New Country, New Adventures | Quilotoa Loop
Hello friends,
We are back from our 3-day hike of the Quilotoa Loop & it was one of the toughest hikes we've done by far. But it was totally worth it! If you're in Ecuador, it's a MUST-SEE on your list. This is definitely a hike that you can do on your own. But you can also a guide if you feel more comfortable with that. After doing some research online, we had two options: 4-day hike starting at Sigchos or 3-day hike starting in Isinliví. For those who are thinking about doing it, just do it! If you're nervous about the hike, you can also get to the laguna by car. (Not sure the cost because we did the 3-day hike, but we know people who have done it because of altitude sickness.)
Flashback a little to how we started our first big hiking adventure. We stayed a night in Latacunga Canton, where we were able to leave our big luggage of things we didn't need for the hike (at no cost!) Thanks to our AirBnb host - if you need a place to stay, definitely check out Cesar's place (I can point you in the right direction if needed.)
The next day, we packed our bags with just the necessities and made our way to the first location. To get to Isinliví, we went to the local bus station and was able to hop on a bus to Isinliví.
We only reserved that one night in advance. All the other nights we stayed in hostels along the way and it was super easy to find a hostal that had room for us. Apparently we are here during their low season, so it wasn't too busy.
The hostal we stayed at the first night in Isinliví was Hostal Llullu Llama. (There aren't many hostal in this town, you had a choice of this one or some other one that looked a little run down...so this is definitely the better option.) We opted for the private bungalow with a private bathroom ($40 USD per person). It was quite expensive but it was all about the experience - this price included all our meals (minus any alcoholic drinks). However, we met some awesome people there, and with whom we actually ended up hiking with on the trail.
Baloo, the hostal dog 😊🐶
Chilly nights with a fire 💕
Day 1 - Isinliví to Chucchilán (16 km - 7 hours hiking)
We started the day 10AM, had breakfast and hit the road by 11:00AM with our new friend, Ester.
The first person we encountered was an cute old lady, who we talked to briefly and found out that she had walked from Chucchilán since early morning. We were so amazed that at her age, she looked so fragile, yet she does this walk almost every day!
Anyway, it was great to meet her and we were glad we got a photo with her. As we continued hiking, I couldn't help but continuously snap photos of everything we saw. It was truly a beautiful hike with views of the green mountains. I am a visual person so looking at photos and a map was the best way for us. We got a little help from a guide that stayed at the hostal with the family he worked for. He drew us a map with directions on how to get to Chucchilán, but we also used the Maps.me app (which if you are traveling, it's the best thing ever! Download it now!)
Map drawn by guide, Miguel Cazar
At the "viewpoint" - not the same viewpoint that was drawn on the map
Day 2 - Chucchilán to Quilotoa (14 km - 5 hours hiking)
We started the day at 9:00AM, had breakfast and hit the road with the others by 10:30AM.
The second day felt easier for us, though I was suffering pretty hard...Tim always encouraged me and stuck by me as the others went ahead.
The roads are marked with signs, so it's quite easy to navigate and not get lost.
We even met some local kids and they helped show us the right way to go. We brought some cookies with us and gave it to them.
After reaching the viewpoint and taking photos, we hiked another 1 hour to the village, where we stayed at Hostal Chukirawa. It was a very nice hostal and we got our own room with bathroom, plus dinner and breakfast was included.
The next morning, we woke up to catch sunrise.
It was the perfect way to end our adventure to Quilotoa.
Until next time...
~ Lynna
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