Cotopaxi is the second highest Volcano in Ecuador, it's an active snow covered symmetrical stratovolcano, last erupting in 2015. From the moment I saw a picture of Cotopaxi I fell in love and had an urge to climb it. We used ecosportour.com to book our hike to the José Rivas Refuge at 14,764 feet high. It's only possible to climb to the rim of Cotopaxi if you are a certified climber and the Refuge is as high as you can go without being certified. We met our tour bus at the San Blas Plaza in Quito's Historic District. Two other Americans joined us along with our tour guide Alex. It takes about 3 hours to get from Quito to the Cotopaxi National Park so during the ride Alex told us the history, legends and folklores of Cotopaxi as well as all the surrounding volcanoes within the Quito region. Cotopaxi means "the neck of the moon" in Quechua language. Alex had so much passion and love for the region and made the 3 hour trip go by real fast.
The day started off sunny and gorgeous but as the van parked at the base of the volcano, clouds started to roll in. Alex explained the best way to hike Cotopaxi: breathe slow and thru your nose and to walk at a steady pace. It can easily feel as though you're out of breath due to the high elevation so a steady pace is the way to go. The climb was in a zip/zag format which helps as you're inclining. We had to stop at several points not only because your legs feel like they're on fire but also to catch your breath. These small rests really made all the difference in the world as this hike is strenuous. We reached the José Rivas Refuge in 50 minutes, its bright orange rooftop is a sight for sore eyes especially on a cloudy day. The Refuge has a nice restaurant inside as well as bunks for expert hikers to spend the night prior to their hike to the top. Its a neat Refuge adorned with flags from all over the world. We even got our passport stamped with the beautiful Cotopaxi Stamp. Fyi: there are 3 places in Ecuador where you can get your passport stamped: Cotopaxi, Middle of the World and Galapagos Islands. This hike was one of the most challenging hikes I've done to date, but by far one of the most rewarding. I couldn't stop smiling being there, it was a dream come true for me to hike such an awe-inspiring volcano, I felt enlightened! The hike down took about 15 minutes and then we biked down the whiny road of the Cotopaxi base into the Limpiopungo Lake. This bike ride was super bumpy and filled with (large!) potholes, it was actually scary so I only biked halfway down before stopping. I met the guys at the lake while we also saw wild horses, lamas and a very curious, cute fox. Cotopaxi showed itself to us (still with clouds) before we headed out and that made our trip even more spectacular. It's truly hard to capture the essence of this hike because it was so amazing on so many levels. We've never hiked an active volcano before, and in particular one so high. I'm not a fan of the cold weather or snow-specially when hiking, but for Cotopaxi, it's absolutely worth dealing with all the natural elements as it adds to the experience. As I write this, I still get chills when I think that I hiked this gorgeous volcano. It's a hike I will treasure for as long as I live. After the bike ride, Alex took us all to get lunch at a nearby restaurant outside the park. It was a 4-course, exquisite Ecuadorian dinner starting with Canelazo (a sugar cane rum drink) and my all-time favorite: caldo de papas, potato soup with cheese and corn, it was incredible. The van dropped us off where we started in the morning. This day from start to finish was one of the most perfect days I've ever had. There is a powerful presence in Cotopaxi that you can actually feel when you are there, its hard to explain the feeling, you just have to go to experience it to know what I mean.
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