laguna cuicocha

I would highly recommend this trip. It's a short taxi ride from Cotacachi and you need not have a guide but a guide is nice to explain all that you are looking at. You can walk all around the rim of the lake in about 4 to 5 hours but if you are older and are not used to the 9-10,000 ft altidude then there's just no way. I was panting just to get from the taxi up to the rim of the lake but it was definitely worth it. The size of the lake is incredible and you have amazing views of Otavalo below as well as beautiful green valleys. The best of Ecuador.

We had a wonderful hike and boat ride at the lake. We started our hike from the information center and walked uphill past the lunar and sun monuments. It was a beautiful morning with great views of the lake and surrounding countryside. The boat ride was also interesting and pleasant. We took a Otavalo city bus from the bus station to Quiroga (25 cents) and then proceeded in a taxi ($5) to the lake. We arranged for the taxi to pick us up at a later time and he then took us to Cotacachi. A great place for a nice hike.

This area is still frequented by thieves. My grand-daughter was targeted by one who approached her and hung out beside her with a heavy crutch which he did not need. The management is aware of muggings, but cannot throw out or arrest someone until he commits a crime. Watch your step when you are here. The boat ride around the lake is mildly interesting. There are bubbles coming up from the bottom which is supposed to imply thermal activity, which would not be surprising. The on-site museum is fairly interesting.

After a journey of 24 hours, this walk was the first to stretch our legs and to get used to the heighth. Beautiful place, perfectly blue water if the sky is clear. We started at the entrance for our first climb to 3.400 meters. A lot of flours and plants and an excellent view over the lake on the one side and over the valley at the other.If you start at the right hand side, the climbing to 3.800 mtrs is quite easy, but take care it is still high! Good hiking shoes, a high factor sunscreen and enough time is needed, a guide not really.At the end of the tour, you will be walking on a street which is a bit of a disapointment. You can visit both islands in the middle of the lake by boat, but you cann't stay there anymore. Conclusion : a perfect starter for your journey throughout Ecuador.

$5 Taxi ride from Cota, free entrance, need to sign in with passport number. If you are a hiker get off at the interpretive center, not the boat landing. After viewing the info center hike uphill, past the lunar, sun & offerings memorials, etc. Continue hiking (counter clockwise to lake) on well marked trail. Incredible vistas, plants & flowers. If you don't want to do the circuit you can easily out and back any distance. You can also pay a 4WD vehicle to take you up from the boat landing to a very high point on the hike, where you can hike, (mostly downhill), back to the entrance in about two hours.The last portion of the hike is on a paved road. I think it is about 4K on the road. You can get off the road on dirt roads and trails for some of the time and maintain a view of the laguna. I only did this around areas that didn't have houses. A trekking pole helped me during the circuit and also helped w/ a couple of aggressive dogs along the paved road. (I actually did this hike clockwise - entrance station, to info center, to boat ramp, to unmarked steep trail to upper restaurant, to paved road, to trail head exit.)The weather fluctuated from warm to chilly. The upper elevations were breezy. The trail was dry, but I can see it could be slippery when wet. Extra water, snacks, a Columbia shell/jacket, hat and sunscreen were helpful. Go early in the day. I hike a lot but I have to admit that I was winded at the upper elevations and took my time. I had also acclimated to Cota's altitude. A modest pace allowed me to soak in the scenery. At times, Mt Cotacachi appeared through the clouds and looked incredibly close. At those times it was easy to stop for 10 minutes and soak it in. I spent 4 hours and 15 minutes on the trail. Back at the entrance station I shared a pickup taxi back to town. I sat in the back of the pick up and this was a really rough and uncomfortable ride.Next time I will take a taxi to the trail head along the paved road, enter the trail there (the sign says exit only) and hike clockwise, eliminating the 4K of road. After the lake hike I think the 12K walk, all downhill, back to Cota is doable.

Very nice lake. Unfortunately it was raining, so we couldn't get the full benefit from this place. A $5 taxi ride from Cotacachi and $5 back, well worth the visit if you traveled all this way.

Took a while to get to on a local bus and a taxi. We shared a boat with other tourists when enough had arrived. As we went in the middle of the day we didn't see many birds so I'd recommend going early in the morning if you're interested in bird watching. The boat was fine.

Definetely plan enough time for this and hike around the lake- the views are worth it! The park closes at 5pm, perhaps order a taxi to pick you up before hand

Had trouble finding the trail because we were dropped off at boat launch. Start at entry gate. Well maintained path with steps carved into steeper parts of hike. Lots of wild flowers along the way and we only saw a few other hikers. Hiked 2 hours in total which gave some great views in that time. Easy and cheap to get to from Otavalo using local bus to Quiroga and then a taxi. Bring water and passport number!

Beautiful place that a bit far from Otavalo city. We hired taxi to be there. We did the short way boat trip 3 usd.around the islands. There are a lot of birds and nice ducks there. It's not perfect but it's nice to be there.

This crater holds an impressive lake that is over 200 meters deep.There are still signs of bubbles coming from the crater floor and therefor there are no fish. The two islands in the center of the lake are still growing.

Short taxi ride from Otovalo. Make sure they drop you off at the Visitor Centre rather than the registration centre ( you need your passport number when entering but no fee). Well maintained walk for about 30 mins or 4-5 hours as the full walk as around the crater edge with views of the lake down below.

I did the 14km walk around the whole lake and it was one of the best marked and maintained trails I've come across in Ecuador. There's a fair bit of up and down, so you need a bit of fitness (or a lot of time) but even an inexperienced hiker does NOT need a guide for this. It took me 3 and a half hours though it's signposted as 5. You get great views of the lake and surrounding volcanoes.

with great views of surrounding mountains! If I'd had more time, I would have done the hike around the lake - ~5 hrs.

It is possible to walk round the Lagoon, takes about 5 hours I think. We hiked about 90 minutes each way which was fine. Its not necessary to spend a whole day here unless you have several months to discover the whole country. You have to take a local guide with you (gives them something to do), unfortunately ours didn't speak any English, but we managed with signs and gestures.Views toward Otavalo and Imbabura are nice and on clear days Cayambe and one or two other peaks can be seen.