Quilotoa Crater Lake
Two hundred and fifty metres of green water inside a three-kilometre caldera
The crater rim stands at around 3,900 metres and the caldera measures three kilometres across: what the volcano left when it collapsed. Inside lie two hundred and fifty metres of emerald water, coloured by dissolved minerals, with fumaroles still active on the floor. You can paddle a kayak across it.
What you will see
Down to the Shore
Thirty to forty-five minutes down, an hour and a half to two back up, with a mule available for the return.
The Glass Viewpoint at Shalalá
The community runs a glass platform suspended over the crater, on the quieter side of the rim.
The Full Rim Circuit
Ten kilometres of trail along the edge, the lake shifting through greens as the light moves.
Wildlife & flora
Dry tussock páramo with chuquiragua and cushion plants, Andean birds along the rim and, now and then, a carunculated caracara gliding inside the crater. From Quito it is 170 to 180 kilometres, three to three and a half hours via Latacunga and Zumbahua.
From our own visits
At the crater rim you will be offered mules and horses for the climb back up. It makes us uneasy to see them do that ascent over and over, so we prefer to walk up, and we say so plainly. An Ecuadorian citizens’ campaign is asking for rules on loads, rest and shade for those animals; the Quilotoa communities hold that there is no mistreatment and that the income supports many families. No local regulation covers it today. We suggest walking up and taking your time, and we leave the decision to each traveller, with the facts at hand.
What you should know
The climb back from the shore to the rim at nearly 3,900 metres is demanding, and it is the most common complaint of those who go down without thinking it through: book the mule in advance. It is cold and windy year-round. Mist tends to close over the lake from midday, so arrive early. The village has basic services and very little medical infrastructure.
