Activity Summary
Saturday 2nd September - Day 333 (continued)
Travel to Latacunga
Dinner at Giardino cucina italiana
Pack and prepare for Quilotoa Loop
Sunday 3rd September - Day 334
Travel to Sigchos, start of the Quilotoa Loop
Hike Sigchos -> Isinlivi
Stay at Hostal Taita Cristóbal
Monday 4th September - Day 335
Hike Isinlivi -> Chugchilán
Stay at Hostal Cloud Forest
Sauna and steam room
Tuesday 5th September - Day 336
Luke:
Hike Chugchilán -> Quilotoa
Quilotoa lagoon
Nicola:
Taxi to Quilotoa
Walk around viewpoints in the village
Reunited:
Cafe in Quilotoa village
Bus to Latacunga
Dinner at The Teddy’s Pizza
Wednesday 6th September - Day 337
Travel to Banos
Summary
Latacunga
A bit of a nothing place with equally terrible food choices. But a good base for the Quilotoa loop.
Sigchos
Not much to comment on - small town.
Isinlivi
Not much to comment on - small town.
Chugchilán
Not much to comment on - small town.
Quilotoa
Not much to comment on - small town.
Transport
Latacunga
Secret Garden Hostel arranged bus from Cotopaxi to Latacunga
Taxi to hostel
Quilotoa Loop
Taxi to Latacunga terminal terrestre
Bus to Sigchos
Walk the Quilotoa loop
Bus from Quilotoa to Latacunga terminal terrestre
Taxi to hostel
Accommodation
Latacunga - Hostal Café Tiana
Number of nights - 2
Price per night per person - £13
Positives:
Cheap
Close to everything
Private room & bathroom
Great bag lock up for the Quilotoa Loop
Breakfast
Negatives:
Wafer thin walls
Recommend?
Yes
Isinlivi - Hostal Taita Cristóbal
Number of nights - 1
Price per night per person - £17
Positives:
Location
Cheaper than Lulu Llama (apparently amazing)
Basic but comfortable
Half board
Purchasable lunches, even if a bit rubbish
Negatives:
Pretty cold
Recommend?
Yes
Chugchilán - Hostal Cloud Forest
Number of nights - 1
Price per night per person - £17
Positives:
Location
Comfortable
Sociable
Sauna & steam room
Half board
Purchasable lunches, even if a bit rubbish
Negatives:
None really
Recommend?
Yes
Diary
Saturday 2nd September - Day 333 (continued)
The bus was fine to Latacunga, costing $10pp for the hour and a half journey and everyone just sat there in their own worlds.
We were dropped off near the terminal Terrestre where some cabs were already waiting and pairing up we were shuttled to our hostel, Cafe Tiana, for the nothing price of $1.50.
Once checked in we were quick to get out of the door to a banco internacional and for dinner at Dinner at Giardino cucina italiana. This was supposedly the best rated restaurant in Latacunga but Nicola was less than impressed with her burnt lasagne. Luke’s Alfredo was fine but agreed it didn’t command any real praise.
Back at the hostel we packed and prepared for the start of the 3 day Quilotoa Loop hike. We were also quick to realise ear plugs would be needed here when it felt like we were a part of our next door neighbours conversations and toilet time.
Sunday 3rd September - Day 334
After 4 days we were now back in some resemblance of civilization and given we were about to head back out to the wilderness for 3 days we spent the morning calling family and sharing the engagement news. Kat you win the award for best reaction.
The walk to the bus terminal wasn’t particularly appealing so we got a $2 taxi from outside the hostel off the road. This ended up being a decent plan as the timetable within the hostel wasn’t entirely accurate and we managed to jump straight on a 9.30am bus to Sigchos.
The bus route was along some particularly windy and steep mountainous roads which didn’t sit all that well with Nicola who got her sick bag out as a backup.
It did take a long time to get to Sigchos, a main source of the delay being a really infuriating run in with a cattle truck and our bus on a bend. Both guys stopped to avoid a crash but then the frikin cattle truck decided to try creeping forward. So our megatron bus had to try to reverse up an incredibly steep hill that required most of the passengers to get off and the use of rocks to stop any failure of this incredibly difficult manoeuvre. Really we just needed the truck to reverse…
We arrived in Sigchos after 12 and given our bakery shop in the morning had yielded very little desirable lunch options, the lady cooking up some grilled chicken and fried cheese plantain was mighty appealing.
Nicola was kind enough to share her scraps with a skittish female dog that was following us for a short while.
The loop then finally began. Initially it was mainly a cross between a road walk and shortcuts cutting through undergrowth and a descent down a small canyon. This part of the walk wasn’t very nice but at least it was easy going downhill.
The road then began to follow the river and we got our first introduction to the Quilotoa loop signage. If we had to rely on these we’d get so lost.
