This is a trek that should be on any hiker´s bucket list!
Just 3 hours from Quito, the splendid “Quilotoa Loop” has gained the heart of many travellers. During your time over there (from a day to 2 weeks), you will get close to rural indigenious life and enjoy a variety of landscapes with majestic canyons, lagunas and volcanoes. And, ice on the cake for independant travellers, you can do it 100% self-guided! Get inspired by the pictures and start planning your trek with this article.
“Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” W Clement Stone
You don´t have any alpinism experience nor did You ever walk on a glacier before. Still, many agencies in Quito and Latacunga offer to take you to climb Cotopaxi, the second highest peak of Ecuador (5897m/19347feet). Tempting…? Go ahead! Even if you don´t make it to the top, you will experience during a night what it is to be an alpinist, and embrace stunning views of the volcanoes.
Known for their voracity and their sharp teeth, piranhas are among the most popular species of the Amazonas.
You need a fishing line, a hook and some meat (the bloodiest the best!), not much differs from traditional fishing. But you will be surprised by their ability to torn little pieces of meat without getting stuck on the hook!
Fishing piranhas is one of the highlights of many Amazonas trips, and most likely your guide will offer to cook your catch in big leafs, over the fire. Mmmmm.
Piranha fishing by night in bio reserve Limoncocha, Amazonas
Well, you have to catch some first… Adnan:2, Amandine:0.
I never liked fishing.
One of the first thing that people think of when talking about Colombia is coffee. With more than 3500 coffee plantations, Colombia is the fourth exporter in the world, Brazil being number one. Colombian´s farms produce only the arabica bean, while other countries export a mix of both arabicas and robusta beans.
In this article you will learn how to prepare the perfect Colombian coffee.
Last week, we decided to attempt to climb Cototpaxi, Ecuador´s second highest peak, which is also an active volcano. We didn´t make it to the top but we had a blast! And we set up a new record: 5284m!
Looking cool at 5284m, on the edge of Cotopaxi
Our 5 days hike on the Quilotoa Loop has been rich of adventures, emotions and new discoveries (come on, I almost bought a pig!). As we wait for the bus on the side of the road in the small village of Tigua, our final stop before returning to civilization, a pick-up truck stops. Do we want a ride to Latacunga for $5? We don´t hesitate long, there is no better way to enjoy the landscape one more time, and to conclude such a unique experience!
A couple of hours from Latacunga, in the central highlands, the Quilotoa Loop invites hikes to discover a more rural, remote and traditional part of Ecuador. On the second day of our trek, we ended up heading off to Guantualo, to experience the animal market. This is the story of how I almost bought a pig on the Quilotoa Loop.
The lagunas de Mojanda is one of the hidden gems of the countryside of Otavalo, in the north of Ecuador. After 45min of slow drive on the old, bad, paved road (17km) that used to link Otavalo to Quito, you discover the impressive laguna, sitting in the crater of a dead volcano. It´s in this majestic landscape that we climbed our first summit, Mount Fuya-Fuya, at 4263m.
We have now settled down for a few days in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. We are staying in the old town, the historical part of the city and making a daily visit to the mercado central (central market) for our food shopping.
After the third day in a row of shopping there, we start to have our habits and our favorite stands. This is fun! The colors, the smell are appealing and the products fresh. We are getting familiar with the señoras who now welcome us with big smiles. But señora Fabiola Menez, who sells the vegetables, is definitely my favorite of all!
What is the best way to explore a cloud forest reserve with trees as high as 40m? Zip-lining! Up to 50m above ground, going from one edge of a mountain to the next along a 100-300m long cable , with the feeling of the wind on your face and the adrenaline pumping in your heart. The closest to feel like flying… or like Tarzan! In Mindo, Ecuador.