Elevate: A Day's Odyssey To Cotopaxi's Majestic Heights!

We had one last day to fill and this was the perfect day's quest. We were picked up and dropped off a short walk from the hostel and driven to the car park (very bumpy road but a great driver) before the climb to Cotopaxi base camp refuge. At 69 I was a bit apprehensive but a slow, steady pace was the key and the guide, Alejandro, was always checking in on the group. Hot chocate at the top was delicious and to be recommended before the much faster descent by the shorter route down. A short drive took us to where we could finish the journey by bike - mostly downhill. The bikes aren't the best and my son's chain came off twice during his decent but the. brakes worked which was key. The lagoon was, well, a lagoon with some birds and it was a short stop before heading on again for lunch which was basic but very good. I'd thoroughly recommend this trip for a good day out - we had reasonable weather and it would have been a bit grim in the rain but we were lucky.

Not sure of the exact name of tour but mine left from Secret Garden Quito and we spent the day learning all about Cotopaxi and after breakfast, hiked to the refuge. Our guide as very helpful and knowledgeable, always putting our safety first. After resting at the top, we made our way down to the bikes & biked the rest to the lake. Lunch was also included. I feel like I learned a lot and had a much fuller experience than if I were to go alone. Thanks so much!!

Lincon was our guide and he was excellent he picked me up from secret garden at 7:20 am. He spoke fluent English and Spanish. We only had 4 in our group all English speaking so he didn’t need to speak in Spanish. It took just over 1hour to reach a spot where we had breakfast. Breakfast isn’t included in the price but was only $3.50 for a continental breakfast including eggs, fruit, yogurt and a sandwich with an option of coffee or coca tea. shortly after we began our hike, we stopped at the base camp for the bathroom and to have a hot drink. We then continued up to the glacier it was incredible soso beautiful and we were blessed with the most amazing weather and blue skies. On the way down we stopped at the information centre and the lake for more photo opportunities. There’s an option to ride a bike down the mountain I was initially going to do this big unfortunately felt sick due to the altitude but looked like it would be great. We stopped for lunch which was included in the price and really delicious. Option of veggie, chicken or shrimp. Really recommend and was back by 5:30 pm

Lincoln picked us up at our hostel and we had a great time throughout the whole day. Stopped for breakfast (not included) and went to the refuge after. We even did a detour to the closest glacier. Stopped at the information point to get a wildlife and fauna presentation. After the tasty lunch we headed back to Quito.

We had an amazing experience! Our guide was incredibly experienced and shared so much interesting information about Ecuador. He actively searched for wildlife along the way and explained everything we spotted in a fun and clear way. On top of that, he was genuinely friendly and easy to talk to. Highly recommended!

Rodney and pato were really great! The bus was super clean and comfy and Rodney was so knowledgeable and kind the whole way through the tour. It’s very flexible allowing us to stop wherever needed. On the walk up we were blessed with great views of Cotopaxi and enjoyed the bike ride back down very much! Lunch was also delicious. Would definitely recommend this tour it was great value for money!!!

Rodney and Pato were fantastic. Rodney answered all our questions and took as long as we needed to get up Cotopaxi. Very very interesting and a lot of fun.

Got great view of Cotopaxi on clear day. Hiking pace was pretty fast, would have prefer to skip more of the other activities (shorter breakfast time as everyone was done) so have more time to hike up. Bike was short as weather was changing, there were some flat / uphill portion and not all downhill. Worth the trip anyway.

A great day out with entertaining guide Felipe and excellent driver Patricio. Convenient pace in programme with an informative introduction and enough time for onward activities and taking pictures. The steep, windy and breath-taking climb to the José Riva Hut was rewarded by beautiful views of the volcano. Only the biking equipment could be of better quality.

We had the best day on our Cotopaxi adventure! We were lucky enough to travel as just a 2 with our brilliant guide Alejandro. He taught us so much about Quito, Ecuador and Cotopaxi and was so encouraging during the hike and other activities. Fortunately the weather was good enough for us to summit 5,000m, despite the altitude, Alejandro made it seem easy peasy! The mountain biking was also fun and the surprise was an amazing finish to the tour:) We couldn’t recommend this trip more! Thank you Alejandro!