The mid part was essentially just countryside walking but was the prettiest part of the day.
The final part of the hike was the majority of the ascent. Again it just cut through farmland so it wasn’t a particularly nice climb.
The highlight was a moo cow princess who had occupied the entirety of our path so we ended up having to cut through her field.
It was a slow and steady walk with lots of breaks. It topped out near Isinlivi with much nicer views.
When the rain threatened Luke picked up the pace too much seeing the end which was a little too much for Nicola.
Day 1 stats
11.6km
/\557m
Highest point = 2,939m
Moving time = 2hrs 38mins
Elapsed = 3hrs 20mins
Our hostel, Hostal Taita Cristóbal, was a lot cheaper than the very popular Llama hostel but it did the job. It was however pretty cold so it was weak Nicola up in everything she owned and plenty of free teas over the evening.
Strangely the hostel brought out random Llamas.
Dinner was decent, a nice hearty soup & spag bog plus some forced conversation with the other guests when everyone was tired. Not a particularly exciting evening and could have done without the hours chat.
Monday 4th September - Day 335
Breakfast was a decent amount of food but Nicola struggled to eat again which wouldn’t help with her energy levels when walking. The hostel also provided lunch so we got two smallish sandwiches for $1 each which were not the best. The salty slabs of semi soft cheese were not a hit.
By the time we set off it was a pretty nice day and stayed that way until it greyed over as we got closer to Chugchilán.
There were two route options; we chose the shorter route that initially stayed higher rather than descending into the canyon and along the river. Navigating between the two was easy enough as the AllTrails complete loop went the way we intended.
The views for the start of the day were nice, giving us consistent changing valley views.
We had a longer stop at the top of a mirador for some food and allowed Luke to get all excited about the view.
The descent down was really steep and wasn’t helped by the loose sand. Got to give props to the two people who we passed that were climbing up.
It plateaued out over grassland and continued to give stellar views. At this point Luke was skipping around.
When we hit the river this naturally meant more pictures were needed. It was a fun descent overall.
To get back to what seemed the more popular route we crossed what seemed like a rather sketchy and very long bridge. It was interesting to not really have any handrails or sides which naturally made us wobble more than we would normally.
On solid ground we ended up crossing paths with some of the Cotopaxi guys and would then spend the rest of the afternoon overtaking one another based on rests. At this point we got swindled by an old man walking around pretending to be sad about his wife needing surgery but the whole ordeal made us feel super uncomfortable so Luke parted ways with $5 to get this whole experience to end. Turns out it’s all a scam and money should not be given to these guys.
We passed through one of the small villages and like all of them we passed through over the loop, they looked deserted and something out of a cowboy western. All a bit eerie.
The best bit of the whole walk came next. From river level we hiked up the mountainside and into the valley. This had outstanding views of the river from every angle.
A short way into this we pitched up for a longer break.
The ridge line hiking was amazing. The views were great and the walk was fun, climbing steadily with the all important changing views to keep it interesting.
Once through the valley there was an interesting cut through the mountain and the path went from one side to the other.
Compared to the more shrub-like terrain previously, this valley was teeming with tall trees and vast swathes of greenery. Really pretty and so interesting seeing the difference between the two sides.
The hike stayed fairly flat before reaching the last steep climb to the roadside. Nicola was well and truly pooped by this point which Luke lovingly caught on camera as we sat and rested. The Insta loop post was stellar.
We climbed the last part slow and steady, reaching the road and then continuing to our hostel, Cloud Forest, for the night.
Day 2 stats:
11.6km
/\557m
Highest point = 3,179m
Moving time = 2hrs 38mins
Elapsed = 3hrs 20mins
The Hostel was quite nice and certainly more comfortable than Taita. It was a pretty large complex and Luke required them to show us where the all important steam and sauna rooms were. So post a chicken sandwich snack we hit the sweat rooms when they opened at 4pm.
Dinner at 7pm was alright but the dessert was a hilarious let down. Never has toast and jam been an acceptable after dinner sweet.
Nicola wasn’t feeling particularly great so went back to the room post eating and Luke spent a bit of time chatting with a couple of people and was given the displeasure of trying a Sigchos red wine. 2/10 was being nice. The Aussie girl did bring a great new term to ‘fang it’ into Luke’s vocabulary as a nice alternative to sending one’s self.
Tuesday 5th September - Day 336
Nicola woke up not feeling very well so we decided to part ways; Luke continuing with the walk and Nicola getting a taxi to Quilotoa village. The perks of this multi day hike were pretty evident at this point having cosy hostels for accommodation at the end of each day and reliable transport between places.
