Cotopaxi

"When Tupac-Yupanquí and Huayna-Capac, father of the ill-fated Atahualpa concluded the Conquest of the Kingdom of Quito, they not only made magnificent roads in the highlands of the Andes, but also buildings known as tambos... Among them, one of the most famous and better preserved is the one in Callo or Caio...

Alexander von Humboldt, 1802

Cotopaxi is a classic "ice cream cone" shaped volcano, and the surrounding national park offers hiking and trekking, horse riding, biking and fishing. Our accommodation is at the colonial Hacienda of San Agustín de Callo, built on the site of an Inca palace, and one of the two most important archaeological Inca sites in Ecuador.

Activities available include driving, hiking or cycling tours in Cotopaxi National Park, or hiking or horse riding in the Ilinizas Ecological Reserve. Another wonderful drive will take you to the crater lake of Quilotoa passing through the artists' village of Tigua and the local market of Pujili, or Ilinizas Ecological Reserve, Bellavista and the paramo of Anteojos Lakes. Visits to Chimborazo National Park to see wild vicuñas in their natural habitat are also possible, as are visits to nearby rose plantations, the resort of Baños with it's subtropical climate, waterfalls and treks and then drive down to the jungle to Puyo, or to Riobamba from where you take an exciting train journey to the Devils Nose.