We booked the Cotopaxi tour from Cuzco and Alejandro was our guide. He was really amazing, gave us a lot of explanations on the way to go and was taking care of everybody on the tour. We also did some mountain bike. Breakfast and lunch were included and where nice. I totally recommand this tour!

A perfect day. Nice guides. Good food. And a spectacular view. At first a little afraid I felt safe and at least I'm thankful for these great trip. Thank you very much!

Honestly one of the best tours I’ve ever done! Alejandro was very knowledgeable and shared his interesting stories in both English and Spanish in order to cater to everybody’s needs. He was fun, nice and looked after everyone very well during the hike. The itinerary itself was great too. Climbing Cotopaxi was intensive but very rewarding. The mountainbiking was great fun and lunch was very tasty. Overall, I absolutely loved this trip, highly recommended!

Very well organized 1-day tour! The guide provided us with many interesting informations about the volcanos, the vegetation and the wildlife. You have to be in good shape to climb to the refuge, considering the altitude, but not an athlete.

It was an amazing daytrip and Alejandro explained us so many useful information already on the ride, that was really amazing! The hike itself is not that far, but based on the fitness and acclimatisation quite exhausting anyway! He and the second guide always been around and cared for us, which was really good. The bike ride is quite bumpy, but if weather is nice worth because of the view ;) The offered lunch was delicious!

Being able to hike up to base camp at this elevation was fantastic. The views were amazing as was the cocoa at the mountain hut. And biking down to the lagoon on the dirt road was a first for me and a great addition to the experience. Alejandro was just the greatest guide and friend for the day. He gave us tons of stories and advice on the road there and took amazing care of the whole group so we individually and collectively had a top notch time. Cannot recommend this enough.

I really appreciate Alejandro's guidance, expertise and great sense of humor. Definitely would recommend to friends/family

Amazing day trip! Alejandro was a funny and informative guide. Got very lucky with the weather so the views were amazing. Biking was great fun and the food afterwards was great with both veggie and vegan options.

Alejandro was an awesome guide. Genuinely friendly guy with great positive energy and knowledge of Cotopaxi. The tour had the right level of intensity to be challenging without being too exhausting. Always adjusted to each individual’s pace. Recommended.

Alejandro was an amazing guide! The food was great, and the hike up the volcano was beautiful. Highly recommend this day trip!

we did the cotopaxi day trip from quito with alejandro as our guide and christian as our driver! it was one of the highlights of our trip, we had so much fun. alejandro would explain everything in spanish and then english, and we really appreciate practicing our spanish with him. we stopped for breakfast and snacks at a small stop near the park. then we went up to the volcano and hiked up to the base camp. the altitude definitely affects you if you aren’t acclimated, but you can take it as slow as you want to. there is an indoor area to rest at the base camp with hot chocolate. the walk back down is so fast. then, we drove back down the volcano a bit more and then biked down to the lagoon. the bike ride was so fun!! it’s cool seeing how the scenery and vegetation changes quickly as you move up and down at that altitude. alejandro shared a lot of interesting information about the national park, it’s micro climates, the animals, etc. we saw horses and a cute little fox. after, we went back to the same small restaurant to have lunch (included). the chicken soup warmed my soul. the main entree was rice, your choice of meat or vegetarian, peas, and fries, and was very satisfying. the drive back to quito was comfortable and went by quickly, we were back by 16:00. highly recommend, great day trip from quito :)

The tour was amazing, the The weather really surprised me, it was cold, there was snow and even at times the volcano was clear and the view was incredible. Our guide Alejandro gave us a lot of information about the volcano and in general! It was excellent If you travel to Ecuador ! Definitely worth doing this tour 🫶 thank you Carpedm

The day with the group and our guide Alejandro at the Cotopaxi was really exciting. I highly enjoyed the views, observing the wild horses, an andenian fox, a lama and the many birds. Personally I didn’t hike up the Cotopaxi due to my health conditions, but the guide was understanding and my highlight was cycling the way down. The food was delicious and I enjoyed the day. The bus was punctual and the driver friendly. You need to know though, that the vulcano is active again.

