Just south of Quito towers the highest active volcano in the world. The Cotopaxi is surrounded by its National Park, home to abundant plant life, rich fauna, and Inca ruins. Leaving Quito on the Panamericana South, we reach the Park entrance and begin our visit to the natural history museum before continuing up Cotopaxi. We ascend the mountain as high as possible to the parking lot at 4500 meters. From here, a short 45-minutes walk takes us up to the refuge. Coming down again from the «Refugio», we will drive across the páramo to the Limpiopungo Lake. On a short walk around the lake, we can observe a variety of birds and enjoy the stunning views of the surrounding landscape.

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness