the south west of Quito, Pana taking the road south, we arrive at Latacunga (S 00 ° 56,101 'W 78 ° 37,184', 2800). At the second light take the detour to the right until you reach Pujilí (S 00 ° 56,031 'W 78 ° 40,695', 2946m), a quiet town where perhaps the biggest attraction is the Tigua painters using bright, bold colors in his works.
From Pujilí take the road to Zumbahua (S 00 ° 57,620 'W 78 ° 53,914' 3520m) passing a police check at this point is reached the highest part of the road (4026m). As we descend to the village, where there is only gas station for miles, we find typical food for the tourist taste like corn with cheese, fried sweet, fried, etc.. The path has to continue to our destination is to the right just before the petrol station. The road becomes narrow and even a place there big hits, however the entire route is paved. The scenic beauty of the Andean highlands, the animals from the region, such as sheep, llamas and alpacas, with the traveler. After about 3 hours drive (from Latacunga) leads to crater Quilotoa (S 00 ° 51,977 'W 78 ° 54,920' 3903m) where there is a small community which offers everything from selling crafts to stay.
There is no reliable record of eruptions, as in ancient times there were no towns near the volcano. Despite being active accumulation of water in the crater formed this beautiful lagoon. The shade of emerald green water is usually, but depending on the light, can turn blue, even if it comes down to the shore you can see shades of yellow due to mineral soil material. No water is fit for human consumption by its chemical composition.
Being a crater has formed a natural viewpoint, a more or less to about 400 m above the lake. Download takes about 40 minutes walk, rising as it is a rough road, and especially by the sand formed by volcanic ash takes 2 hours, but you can rent horses for $ USD 5.00. From the lookout you can see in a day's Ilinizas despejdo.
The accommodation in the place is small but comfortable for a night. If you have time to go further you can reach Chugchilán where there is a more comfortable inn, 2 hours west.
is good to have in mind that travel time is long, about 4 hours from Quito, own transportation, but also from Latacunga is buses that lead you to the lake, with limited hours.
To access the community gate value of $ $ 2 $ $ 4 national and foreign. The climate is typical of the paramo. You can camp, but is best done inside the crater by wind at night.
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