Our hike was amazing and our guide Alejandro was very knowledgeable, caring and helpful and made sure that everyone was safe and comfortable. It was a great experience.

My family did the Cotopaxi Mountain tour with our tour company and it was an outstanding experience! The mountain was gorgeous and our guide Alejandro was exceptional. From start to finish we were taken care of! I especially liked the way everyone was allowed to climb at their own pace, being our group was at varying skill levels. If you wish to see this mountain I highly recommend this tour group and Alejandro!

Our guide Alejandro was fantastic.He was able to share his immense knowledge of volcanoes. His enthusiasm was captivating,enabling him to share a lot of details. He was friendly and professional took care of his guests. Cotopaxi volcano was stunning well worth the effort.

An extraordinary day and certainly a "must-do" when you are in Quito. Walking up was a great experience - the views to the Cotopaxi as well down are fantastic as we had very good weather. The tour was very well organised and structured by CarpeDM starting with the punctual pick up at the pick-up point, clear announcement of the plan for the day, clear instructions on safety and behaviour rules related to the altitude and lunch at a clean and well maintained restaurant. Everything very well managed by Alejandro, who is also very knowledgeable on the volcanos of Ecuador and the Quito area. Alejandro was also taking very well care about all group members. The optional bike-ride down to the Laguna was also nice. We liked it too - however more experienced mountain bikers might have got higher expectations to the quality of the bikes and the challenge to the ride. But for us it was fine as it was just 7 km going down.

Excellent tour!! The volcano was beautiful. I got a bit altitude sick, but still got to experience the mountain biking which was exhilarating! Alejandro was fun and considerate and made did everyone was having fun.

We booked a last minute tour for the 1-day Cotapaxi volcano tour and the tour company were so helpful getting this arranged for us at such short notice. The tour involved transportation to the volcano national park, a hike up to base camp (then optional up to 5000m), a bike ride down to a lagoon and then a 2-course lunch. Our guide, Alejandro, was very knowledgable and had fluent English. He was very enthusiastic and informative. I would recommend this to anyone who has a day in Quito and wants a bit of an adventure!

The place was incredibly beautiful, the climb was tough but is completely for everyone and the view was worth it. Also our guide Alejandro was the best😁❤️

I am 67 and was affraid on not being able to climb till the refugee. The guide Alejandro was great, helping me by lending me his sticks and also lent me his poncho, which was really useful next to the Refugio, when it started to snow. The guide was also great in explaing what and when to eat in order to diminish the effects of the height, and his advice really worked as I endended not having any headache or similar and restablishing my breath very quickly. I did not make the bicicle part and was able to stay very confortable inside the bus while it followed the biker caravan. I had a worderful day. I really recommened Carpe DM and the guide Alejandro.

A fun experience! We were driven to a couple hundred meters below base camp and then hiked up to the glacier at the top of Cotopaxi and then to the base camp (takes longer than you’d think). Then we hiked back down to the car and then we’re dropped off a a few hundred meters lower elevation to bike down to the lake (I forget the name). The experience was great, the only knock I’d give it was that $50 seems overpriced for the experience. Of course, I’m not sure how much gas costs but I went on a tour in Baños that did way more driving than we did on this tour AND a bunch more activities along the way and that only cost $30.

The guide was great and interesting. Always was aware to the group and health situation with the heights and so kind. Also great food experience in the way back with authentic Ecuadorian delicious food.

We had an amazing and unique day. The national park is very beautiful, we saw wild horses and different types of birds as well as many plants. We were impressed by the beauty of the volcano and the lagoon we went to and had fun riding the bikes! :D Our guide was super sweet and attentive, he made everyone feel safe and took care of people who had problems with the altitude. All in all a tour I would definitely recommend.

We did the one day trip to Cotopaxi with Alejandro and I can only recommend! The views were stunning and he was an amazing guide explaining everything and constantly checking we were all feeling ok with the high. A must do from my point of view in Ecuador.