Post breakfast, a lovely 4 pancake and massive fruit bowl slap up meal for Luke, he arranged a taxi to pick Nicola up at 10am from the hostel and drive her to Quilotoa village. It would take 30 minutes and if she was up to, allow her to walk around the Quilotoa lagoon. Luke was aiming for a 4 hour walk so would time sort of around when Nicola would finish. Interestingly Luke was told the bus to Quilotoa was not safe though he couldn’t understand the Spanish explanation of why. There was an added perk when the cost was split between a German girl, Helena, who was already sending her big bag via taxi to the village.
Luke story time:
By the time I had sorted Nicola out and got myself ready I started walking at about 8.30am. As Nicola wasn’t around and the rest of the hostel had appeared to have already started the hike I had free rein to to fang it, in part being a competitive asshole and the other for some decent heart pumping exercise that I felt had been lacking since part 2 travels started.
Day 3 didn’t start all that pretty with a descent through back country roads that were littered and not particularly pleasant.
It didn’t take long to catch Ed, Fiona & Chelsea who I walked with for a little bit before reaching a massive group of 6+ people prior to the first hill climb. At this point I parted ways with them and rushed to the top. Not a tricky climb and also not very interesting views.
Further on the route went behind what must have been a local property that had some particularly aggy dogs. One ended up following me as I walked barking incessantly and gearing up to charge whenever I turned away. In the end I had to get my chillies bottle out as a weapon and walk the path sideways, with a constant eye on the dog to stop it attacking me. Turns out this fucker did it to everyone that came by.
After that bit of excitement it was quite nice to have a boring walk through road and another farm property.
The best part of the day was again another valley walk. Not as pretty or exciting as the day before, but the views were nice.
To cross the valley the hike descended and across the river before continuing back up.
The views across were good fun as I could see where the others were that I had passed a while back.
That was pretty much the exciting part of the walk done. It was a steady climb from this point to the lagoon across terrain that wasn’t overly interesting. Again the seemingly deserted village was creepy AF.
A banana break slowed me down and I ended up walking with Helena for the last part up some sandy parts to skip out the annoying zig zagging road.
The views overlooking the day's route behind weren’t bad.
When we topped out at the lagoon we were taken aback with how windy it was. Immediately most of our layers were donned as we took pictures of the crater.
The initial sandy ledge was probably the sketchiest part of the walk. It had a large drop off that could have easily been misjudged with the wind and loose ground. From that point I decided to walk with Helena as I wasn’t sure where the route would take us, seeing that her map was useless and the wind with any ledges could have a bad consequence.
We did meet a female solo walker doing the lagoon loop but we both didn’t feel that was a great idea, especially at the other end where the wind direction would blow directly into the crater.
The crater walk was good fun. There were good views of the lagoon throughout and when we felt brave enough, we managed to crawl over to a viewpoint that was a little more exposed than was sensible. Nothing like taking photos sitting on the ground for safety.
The most fun part was a ridge walk on the lagoon side that was mighty exposed.
We finished in Quilotoa village at around 12pm where Nicola managed to flag us down when walking through the town at a cafe she was chilling in.
Day 3 stats:
13.12km
/\1,101m
Highest point = 3,878m
Moving time = 3hrs 10mins
Elapsed = 3hrs 44mins
Overall the walk was good fun. The comfort of the hostels at each place was a great perk and distance wise per day it wasn’t overly long. The altitude was a bit to contend with.
I certainly enjoyed the walk. Nicola maybe less so.
Nicola caught a taxi to Quilotoa, had a walk around the top and then headed to a cafe as it was bloody freezing! I enjoyed it, but it would have been more enjoyable without the wind!
Reunited:
The cafe in town was pretty basic but the leftover food that was awaiting Luke from Nicola’s lunch was greatly appreciated. The chip shop style chips in particular were a hit.
We chilled here for just over an hour with some hot drinks in the quite cold cafe. Nicola had already purchased a Quilotoa magnet and Luke, on seeing them, wanted an Xmas tree llama so grabbed one for a few dollars.
The bus was easy enough to find in town thanks to Nicola’s walk by but we did need to force it to wait 5 minutes for Helena who was grabbing her bag.
The roads back were nice and windy again which took about 2 hours. From the terminal we got a taxi to the hotel, grabbed our bags from the locker basement storage and were reunited with our old room.
Turns out there are not a whole lot of decent places to eat in Latacunga. Nicola found Teddy’s Pizza and it actually turned out to be pretty good. Would recommend the family size option.
Wednesday 6th September - Day 337
There is only one bus that leaves for Banos directly from Latacunga at 12pm. We did need the slow morning and when checked out at 11am we got a taxi over to the bus terminal.
We spent a little bit of time waiting for the bus and there is naff all decent food options in the terminal. Thankfully Nicola didn’t eat all her pizza and was willing to share with Luke.
It was about 2 hours to Banos so not too long a journey.
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