Hiking The Quilotoa Loop In Ecuador

Great 11km hike on the rims of Quilotoa crater lake with amazing views.

Ernesto was an amazing guide! we had a great time, he was so kind and helpful along the way. He also knew all the best spots for pictures Hike was absolutely beautiful. 100% would recommend!

Our hiking trip to Quilotoa was unforgettable thanks to Irene and Carlos. Irene was an exceptional tour guide—knowledgeable, warm, and genuinely passionate about the region. She shared fascinating insights about the history, culture, and landscape along the way, always making sure everyone felt comfortable and included. Her energy and encouragement made the hike even more enjoyable and rewarding. Carlos, our bus driver, was equally outstanding. He drove with incredible skill and care through the winding mountain roads, making us feel safe the entire journey. He was punctual, friendly, and clearly very experienced, which added a lot of peace of mind to the trip. Together, Irene and Carlos made the experience smooth, fun, and memorable from start to finish. I couldn’t recommend them more highly—if you’re considering a trip to Quilotoa, you’re in excellent hands with this team!

Ernesto was an incredible guide. He was not only a wonderful host but also a very knowledgeable person to have with us from a technical, historical, environmental, and geographical standpoint. He really tailored the tour to us, and kept us safe and entertained the entire day.

Hiked took us 30% longer than anticipated and it was physically challenging! But the overall impact was of incredible vistas, significant accomplishment, and local connection and learning. The agriculture is beautifully and uniquely landscaped, the rain damage is frequent and the air is thin! Take more time and reserve additional nights at Black Sheep Inn before attempting the final climb. “Camino de los Cañones” between Insinliví and Chugchilan is not for the feint of heart, but my wife loved it! Definitely not if the is any hint of rain.

Irene our guide & Jimmy our driver were safe, capable and full of knowledge and fun! It was an unforgettable experience from start to finish. Our local pick up and drop off points made the journey very easy for us. Irene made us feel so welcome in her country and explained all about the places we journeyed through on the very interesting bus ride! Her love of Ecuador was obvious in a most infectious way. We stopped off at the home of a Somani Wasi family. We saw his home, his farm and learned about indigenous life. The highlight of the tour, Quilotoa lagoon was stunningly beautiful. The hike is optional. The meal in the restaurant on site was fabulously traditional and great value for money. WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Grace & Mary from Ireland

I have been on this one-day tour and I really loved it. The day starts around 7.30ish and the trip includes a visit to an indigenous community in which our guide, Irene, explained us with visible passion the life and struggles of the people who first lived and still live there. The tour is suitable for people of any age, you can either decide to stay up and walk around the volcano or go down. Lunch was typical Ecuadorian, cheap and extremely good and our guide gave us good advice! She is very energic and she keeps an eye on everyone. Highly recommended and shoutout to our driver Andres too!

Did a tour with Irene and Andres, was a brilliant day. Irene kept us entertained on the bus, which made the journey to lake go quick, would definitely recommend them both.

We went on a day trip with Irene and we cannot recommend her enough. She is a great guide, with fluent english. We visited the Quilotoa volcano and hiked around the crater and we really enjoyed the view and Irene’s knowledge. She is very knowledgable about so many things, and you can feel her pasison for her country and culture. So don’t be shy of asking questions, she’ll be happy to provide detailled information!

Had an amazing tour with Adrian, he was very informative and detailed when he talked about the green house veggies and fruit production and how the indigenous tribes lived. I truly enjoyed my trip.

Wonderful trip with wonderful views. Guide Ernesto took a lot ofgreat fotos of us. Would definitly do it again! 👍🏼 highly recommended

This tour was AMAZING. We had Irene as our tour guide, and Ivan as our driver. Both were welcoming, friendly, and a good time! The views were stunning. Irene was patient, and helped me through this challenging hike. I would definitely recommend booking them. Thank you again Irene and Ivan for an unforgettable experience.

Irene our guide and our driver Eric were fantastic! We had a fun day with them- they gave us great information about the area and were energetic and friendly! Highly recommend!

It was so challenging- I’m not a hiker but I can’t say how amazing this experience was. Many times I wanted to quit but now when I look back it was a highlight of our holiday

The Quilotoa Loop is typically a three day hike starting at either Sigchos or Quilotoa. I would recommend starting at Quilotoa as it is the highest altitude and so more downhill and you actually get to see the lagoon of the Quilotoad volcano. Typically, the clouds roll in covering the lagoon around noon so if you start the hike at Sigchos, you get to the lagoon after noon and can't see it. The hike itself is pretty demanding. There are some pretty steep ups and downs. Each day, you descend into the river valley and come up the other side which is a vertical descent and rise of around 500 meters. Sometimes you are walking along gradually sloped roads and sometimes you are climbing or descending a pretty steep trail. Typically, the hike is in three sections, stopping at the towns of Chugchilan and Isinvli. There are good, cheap hostels in both towns so you only need a small pack. These hostels provide supper and breakfast and will make a sack lunch for you. The views are spectacular. From the top of the Andes slopes to the beautiful river valley, this is one of the best hikes I've been on. Along the way, you meet very friendly, helpful people and a few llamas. Bring waterproof boots if you are going during the rainy season as there are muddy spots. Take a cell phone with a map app as some sections are not well marked and it's easy to miss the trail. There are regular busses going from Latacunga to either Sigchos or Quilotoa.