Our guide Alejandro was so lovely and friendly. He led a really informative tour about all the volcanoes of Ecuador, as well as Cotopaxi. Was also generally very friendly and helpful, he even switched bikes with me. Cotopaxi itself was stunningly beautiful and the hike up the steep slopes was challenging with the altitude but well worth it for the views. The bike ride was an excellent way to end it in the National park and the included meal at the restaurant was delicious too. Would 100% recommend taking this tour, great value for money.

The day trip was amazing and with a lot of activities. The guide Alejandro was amazing and told us very insightful stories about Quito, volcanoes and Cotopaxi. Definitely recommend it as a day trip from Quito

We had a really good time at Cotopaxi it was good organiced and our guide Alejandro was good informed and had a lot to talk to us. All in all i would definitely recommend that tour.

First we were picked up at our hotel and shuttled to Cotopaxi. During the ride, our guide (Alejandro) gave us detailed and informative information about Ecuador and what to prepare for, prior to reaching Cotopaxi. He was really funny, knowledgeable, and charming. Make sure to prepare for the elevation (e.g. bring lots of water and if needed and applicable, altitude medication). Also, prepare for the weather and hike with the proper and warm waterproof clothing, good hiking boots, gloves, socks, warm head protection, backpack, maybe a poncho (it hailed part of the way when we were there), walking stick if you need them, etc. When we reached the entrance, we stopped to for a bio break. There is also a small cafe and some small shops to get any last moment warm clothing. Past the entrance, the ride is bumpy. Once parked, we started the hike. Hike was around 1.5-2 hours. After the hike, the group went for a bike ride down part of the road and the bus followed behind in case you want to get back on. On our way back after the bike ride, the group was taken to a nice small farm with lamas and cute setting for a delicious meal. As a final touch, we got to feed the lamas with carrots. The tour ended with us being shuttled back to our hotels. Overall a fun day trip and experience.

We had a great day, the tour was organized very well. Stui made sure everyone had fun and was safe at the same time. Would join again anytime.

A challenging but great hike with great guide! We really enjoyed the tour despite rain and snow at the top.

Alejandro is the best guide you could find in Quito. Share amazing historical fact of Quito on the road to Cotopaxi. Amazing experience and would do it again 100% !!!

Alejandro is an amazing guide! He is very funny, he tell a lot about ecuador, the vulcanos or the languages in Ecuador. He also made a little Quiz at the end. At the hike he always ask if everyone is fine. Very good guide and very nice tour👌.

This was an awesome experience by the hand of Paul and Alejandro! Attention was top notch and the ride was perfect, bikes were good and the timing was all good.

Had a really nice day at Cotopaxi with Alejandro our tour guide was really friendly and open to ask for if you have any questions about anything!! Thank you for that trip!

I was picked up exactly on time and our tour guide, Alejandro was wonderful. He told us interesting anecdotes during the whole trip. If it hadn’t been for his company and encouraged on the trail, I never would have made it.

Amazing day excursion led by Alejandro, who was super energetic, fun and knowledgeable. Everyone appreciated his great sense of humor and communication style while sharing interesting facts and insights about the area. Patricio our driver was a pro on the steep mountain climb and rugged terrain. The hike was a bit challenging with the altitude, but well worth it - incredible views and experience. On the way back down you get the option to bike to the lake, and see wild horses if you are lucky like we were. I highly recommend booking this experience and hope you get Alejandro for your guide.

Cotopaxi was a great day, and Alejandro was a fantastic guide. He was patient and made sure to check in on everyone all throughout the day, and was kind and fun to chat to. I did this tour on my first day in Quito and it was a great way to start my time there. Definitely would (and have already) recommend this tour to anyone who has a free day! A tip I gave to some other friends of mine who did it: if you are like me and are very used to hiking, but at lower elevations, don't try to go your normal pace haha.

We' ve had a great day and Alejandro is a very knowledgeable and helpful guide. Loved the scenery and the biking experience. Fully recommend.