Quilotoa Volcano and Lagoon

Quilotoa lagoon (princess teeth) is definitely a magnificent show for the visitor, located to the west of Latacunga city, Ecuador. It was formed after a volcanic eruption that happened 800 hundred years ago (12th century). It has a depth of 250 meters approximately, a diameter of 3km and it is at 3.900 meters above sea. The color of the lagoon’s water is turquoise green. You can walk around or go down the hillside that surrounds it, down to the water level. There is a small beach place. The lagoon has fumaroles in its bottom and hot springs in its east side.

Some sports as hiking or kayak are easy to practice there. Mammal sighting (deer, moorland wolves, rabbits and foxes) is another activity. For the photography lovers, in Quilotoa there are amazing landscapes waiting for them. Since 2017, there is no entrance fee for the lagoon. There are a lot of nearby hostels for accommodation. There are service to rent mules and hire native guides, because the walking around the caldera takes 5 hours at least. The administration is ran by the Communitarian Touristic Center (CTC) “Lago Verde Quilotoa” (Green Lagoon Quilotoa). It is allowed to camp at the bottom of the crater. In 2014, the website Twistedsifter ranked Quilotoa as “one of the 15 most beautiful volcanic lagoons in the world” based on a report of the Tourism Ministry of Ecuador.

Another alternative is to make the “Quilotoa Circuit”, which consists in visiting the communities near to the volcano-lagoon. These are: Pujilí, Tigua (famous for its indigenous painters), Zumbahua, Quilotoa, Chugchilán (Yanayacu hot springs), Sigchos, Saquisilí and Latacunga. Even though the volcano-lagoon is the attraction, we cannot ignore the presence of the twin peaks known as “Los Illinizas” (attractive for the mountaineers) and its cloud forest ecological reserve.