Quilotoa to Tigua
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 9.49 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,273 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 2,697 ft
- Max elevation
- 12,779 ft
- TrailRank
-
49
5
- Min elevation
- 10,833 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Time
- 5 hours 27 minutes
- Coordinates
- 1314
- Uploaded
- February 28, 2017
- Recorded
- February 2017
near Cuizán, Cotopaxi (Ecuador)
Viewed 3066 times, downloaded 122 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
Day 4 of a 4 day hike known as the Quilotoa Loop. Today's hike starts in Quilotoa and goes into an impressive canyon with fairly steep descent and ascent (from around the 3 km mark to the 7 km mark). The views and scenery are really great but navigation late in the hike was difficult and I fell off the intended path several times. You will need detailed written instructions or better yet the GPS track.
The descent into the canyon was on a trail of loose sand and gravel. It had rained the previous night but the trail was in great shape. The loose material would make climbing hard but we descended easily and quickly. At the bottom, it took us a few minutes of wandering the shoreline to locate the bridge (a log across the water). The climb out of the canyon was more gradual than the descent and footing was noticeably better.
The original plan was to stay at Posada de Tigua but with no other hikers around we opted to continue to the highway and waved down the next bus to Latacunga.
This hike is often left off the Quilotoa Loop but it is very scenic and well worth the effort. Here is the summary description of our four day hike: Quilotoa Loop.
The descent into the canyon was on a trail of loose sand and gravel. It had rained the previous night but the trail was in great shape. The loose material would make climbing hard but we descended easily and quickly. At the bottom, it took us a few minutes of wandering the shoreline to locate the bridge (a log across the water). The climb out of the canyon was more gradual than the descent and footing was noticeably better.
The original plan was to stay at Posada de Tigua but with no other hikers around we opted to continue to the highway and waved down the next bus to Latacunga.
This hike is often left off the Quilotoa Loop but it is very scenic and well worth the effort. Here is the summary description of our four day hike: Quilotoa Loop.
Waypoints
Panorama
Bridge
10,919 ft
Log over river
Cross over the river, hopefully the log is still in the same place. We had to search the shoreline for a few minutes.
Picnic
11,293 ft
Good spot for a break
Once you have completed the majority of the climb out of the canyon you'll find this area which is a great spot for a break.
Intersection
11,250 ft
Intersection hidden
Get off road, left turn. Photo is looking back on the intersection we missed.
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Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Moderate
Great! Easy to follow with the GPS and way points. It took us a few minutes to find the bridge to cross the river. The canyon is amazing and you get to hike through the agricultural landscape of the Andes mountains.
Difficulty: the climb out of the canyon can be hard. Make sure you're used tp the altitude, and pace yourself.
Warning: dogs will bark and snap at you, so just ignore them and keep walking. They'll stop following once you are off their land. They are just doing their jobs.