The best experience ever!!! I truly enjoyed at a maximum the walk around the loop of Quilotoa wich has some amazing views and flora! The guide Diana could not have been better and I can only recommend her 100/100! Quito tour bus offered a really fair price! And you will not get a better quality/price offer! Just really great! Thank you!

We had a blast doing this tour, the place is beautiful and it fills your souls. The amazing views and the fresh air can recharge our batteries. We had an amazing tour guide KUDOS to Irene she was very knowledgeable patient and kind! She told us amazing stories about the country and the places we visited she also makes you feel the love she has for this amazing country.

Excellent experience!! Irene our very concerned guide of the group at all times, conveys her love and dedication to enjoy all the activities and continue knowing Ecuador..

The Quilotoa tour was a spectacular experience, Irene explained us about the history behind the lagoon, she was a very friendly person, very loved, gave us clear instructions about the tour. Super recommended

Irene is excellent He explained many things about the city and the traditions of quito Very good service cares about everyone and giving excellent service Very good guide

Excellent experience. Guide Alejandro and Mr. driver Andrés. Very good service and the extraordinary walk. Thanks for everything.

The place, the community and the experience is spectacular. Ernesto, our guide, in addition to teaching us everything related to the area, was excellent company during the hike. He took care of us all the time, with a lot of patience and willingness as the stretch can become demanding in some moments. Definitely, when someone loves what they do, it's rating! We had a great time with Ernesto, the truth is that we could not have better company and the scenery, nor speak! Highly recommended.

It was a spectacular experience from start to finish. From the moment I bought the package, the service was very good, always friendly, with very good attitude, answer quickly and solve everything. The organization was perfect and very punctual. Ernesto had been our guide the day before and, at his suggestion, we took this tour. We were so happy that we asked to change our plan to do the loop that he recommended. They make you feel like a local and not a foreigner. Also, the place is beautiful and the tour is perfect; always giving more than you expect. Fully recommended!

It was an excellent experience for the place, the volcano Quilotoa is magnificent from any angle you see it, the descent is relatively quiet taking some stretches (very slippery floor) The most difficult climb , but you can do it calmly, without counting the time or looking at the clock. I congratulate and admire the two guides, Irene and Carlitos, two tremendous professionals, with great general and mountain knowledge. That gave more color to the whole trip, constantly explaining all the doubts and showing every volcano we passed and admired along the way. Two people with a lot of knowledge, very warm, participatory with a lot of clarity to explain every detail of all the places we met. It was a unique experience!!!

Very nice tour with guide Irene and driver John. Heart-refreshing how Irene introduces travelers to her country, its history and indigenous culture. Unforgettable experience with a decent portion of sore muscles.

Excellent experience on the tour, thanks to Irenne very friendly, friendly and attentive, taught us very well every part of the tour, very nice everything.

Excellent joint work of Irene and Erik to develop the tour, were very friendly and helpful during the tour

A truly special trip. The places are lovely. We visited a family in an indigenous community, the studio of a local artist. We saw the Cañon del río Toachi and visited the incredible Quilatoa lagoon, a lake in the crater of a still potentially active volcano. The driver Fernando was very good. IRENE the guide was FABULOUS: good, capable, friendly and even taught us a bit of Quichua (the Inca language) in a really fun way.

Guide Adrián and driver Maurício are to be congratulated. Extremely professional, attentive and dedicated to serving everyone.

This tour was an amazing experience! Adrian is the best guide, he has a good explanation to share, he cares a lot about the environment and how animals are treated and also gives us the time we need. I highly recommend it!!!

My experience traveling to Quilotoa fulll Day.... was excellent 100% recommended. My guide Yandri was at the meeting point at the indicated time and since it started everything was an adventure his attention for each of the people we were on the tour was excellent. He told us stories in English and Spanish .. attentive for every detail even how we felt we all went up and down the Quilotoa was always on the lookout indicated all the information i️ about the Quilotoa lagoon .. an excellent guide more than that a spectacular person since that day I have not stopped traveling .. Thanks for the experience 🤗 thanks QUITO tour Bus..

From the beginning everything started very well, our guide Irene came to pick us up on time. He was very friendly, and during the journey he was explaining us with stories, many curiosities about Quito. The vibe on the tour was great. She was attentive to each of the people we were with her. The experience in Quilotoa was spectacular. I hope I have the opportunity to be on a tour and that Irene is the guide