Cotopaxi

Saturday the 2nd of October 2010
On Saturday we left our Spanish school, our family for one week, and Quito and started exploring the rest of Ecuador. The first destination was the Cotopaxi volcano, the second highest (5897m) and still active volcano in Ecuador. To get to the volcano we registered on a “biking Dutchmen” tour. Our guide, Fernando, picked us up with his jeep and drove us to the parking lot on the flank of the volcano (4500m). From there we biked down into the valley. The view was amazing and the reliable equipment we rented made it a most enjoyable trip. We continued to a laguna where we had lunch and then set course for Tambopaxi past a herd of at least 200 lama’s, meeting wild horses and domesticated cows and bulls on the way. Tambopaxi is the only hostel within the boundaries of the National Park and it offers camping possibilities. We did not let this change slip by and quickly set up our tent. Before dinner, we made a short walk in the valley without turning our eyes away from the majestic volcano.

Sunday the 3rd of October 2010
The next morning we woke up with a magnificent view on the volcano. Absolutely astonishing! After breakfast and a short morning walk we got in the pickup we organized together with Pierre-Roland (SUI) and Johan (SWE) who we met the evening before. At the same parking lot we started our ride down the day before, we now jumped out of the open cargo part of the pickup (great ride up!) ready to climb another 300m to a refuge on the side of the volcano and from there on to the bottom of the glacier (5000m above sea level). At this altitude every step is at least five times harder than at sea level, making the hike up challenging, but very rewarding. 2 hours later we jumped back in the back of the pickup to be dropped of at the Panamerican highway where we took a bus to Latacunga. Pierre-Roland and Johan continued to Baños, while we stayed in Latacunga, which would be our home base for a trip to Quilotoa.