a snails pace, adding about 30 minutes to the journey.
Once we got to the terminal we immediately hopped on a bus to Quito and said goodbye to hiking for the rest of our trip.
So to conclude, just stay in Quilotoa until the next bus comes, because it's not worth it.
The Trek
The trek itself is fairly straight forward. It's about 40km and requires a little bit of navigating. We highly recommend using an app like All Trails for the trek, as there are one or two small turns you could easily miss (adding some unwanted steps to you journey). But for the most part you can follow the trail which is periodically signposted and recognisable via it's yellow and red markings.
Day 1: 10km (3-5 hours)
The starting point of the hike is the park of Sigchos. Follow the road towards the south (away from the church) till you reach a roofed square. At the end of this square turn left and follow the Calle Topalivi till the end, then turn right to Calle Latacunga. You will reach a sign saying 14km Insilivi turn to the left and follow the road. At the next Intersection keep to the right into the direction to the Camping Area Starlight Inn. Here you will see the first Red Yellow sign/arrow which are marking the whole hiking trek.
Arriving at the camping area turn to the right and follow the path down until you reach a road, which you follow to the right. In the next left turn of the road you will find a path going to the right which you follow along a wooden fence. The path leads you past small houses until the sandy path turns into a grassy path. Attention! Do not follow the wide way here, but follow a small path on the left that takes you down into the valley. After a while the small path leads to a dirt road which you follow to the right. Be aware that in a left-hand bend of the road a narrow path turns off to the right. Red and yellow signs mark the way. Follow the path until you come to a dirt road and turn right. After a small a little raising of the path, a sign indicates the meadow trail to the left towards a river and a bridge. After crossing the river follow the grassy path up till you reach a house on your right.
Turn to the right and follow the street around a right turn going down into the valley. When you reach another river turn to the left and follow the street for around 2km along the river (on your right). When you reach a small concrete bridge leave the road to the left and follow the path for 50m till you reach another bridge. Cross the river here. Then leave the road and follow the path to the left, going down. At the intersection turn to the right and follow the road for a few meters and you will reach the town Cochalo.
Turn to the right and follow the street around a right turn going down into the valley. When you reach another river turn to the left and follow the street for around 2km along the river (on your right). When you reach a small concrete bridge leave the road to the left and follow the path for 50m till you reach another bridge. Cross the river here. Then leave the road and follow the path to the left, going down. At the intersection turn to the right and follow the road for a few meters and you will reach the town Cochalo.
Continue to follow the road out of the village and make a turn to the right. After another 20m you will find a church on your left side. Follow this road passing the church and a school on your right side. Then follow the path all the way down then turn left. You will reach a street, which you follow to the left around a turn to the right side going down.
After a while you will find a smaller path which leads you down the hill for around 1.5 km. Sometimes the path is closed with fence doors, don't be afraid to open them. On the bottom of the hill, keep following the road for another 1 km, then turn left. When you reach a small wooden bridge cross it and the follow the path for 500m. A sign that will show you the direction as well. Follow a driveway to the left and you will see some houses in front of you and the village Isinlivi. At the next intersection go straight and continue walking along the path downhill of 300m. Cross the bridge and you will reach the hostels.
Day 2: 12.5km (4-6 hours)
Leaving Isinlivi you'll head back down into the valley, meandering through fields before switch-backing down towards the river. There, you'll cross the river and begin and slight incline to a small little village.
From there you'll have three options to get to Chugchilan. We asked a local girl which was the quickest and she told us to take the trail along the river.
We did exactly that until we reached a concrete bridge to our left. We didn't cross it and began to make our ascent out of the valley.
This ascent was fairly tough and seemingly endless, though absolutely doable. We eventually reached the main road to Chugchilan atop the valley. We walked along this road for about 30 minutes before arriving at our hostel for the night.
A useful map for this day is below. We used it in tandem with our All Trails app. Isinlivi to Chugchilan has a few routes so we just followed this one, as it seemed to be relatively straight forward.
