Quilotoa Loop: A multi-day trek through Ecuadors breathtaking Andes.

Before starting with the story, let me tell you a bit about this place. The Quilotoa Loop is a multi-day, self-guided trek through the rural landscapes of the Andes in Ecuador. It connects different indigenous villages and ends at the famous Quilotoa Lake. It’s a large volcanic crater filled with incredibly blue water and located at 3900 meters above sea level.

For those of you wondering if it’s safe to do it on your own, in terms of assaults, it is. The villages in the Andes basically have their own system of justice, meaning if something happens, such as theft, violation, or homicide, the people of the local community decide what happens. Crimes like the ones mentioned above often have ruthless punishments such as burning the person, cutting off a hand, or other methods of torture. This may sound very extreme, which it is, but it’s also pretty efficient. So, if you’re planning to take some toiletries or towels from the hostels, just don’t, lol.

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Day 1: Latacunga to Insinliví

The starting point of this hike is usually Latacunga, where you will leave your big suitcase or backpack since you only want to take what is most necessary with you. Usually, you hike for around 4-6 hours every day, and the way is not always easy, so you can thank me later for telling you: take only a small bag with the bare minimum in it!!

I did this trek together with a friend that I had met the day before in Latacunga, and by coincidence, she wanted to do the hike as well, which was perfect. It’s way nicer to do it with someone, so you have somebody to rely on just in case. We took the bus from the terminal in Latacunga at 8 a.m., which cost $2.75 with destination Sigchos. The drive itself was around two hours on a pretty winding and narrow road. Once we arrived, we went for some breakfast because once you start the hike, there won’t be any restaurants or stores to buy food or water. So make sure you leave with a full stomach and carry enough water with you for about four hours.

Sigchos is where the trek begins and lies at approximately 2800 m. We downloaded the offline maps guru maps and maps.me to make sure we follow the right path since it’s all self-guided. There are some signs along the way, but it’s definitely better to have some sort of map with a GPS with you just in case. Even with those two maps, we still got lost a couple of times because the trails are just really not that well indicated. Or maybe we’re just a lost cause and not made for hikes without a guide, who knows, lol. Also, my dearest friend forgot her water bottle at the restaurant, so we had to survive with 500 ml of water for the both of us for the entire walk. (Sorry Alexa for mentioning this, but now we can laugh about it, right? ;D)

After walking for four hours through absolutely stunning landscapes, we finally made it to the Llullu Llama Hostel/ Mountain Lodge. And guys, it is an absolutely incredible place! They have gorgeous views of the mountains on their terrace, a free yoga room, and a spa area with a jacuzzi, dry sauna, and steam sauna for an additional charge of $5. Dinner is served in the common area at 7 p.m. and is included in the price, as is breakfast. The price of the hostel is between $20 and $22, which really isn’t much considering everything that is included.

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Day 2: Visiting a cheese factory in Insinliví

Most of the people we met continued straight to the next town, trying to get to the crater of Quilotoa as fast as possible. We, on the other hand, decided to visit a cheese factory and learn how to make cheese. And yes, this might sound very stereotypical—two Swiss girls making cheese in Ecuador, as if we wouldn’t have enough of it back home, lol. But I’m telling you, it’s really cool and totally worth it!

We started our day with breakfast at 8 a.m. and had to leave the hostel around 10 a.m. The walk to the factory took us around 45–50 minutes and was mainly uphill. Once we arrived, we got a glass of freshly collected milk and started with the tour right after. It took around two hours in total and cost $7, which is a fair price, I think. You can even take some cheese with you, which is pretty cool.

We walked back down to our hostel, collecting a whole lot of trash that was lying around on the pathways. It’s kind of sad knowing that people living there are not really getting the education needed to prevent this from happening, because seriously, it was a crazy amount of plastic that we gathered there. Back at the hostel, we got some lunch and packed our bags to move to the new place right down the street, Hostal Taita Cristóbal. This accommodation is $15 per night, including dinner and breakfast, so a bit cheaper but also very beautiful. They also have three llamas, which are absolutely adorable!

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Day 3: Insinliví to Chugchilán

Breakfast was served at 7:30 a.m., and we met some more people who were going to make the next stage of the hike with us. The more, the merrier, right? The hostel offered lunch bags for as little as $3.50 with a sandwich, fruits, chips, or cookies, and water in them.

