Quilotoa Loop, Ecuador

Overview

The Quilotoa Loop is Andean village trekking at its most accessible: three to five days of self-guided walking between Kichwa farming villages in Ecuador's central sierra, finishing — walk it in this direction, the climax matters — at the rim of Quilotoa itself, a flooded caldera at 3,914 m whose mineral-green lake sits 250 m below the crater lip. The standard line runs Sigchos to Isinliví to Chugchilán to Quilotoa, descending and climbing the canyon of the Río Toachi each day on a web of farm paths where wrong turns are traditional — download the offline route and ask everyone you pass. Each village has family-run hostals (£15–25 with dinner and breakfast, wood stoves, resident llamas), which is why packs stay light and the trek suits first-time altitude walkers — though the days still top out near 4,000 m, so spend a night or two in Latacunga or Quito first. Afternoon cloud swallows the crater with punctuality: aim to reach the rim before 2 pm. Buses from Latacunga serve both ends cheaply, and luggage can be left at hostels in town. June to September is driest, but the loop is walkable most of the year. The whole thing, beds and dinners included, runs around £250.

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Prefilled for 1 June 2027 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.