Day 3: 13km (4-6 hours)
Begin your hike and go up through the village, passing the square and the church. When you reach the library (biblioteca) on your left, turn left going downhill. Walk down this dirt road, passing Hostal El Vaquero on your left. Take the left turn immediately after the hostel which goes downhill (you will see a sing Quilotoa 10.24km). Stay on this dirt road and after 10 minutes you have 2 options:
Option 1: Follow the sign Quilotoa going on your left downhill to the rio Toachi. Due to a landslide, watch out for rocks that may in your way. Keep following the track going down to the rio Toachi and then uphill until reaching the road to Guayama San Pedro, on the other side of the canyon. Once you've crossed the village, keep on the same road and at the intersection with the road to Guayama Grande, go straight ahead: you're on your way up the rim!
Option 2: Follow the yellow sign La Moya/Quilotoa 11km, continuing along the dirt road down to a small stream. 10 minutes after crossing the stream, take a small footpath on your right. It turns quite narrow and sandy and winds uphill for about 30 minutes, passing a view point on your right. Soon, you will reach La Moya: stay on the road through the village.
When the road bends to the right you will see a sign Quilotoa straight ahead: Follow the footpath uphill with a fence and trees on your left. When you see sign the Quilotoa and Cascadas: siga, you'll have two choices:
A: You go directly down into the valley, until crossing a small stream and then the path turns sandy and zigzags uphill out the other side of the canyon.
B: You follow the signs to your right, on a footpath going along the valley for about 15 minutes before going down to the small stream and going uphill out the other side, passing by a viewpoint on your right.
You may find closed fences: open them to keep on your way, but don't forget to close them! At the top of the canyon you reach a road to Guayama Grande; turn left and walk for 50-100 (depending on choice A or B) then turn right, following a sign for Quilotoa. Pass a few buildings on your left and continue uphill. After 5 minutes follow the sign to Quilotoa going uphill with the valley on your right. Stay on this path for about 30 minutes.
When you reach trees and the path goes down, go on your left to reach a wide dirt road and a sign Quilotoa 3.5km. Upon reaching this road, follow it uphill to the crater rim - the high point you can see in front of you. On reaching the rim on a sandy area, you can go on the side you want to reach the village of Quilotoa.
Walk along the edge of the crater and on to the town of Quilotoa. The small little trail just off frame to the right of this photo that meanders around the cliff face is NOT the trail. Don't go down there unless you wanted to enter the crater.
Important note:
We had every intention of walking around it, only to find ourselves deep within it. We had taken the wrong track and were deep into the crater. It didn't seem particularly safe in there, but the views were incredible.
We couldn't find a way out when we were getting close to the town, but luckily stumbled across a young local girl who took us along the animal tracks and back to safety.
Her mother, however caught wind of the young girls philanthropy and requested payment off us for using their tracks. We gave them a fiver or so as we hadn't anything more to give.
We were wrecked by the end of it, so we highly recommend following the trail correctly to avoid the messy trail that lies deep in the crater.
7 Tips for Hiking the Quilotoa Loop
Bring cash: Nobody will take card on the trail. It's very traditional. No ATM's either.
You will get lost: There are lots of criss-crossing trails, but don't worry, you'll find your way.
Beware of the altitude: Nearly all of the loop sits higher than 3000m. Be prepared.
Leave your bags: Don't bring your big bags on the hike. There's no point. Leave them in Latacunga for a small fee or ask your hostel if it's free.
It gets cold: Bring warm clothes for the night. It gets quite chilly up at that altitude when the sun goes down.
Make reservations: Save yourself the stress and just book your accommodation before you hike.
Transportation is unreliable: Be prepared to be waiting a while for transportation. If it even comes at all.
Conclusion
The Quilotoa Loop is a very enjoyable hike and well worth doing when you're in Ecuador. You might find the altitude a little tough if you're not fully acclimatised, but we found it okay and had come from the Galapagos two weeks prior (but we had spent 6 weeks in Bolivia so maybe that helped).
The hike is moderate in difficulty and the scenery is amazing. It cost us about €80 each for the three days so very budget friendly too.
And of course that climax of reaching a flooded crater at the end is truly spectacular.
While we hadn't initially planned on doing this hike, we would 100% recommend it.
Happy hiking!