There are two different routes you can choose to get to Chugchilán: the old one and the new one. We decided on going with the old one; it’s a bit longer but apparently has better views. In the beginning, it was actually quite easy and mainly downhill or flat, but we all knew that at some point it was going to go up again. We took a few breaks to fully enjoy the amazing panorama and eat our food.

During the hike, we came across some very aggressive dogs that really scared the sh*t out of me! They literally come running at you, trying to attack you, and the only thing that helps you get rid of them is pretending to pick up some stones from the floor and “throw” it at them. You don’t actually have to do it, only pretending to do so makes them back off and eventually let you pass. Also, make sure to never leave the sight of the dogs, even after passing them, because they will also try to attack you from behind. I am not trying to scare anyone, but you do not want to get bitten by a dog in the middle of nowhere with no hospitals or doctors nearby.

After 4-5 hours, we came across an indigenous family that sold us some fruits and showed us a waterfall nearby. They were all very kind and excited to talk to us, and they asked us to take a selfie together. After around two hours more of only uphill walking, we finally made it to the Cloud Forrest Hostel, where we all just went straight to the shower and rested. Hiking for seven hours in total really wiped us out. I could feel every single muscle and joint in my body aching.

Dinner was served at 7 p.m., just enough time for us to check out the spa area with a dry and steam sauna for $3. In the common area, they also had a bunch of pool and ping-pong tables that we could use for a bit before going to sleep. This hostel was also $15 per night and included the same as the others. One day closer to Quilotoa, we’re all feeling excited!

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Days 4: Chugchilán to Quilotoa

Again, we had our breakfast served at 7:30 am and started walking at 8 am because the earlier you make it to the lake, the better the chances are to see it without clouds and fog. Two more people decided to join our group, so in the end, we were eight people trying to make it to the crater. There are two options for this last part as well: the easy and the “extreme” way. We chose the easy one because apparently the other one gets quite slippery and dangerous when it’s raining a lot, and for the last few days, it has been raining every evening and night. So we decided to better be safe than sorry.

Everyone says that the last day is the most intense one since it constantly goes up. I honestly wouldn’t say it was harder than the day before because at least it’s shorter and “only” a five-hour hike until the crater. But yes, it’s hard. The air gets thinner and thinner the higher you get, which makes it much harder to breathe.

At around 1 p.m., we finally made it to the top. Sadly, the weather wasn’t great, and we could barely see the lake, which was kind of disappointing, but that’s just something you can’t foresee. From time to time, the clouds and fog did move a bit for us to see a little more of the lake, but it was never really clear. We ended up drinking some coca tea, which was freshly brewed by some locals, and made our way to the town of Quilotoa. It’s a beautiful 1.5–2 hour walk halfway around the crater; I just wish the weather was better. A cute puppy accompanied us for the whole last part of our hike, which was definitely the highlight of the day!

We decided to stay one night in Quilotoa instead of going back to Latacunga by bus immediately. There was a chance that the next morning it’d clear up, so we could get another glance at the lake. Walking around and asking different hotels for vacancies and prices, we found the Runa Wasi Hotel, which made us a good offer. 15 dollars for the night, including dinner and breakfast.

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Day 5: Quilotoa to Latacunga:

After breakfast, we went straight to the viewpoint to check out the visibility of the lake, and unfortunately, it was even worse than the day before. It was raining, and this time the clouds didn’t seem to want to move at all. We decided to take the bus for $2.50 at 9 a.m. to go back to Latacunga because it really didn’t look like it was going to get any better. A lot of people do a hike around the crater the day after they arrive in Quilotoa, but with those conditions, it just didn’t make any sense to do it. Also, I was honestly dead and just wanted a day to relax and not do anything at all. Never in my life have my legs and feet hurt that much, like, damn, lol.

Back in Latacunga, we went straight to our hostel to get our bags and reorganize all of our stuff. I decided to make my way down to Baños immediately and not stay another day in this city, which I had already explored some days before. On the bus to the next destination, I just thought about how happy and proud I am for finishing this incredible hike and being able to take all those amazing memories with me.