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Quilotoa Full Day Tour - All included with Quito pick up & drop off
4.8
69 Ratings
Quito
This is a full day tour from Quito to visit the Quilotoa Lagoon, an incredible turquoise-colored lake located inside the caldera of an active volcano. On the way to Quilotoa, you will also stop to enjoy breakfast. A great way to escape from the city and return to Quito the same day!
Duration:
14 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Quito - Direct pick-up from your hostel or hotel in Quito to begin the trip to Cotopaxi (the exact time will depend on which neighborhood you are located in).
- Quilotoa - Transportation: 4 hours back to Quito
Hike down to the shore of the Quilotoa Lagoon, on a guided trek, an opportunity to see the breathtaking crater lake up close.
Lunch at a local restaurant, and after that, you will have free time to explore the Quilotoa community.
- Tigua - Visit a crafts workshop in the Community of Tigua. Tigua paintings are symbolic art, a reflection of the culture of Ecuadorian indigenous communities.
- Quito - On your way back to Quito, you will be able to observe from the car the canyon of the Toachi River, due to the eruptions it offers an unusual Andean landscape.
You will be arriving back in Quito around 8:00 pm. We will drop you off at your hotel/hostel in Quito, as long as it’s within our pick up/drop off areas.
What's Included
- Hotel pick up and drop off
- Entrance to the Quilotoa Lagoon
- Visit the Tigua crafts workshop
- Onboard bilingual guide
What's Not Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Location
Quito
Direct hostel/hotel pick-up in Quito.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(69 Ratings)
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Sarah_m
Aug 3, 2024
Above and beyond - Misael led a wonderful tour to Quilotoa. He was prompt and communicative on the day of the tour. On the way to Quilotoa, we toured an indigenous farm, saw Toachi Canyon, and browsed the local artisan shops in Tigua. In Quilotoa, I hiked down into the crater to the water, and when the return trip up the mountain took me longer than expected, Misael hiked down to me to make sure I was alright. Overall, the trip exceeded my expectations.
Review provided by Viator
Joe_c
Apr 22, 2024
Great trip - We had an awesome experience at the home visit with Manuel and Michaela. Also stops at overlooks were amazing. It was pouring rain at quilatoa but we still had an amazing time. Our guide Dani was wonderful. Very knowledgeable
Review provided by Viator
Jake_t
Apr 6, 2024
A great day - Irene was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and kind. The hike itself was hard but very rewarding
Review provided by Viator
W8107gwcarrieg
Feb 27, 2024
Quilotoa is even better in person than these photos! - Adrian was a fantastic guide. I loved seeing the indigenous village and hearing about the way they live. Quilatoa itself was epic. It was so beautiful, I even cried a little when I saw it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Federico_f
Jan 21, 2024
Amazing - It was amazing. And irene is awesome.
Take warm vclothes. It gets really chilli up there .
Also love the vidit to the quechua house
Review provided by Viator
Shieldsnan
Mar 11, 2023
Perfect Private Driver Day Trip: Quito to Otovalo - Highly recommend Andres Espindola. Private driver. Pick up and drop off at hotel. Andres very knowledgable and enthusiastic about Ecuador.: geology of mountains and volcanoes; history; native foods; Ecuadoran politics; wildlife. Good sense of humor, very safe driver. Fluent in several languages. [email protected]
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mundo2023
Jan 31, 2023
good day - BRILLANT DAY!
We met fun people on the tour and we will travel together for a few weeks in Ecuador.
The pick up was on time as it says on the reservation. Buses are really comfortable and good reclining seats.
We saw some incredible views along the way!
Everyone from the bus driver, guide and the office team were amazing, friendly, polite and informative.
Gracias!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mkbeckyc
Mar 28, 2022
Great Experience - Communication was clear and we had a great time! The guide was personable and very helpful and the driver was great too! I would do it again in a heartbeat!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annal335
Jul 30, 2024
Mistreated Animals; Not Good Use of Time - Beware! I am not sure why this gets such amazing reviews! The views of the lagoon are indeed impressive. But given it’s a 6 hour round trip from Quito, I don’t believe the time or price are worth it.
The climb down is steep and on gravel paths so very slippery. The time are the bottom is ok.
The climb up if you don’t already live at high altitude is very very tough! We’re fit and healthy and really struggled due to altitude.
The stop at the art centre is very average- as all the art is by 1 person. And the cultural visit to an Indigenous farm was 5 minutes of looking at vegetables and watching a child mistreat a dog- awful!
Tip: do not, please do not, use the horses/donkeys to get back up the crater. They are so mistreated. No water and 1 we saw was clearly in pain - crying while walking until the person recognized this, got off and walked themselves. The horse owner refused to acknowledge the animal should not be working. Awful!
If you have time to spare in Quito and looking for day trips- skip this. Go to Banos or Otavalo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alex_d
May 25, 2024
Violently ill day of so cancelled but zero refund given - Booked this excursion in Ecuador. Woke up violently ill the day of the excursion and cancelled at 6:20am when the pick up was 7am. I understandably wasn’t expecting a full refund but thought half would be reasonable since there was no way I could attend in the state I was in. Was told because it was under 24 hours notice I was deemed a no show and would be receiving no money back. That’s not acceptable. I felt fine until the morning of the excursion. I didn’t have 24 hours notice to give. There must be exceptions made due to sickness.
Review provided by Viator
