The Quilotoa Loop: Everything You Need to Know to Hike Ecuador’s Most Iconic Trek

6 min readJul 31, 2023

Finally at Lake Quilotoa after three days of hiking!

The Quilotoa Loop is Ecuador’s most famous trek. Located in the Andes Mountains, this gorgeous hike starts in the town of Sigchos and marches southward to Quilotoa Crater and Lake Quilotoa, a distance of about 28 miles (45 km).

I reached Quilotoa in three days, but I think it can actually be done in two, especially for those who are fit and already acclimated to hiking at altitude.

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An amazing view of Lake Quilotoa from the highest point along the Crater at 12,893 ft (3,930 m)

The Itinerary

Most people hike from north to south and are rewarded with a view of Lake Quilotoa at the end. You can also hike from south to north, which has much less elevation gain, but ending in Sigchos is rather anticlimactic. Here is what most people do:

Stay overnight in Latacunga (2 hours south of Quito). Store your luggage at a hotel here and bring only a daypack.
In the morning, take the bus from Latacunga northwest to Sigchos — The bus takes two hours and costs $2.65 (July 2023).
Day 1: Hike from Sigchos to Isinlivi
Day 2: Hike from Isinlivi to Chugchilán
Day 3: Hike from Chugchilán to Quilotoa
On day 3 or 4, take the bus back from Quilotoa to Latacunga.

The Trail

Summary

What it took to get from Sigchos to Quilotoa:

Total elevation gain: 10,197 ft (3,108 m)
Total distance: 28 miles (45 km)
Total time: 15:34 hrs

Day 1: Sigchos to Isinlivi

Starting elevation: 9,464 ft (2,885 m)
Ending elevation: 9,630 ft (2,935 m)
Elevation gain: 1,948 ft (594 m)
Distance: 7.1 miles (11.5 km)
Time (including breaks): 3:20 hrs
Strava Route

Day 2: Isinlivi to Chugchilán

Starting elevation: 9,630 ft (2,935 m)
Ending elevation: 10,446 ft (3,184 m)
Elevation gain: 2,841 ft (866 m)
Distance: 8.9 miles (14.3 km)
Time (including breaks): 4:56 hrs
Strava Route

Day 3: Chugchilán to Quilotoa

Starting elevation: 10,446 ft (3,184 m)
Ending elevation: 12,689 ft (3,868 m)
Elevation gain: 5,408 ft (1,648 m)
Distance: 11.9 miles (19.2 km)
Time (including breaks): 7:18 hrs
Strava Route
You will reach the northern edge of Quilotoa Crater at around 7.5 miles (12 km). From here, you have the choice of going clockwise (4.5 miles or 7.2 km) or counterclockwise (3.5 miles or 5.6 km) around the Crater to reach the town of Quilotoa at the southwestern edge. We chose the longer and significantly harder route because we are masochists 💀

Day 4: Hike down to and up from Lake Quilotoa

I stayed the night in Quilotoa and hiked down to the lake the next day for kayaking (rental is $3 for 30 minutes) before heading back to Latacunga.

Elevation at top of Crater: 12,700 ft (3,871 m)
Elevation at bottom of Crater: 11,490 ft (3,502 m)
Elevation gain: 1,200 ft (366 m)
Distance: 2.4 miles (3.9 km) — 1.2 miles (1.9 km) each way
Time: 30 min down, 1 hr up
Strava Route (down to Lake) | Strava Route (up from Lake)

Day 4: Hike down to Lake Quilotoa — Elevation Profile

Day 4: Hike back up from Lake Quilotoa — Elevation Profile

5 Important Things To Know

Talk to locals about current conditions. Weather and natural events make hiking in the Andes unpredictable and ever changing. For example, on day 3, there are two ways to hike from Chugchilán to Quilotoa, but we were told by the folks at Hostal Cloud Forest in Chugchilán that one of the paths had been buried in a landslide recently and was very dangerous. This crucial information kept us safe.
Hike with friends. Safety in numbers. I started the hike alone, but then met a couple of fellow hikers on day 2. On day 1 when I was hiking alone, I ran into a dozen cows lounging across the narrow trail — I was able to get around them safely, but then I heard that night that another hiker had gotten head-butted by one of those same cows. Also, stray dogs are everywhere, and while they usually don’t attack, they will growl at you fiercely. So make friends if you don’t bring any with you!
Hike with a stick. This hike was very steep and often laiden with sandy volcanic soil, so I recommend bringing either trekking poles or picking up a stick on day 1 along the trail (as I did). Also, the stick may help against stray dogs and errant cows if need be, or at least provides a sense of security.
Each day gets progressively harder. For each of the three days, the hike begins with a descent, but then becomes a steep ascent. This is actually a great way to acclimatize to the altitude, but be mentally prepared that the hike does not get easier until you’re done.
AllTrails is inaccurate. AllTrails is a popular US hiking app. I had downloaded the maps for Quilotoa, but quickly discovered that the route, elevation gain, and mileage information were all inaccurate. You can use AllTrails as a rough guide, but pay attention to signs and look for the yellow and red markings that point out the correct walking trail.

Don’t let their placidity fool you: one of these cows head-butted another hiker 😂

Budget

I recommend bringing at least $200 in cash, as most places do not take card. Ecuador also uses US dollars, which is why everything is in USD.

Accommodations = $115 (5 nights)
Food / Water / Alcohol = $28
Transportation = $53
Other = $4
Total = $200

Day 2 — I’m sure this bridge is 100% structurally sound and up to code

Accommodations

Below are the places I stayed at in each town. I stayed in all private rooms, but the hostels all have cheaper dorms as well. In Sigchos and Isinlivi, options are limited, and everyone ends up at the same couple of places. You can reserve on Booking.com, or WhatsApp the hotels directly.

Latacunga: Hotel Endamo | Cost: $30 (private room, breakfast included) | 👍 recommend
Isinlivi: Llullu Llama Mountain Lodge | Cost: $20 (private room, dinner and breakfast included) | 👍 recommend
Chugchilán: Hostal Cloud Forest | Cost: $20 (private room, dinner and breakfast included) | 👍 recommend
Quilotoa: Hotel Runa Wasi | Cost: $32 (private room, dinner and breakfast included) | 👍 recommend

Much of the hike is along the Taochi River

Bus Schedule

Buses are pretty much the only way to get between towns, the only other option being paying 10–15x more for a taxi. All information is as of July 2023.

Latacunga to Sigchos

Schedule: Bus leaves daily from the Terminal at 6am, 8am, then every hour until 5pm (I took the 8am bus)
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: $2.65

Quilotoa to Latacunga

Schedule: Bus leaves daily from 7am, then every 2 hours until 5pm (ask a local where there the station is because it’s not clearly marked)
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: Unknown (I actually took a taxi back to Latacunga — it cost $25, bargained down from $30)