The Quilatoa Loop
Upon arriving back in mainland Ecuador, we headed South from Quito to a mountainous area known as the Quilatoa loop. A set of small villages form a sort of “loop” you can travel and hike around, with the highlight being Laguna Quilatoa – a volcanic crater lake sitting at over 12,000 feet. We ended up basing ourselves in the village of Chugchilán and did several spectacular day hikes, including a hike from lake back to our hotel. The altitude and occasional wrong turns were challenges, but the experience was well worth the effort.
Before leaving the area, we checked out the weekly market at Saquisilí, one of the largest in the region. The market took over the whole town – something like 7 or 8 plazas and even included livestock (goats, pigs, cattle, llamas, alpacas, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.) Quite a sight!