Cotopaxi Lodge to Lodge Trek: a Traveller’s Review

Trekking in the foothills of Cotopaxi

Return customers Patti McCarthy and her family recently travelled with Andean Trails around Ecuador and shared their experiences of trekking the Lodge to Lodge trek in Cotopaxi National Park with us.

Up close to the mighty Cotopaxi

Mountain weather is notoriously unsettled and unpredictable, but the volcano Cotopaxi is next level, as we learned while spending a week there!

We enjoyed four fabulous days of walking and a day of mountain biking in the Cotopaxi National Park and it felt like we experienced both all weathers and all terrains.

On our first morning, we had a fantastic view of Cotopaxi from our breakfast table at the lovely Cotopaxipungo Hotel.

The peak was all icy whiteness against a brilliant blue sky and promised a beautiful day for hiking, but by lunchtime we were puffing our way up a nearby peak in pouring rain! Luckily, we had a delicious box-lunch to keep our spirits up and we really appreciated the open fire and the hot chocolate on our return to the hotel.

Enjoying stunning views

We also had a really great guide, Juan, who taught us so much about the local area and really added to both our enjoyment and appreciation of the area.

The next morning Cotopaxi was again white and crystalline – until suddenly the puffs of smoke changed to grey and smoke started to pour out. Luckily, we were far too far away to be in danger and were able to enjoy the show without worrying.

Over the next few days, we walked through verdant river valleys, along canyons and across grassy altiplano meadows. We teetered at the top of high cliffs overlooking endless valleys, stood in a former Inca camp and were refreshed by the spray of stunning waterfalls. We loved the birdlife – from huge condors to tiny hummingbirds – and the huge variety of flowers and trees.

The next two nights we stayed much closer to Cotopaxi at Hacienda Los Mortinos,  which not only offered wonderful views but a herd of llamas, which we loved watching!

Altogether it was a very memorable few days. Thanks Kathy & Andean Trails!