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Quilotoa Lake: Full-Day Hiking Adventure with Cultural Immersion from Quito
4.5
35 Ratings
Quito
This full-day Ecuadorian cultural tour takes you to one of the most beautiful lagoons in Ecuador and South America, the amazing Laguna Quilotoa. In addition to hiking this breathtaking natural wonder, you will visit a local village and a native house, learn about the Ecuadorian culture, try some local food, and admire the Toachi Canyon Crater.
This full-day Ecuadorian cultural tour takes you to one of the most beautiful lagoons in Ecuador and South America, the amazing Laguna Quilotoa. In addition to hiking this breathtaking natural wonder, you will visit a local village and a native house, learn about the Ecuadorian culture, try some local food, and admire the Toachi Canyon Crater.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Laguna Quilotoa - Start your day by exploring the vibrant market of Saquisili (Thursdays) or Pujili (Sundays). Wander around the fruits, cereals, meats, flowers, etc. and try some local food from the stands!
Then, we will drive through lovely Andean villages and stop at an native house. The owners will explain to us how they live and give us an…
- Laguna Quilotoa - Start your day by exploring the vibrant market of Saquisili (Thursdays) or Pujili (Sundays). Wander around the fruits, cereals, meats, flowers, etc. and try some local food from the stands!
Then, we will drive through lovely Andean villages and stop at an native house. The owners will explain to us how they live and give us an insight of the Ecuadorian culture.
Next stop is the spectacular Quilotoa Crater Lake. Admire the breathtaking landscape, hike down and up to the laguna (45 min down / 1 hr up), go on a fun kayak excursion ($3) or just relax at the top of the crater.
Afterwards, we will have a delicious local lunch and drive to Toachi Canyon Crater where you can appreciate the very interesting rock formations.
What's Included
- Lunch
- Professional and bilingual guide
- Transportation from/to Quito’s meeting point
- Lunch
- Professional and bilingual guide
- Transportation from/to Quito’s meeting point
What's Not Included
- Mules rent $10
- Kayak rent $3
- Quilotoa entrance fee $2
- Tips
- Mules rent $10
- Kayak rent $3
- Quilotoa entrance fee $2
- Tips
Additional Information
- Necessary Equipment: Sunglasses and sun cream, Water and snacks, Camera, Hiking shoes, Big bag for shopping, Waterproof jacket
- Necessary Equipment: Sunglasses and sun cream, Water and snacks, Camera, Hiking shoes, Big bag for shopping, Waterproof jacket
Location
Plaza Foch
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(35 Ratings)
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Resort67500851108
Aug 21, 2025
Stunning views & excellent service - Visiting the Quilotoa Lagoon was truly an unforgettable experience, and all thanks to Ecuatraveling. The agency organized a flawless trip, fulfilling every activity in the itinerary and showing great flexibility to adapt not only to my needs but also to those of the entire group.
The service was excellent, which allowed us to fully enjoy this magical place.
I recommend bringing comfortable shoes, water, and warm clothing, as the weather in the area can change quickly. Without a doubt, this is one of the most beautiful destinations I have ever visited, and to experience it in the best way possible, I highly recommend planning your trip with Ecuatraveling
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Julia_r
Jul 17, 2023
Absolutely amazing!!! - This tour is absolutely amazing!! You get to see so much in just one day! The market is super interesting, you get to visit an indigenous family and the lake is absolutely breathtaking! I can highly recommend this tour to anyone who would like to learn more about the culture of Ecuador and who loves hiking! Also, you will see lots of Alpacas!!!
Review provided by Viator
Maddie562
Nov 26, 2022
Amazing day trip - We had a wonderful private day trip tour with Ecuatraveling to Quilotoa! Our guide, Andres, was really welcoming, knowledgeable and willing to be flexible to what our group wanted to do. We were picked up from our hotel in Quito around 8 am, and had a ~3 hour drive to Quilotoa, stopping at local markets and scenic lookouts. Quilotoa itself was stunning and we hiked the ~1.7km down to the lake where we rented kayaks.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dominick1964
Aug 9, 2022
Amazing experience. highly recommend it. - This tour is usually done with combo with Cotopaxi. We used Grayline Ecuador. $65 PP. Well worth it. Tour takes around 12 hours Quito. DO NOT BOOK WITH OTHER AGENSIS. Some of them charge more money and sell it to operators like Grayline.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vamsi_d
Mar 15, 2022
An amazing day trip in Ecuadorian nature! - This was an incredible trip to Lake Quilotoa, which is a simply breathtaking volcanic crater in the Ecuadorian Andes. I cannot recommend this trip enough for anyone looking to see some of the natural beauty of Ecuador, but who either cannot or does not want to do a several days trip. The day starts out early, leaving from Quito and driving south to Quilotoa. There are several stops along the way, to see the volcanoes, and visit a local market and indigenous shop. Gabriel, my guide, did an amazing job explaining the history of the area and the people. After reaching Quilotoa, we had approximately 3 hours to hike down and back up the volcano, which is an amazing experience. The hike is rather steep and difficult, but i think it’s very doable. After, we ate lunch and headed back home. It was a long day, with about 7 hours in total of driving in the bus, but it was an amazing way to see some of Ecuador outside of the cities. Both the host and driver were extremely gracious, and I always felt safe. I definitely recommend this trip!
Review provided by Viator
Rachel_l
Jul 12, 2021
A wonderful tour!!! - We had a wonderful time on this tour!! The tour guide Alex, was absolutely phenomenal; he was friendly, funny and knowledgeable!! He made the tour exciting and had such a great energy! The tour was great, would recommend to small groups or solo! My only recommendation would be is to bring good hiking shoes!! 10/10, would do this again! :)
Review provided by Viator
511martinaa
Jun 29, 2021
Fantastic experience! - I enjoyed the tour a lot. Alex, the guide was very prepared, always willing to answer your questions and help you out and flexible. The driver (another Alex) was careful and the trip was pleasant. The minivan was spacious and covid friendly.
We respected the schedule and learnt a lot about Quito and surroundings and Ecuador in general. I really recommend it!
Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sightsee103326
Jan 26, 2021
Great way to explore nature - This was such a wonderful tour. Although the high down was steep, the lake was simply beautiful and made it worthwhile. The hike was the most difficult in my life, but it's great to be able to claim I made it. The trip was definitely worth the price I paid.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lilsnack0421
Jan 6, 2021
Amazing tour! - Alex was the kindest tour guide I've ever had. He's incredibly knowledgeable and really cares about you and your experience. He loves his country and is happy to show other people his beautiful country. In this tour, we drove through the Andes and stopped at small indigenous towns before arriving at Quilotoa. My boyfriend and I sat with him on the bus and we talked about practically everything. I will give one piece of advice: take the mule back up the lagoon! This hike was the most difficult things I have ever done, but Alex let us take our time and walked with us every step of the way. Thank you Alex!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Helga_g
Nov 23, 2023
Not enough hiking in stunning scenery - Stunning scenery but not enough time to do all the exploring I wanted to do. I was under the wrong impression that this tour would hike around the lake and not just down to the lake
Review provided by Viator
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