Quilotoa Tour

DEPARTURE

EVERY FRIDAY

Without minimum of passengers

HOUR

At 07H05

From Bulevar Naciones Unidas Stop

RATES FROM

60 USD ADULTS

13 to 64 years old. National and International passengers.

40 USD SPECIAL

Children up to 12 years old, Seniors 65 years old or older, and people with disabilities (Valid ID required)

At 3 hours from Quito we find the Ecological Reserve Los Ilinizas where one of its main attractions is the turquoise lagoon that is located in the crater of Quilotoa, the wonderful landscapes make this tourist attraction an experience that you can not miss if you are in Ecuador. In our tour we will visit:

Shalalá

Trekking to the Quilotoa Lagoon

Artisan Workshop in Tigua

Visit to the Toachi River Canyon

PICK UP

07h05 – Boulevar Naciones Unidas

Shyris Ave. & Naciones Unidas Ave.

How to get

07h25 – La Mariscal / Plaza Foch

Reina Victoria St. between Calama & Mariscal Foch. Stop #3 Quito Tour Bus

How to get

07h50 – El Quinde Visitors Center

Venezuela St. & Espejo. Plaza Grande.

How to get

ITINERARY

On the southbound road you would be admiring the beautiful Andean landscape until we arrive at the Quilotoa area where our first stop will be at the “Shalalá” lookout. We can marvel at the beauty of the Quilotoa Lagoon with its incredible turquoise waters, from a transparent structure built as a lookout. We will descend towards the lagoon where we will have some free time to visit it and walk around. The path to ascend communicates us with the community lookout (the ascend is a bit tough, so that it is recommended to go up on a mule for people who do not count with a good physical condition). After your lunch break, we will head back by an artisan workshop in Tigua, famous for its picturesque paintings, and finally we will visit the Toachi Canyon lookout.

Pick Up

07h05 – Bulevar Naciones Unidas

Bulevar Naciones Unidas and Shyris Ave., Stop #1 Quito Tour Bus.

07h25 – La Mariscal / Plaza Foch

Reina Victoria St. between Calama St. and Mariscal Foch St., Stop #3 Quito Tour Bus.

07h50 – The Quinde Visitors Center

Venezuela St. and Espejo St., Plaza Grande. Stop #10 Quito Tour Bus.

BEGINNING OF THE TOUR

08H00

From Quinde Visitors Center

Visit the Shalalá and Quilotoa Lookout

The beginning of the lagoon of Quilotoa is Shalala viewpoint, a space built in 2014, with sustainable materials, that allows to contemplate the beauty of nature from 3900 meters above sea level.

Hike and visit the Quilotoa Lagoon

The crater of the dormant volcano forms a bowl that collects the azure waters of the lagoon. Its color is due to the accumulation of sulfur. According to legend, this was the scene of the battle between the Quilotoa gods who lived on the surface and Toachi, who was under the lake, because that aroused envy the ability of the first to reflect the color of the sky.

Visit a crafts workshop in the Community of Tigua

Color is the protagonist of the stories that narrate the crafts of Tigua, works that are manufactured by the community of the same name. These paintings bear geometric and figurative forms, typical of the pre-Columbian and colonial times respectively.

Toachi Canyon Lookout

Lookout

The Toachi River Canyon covers almost 30 kilometers in length with a drop of 100 meters, offers an unusual Andean landscape as a result of the eruptions of the Quilotoa volcano.

Return

End of the Tour

19h00 aprox.

Important Information

Ecological Reserve “Los Ilinizas”

A two-summit volcano, a heart shaped hill, and a green-turquois lagoon are the main attractions of this reserve. From its foothills many streams are born which feed two important rivers, Toachi, which runs towards the north through a 40 meter high canyon, and Pilaton. This reveals the importance of the cloud forests of the reserve for the generation of water for the surrounding towns and cities.