Americas

[Visited: September 2022]

Early in the morning, we set off for the Carcelen bus terminal in northern Quito. We buy our tickets, and have to wait a while for the bus to leave. We use the time to watch people, and notice quite a few indigenous ladies in traditional attire. The bus is not even half full when we are on our way north. We cross the equator, and in around two hours reach Otavalo where I have been at least twice before. My travel friend has never been to Ecuador at all, and I can see that he loves the dramatic landscapes of volcanoes, valleys, mountain lakes and people. The fare collector is very helpful, tells us not to get off several times, and then urges us to exit. We are on the highway near Peguche, and it is not directly clear how we can find transportation to the trailhead of Laguna Cuicocha. We cross the highway on an overpass, and try to stop taxis. One sees us, turns around on the other side, and we quickly make a deal. He will drop us off at the trailhead, and will pick us up when we are back. He turns out to be a very friendly and helpful guy, and I am happy we met. He drives us straight to the lake, and to my surprise, he has never hiked around it, even though he has lived his entire life in Cotacachi. I ask him to join us, but he replies with a smile. He gives me his card and turns around.
As our friend drives off, we take some first pictures of the lake. Then, we start walking up the trail for a counter-clockwise hike around the lake. Soon enough, we feel a shortage of oxygen: we are at around 3000 metres above sea level, and have just arrived from sea level the day before. The information centre is closed. The trail is very easy to follow, and we follow it up the crest. As far as we can see, the beginning climbs, but it gradually seems to level off, and then we can end with a descent at the end. We walk past several viewpoints, and reconstructed sites used for sacred rituals by the aboriginal people. All these spots are welcome spots for a short pause to catch our breath: the trail is steep in parts. The light is changing constantly, and so are the views. The water in the lake is black, then blue, then white - all depending on the sun and the clouds above. We try to catch a glimpse of Cotacachi, but we mostly see a thick cloud hanging around its summit. At those rare moments the clouds lift, we see a black top partly covered in snow. How I wish to climb there, but I have read reports suggesting it is not an easy climb and requires a two-day climb.
We reach the highest point of the trail, some 3400 metres above sea level. The trail still goes down and up, and we sometimes even lose sight of the Laguna Cuicocha. When we see the lake again, the islands are always in a different angle. The name Cuicocha refers to guinea pigs, and the islands are supposed to resemble them. I do not really see the similarity, but that is probably because of my lack of imagination. Now that we are higher up, we are more adamantly looking at the summit of Cotacachi, but she is not in the mood to show herself. We find a gazebo where we put down our bags and have a break. It is time to eat and drink, with always one finger on the shutter release button. We are both photographers, and are taking our time to enjoy this hike. Normally, I would have tried to chase for a fast time, but today, I do not care much about that and just savour every moment. After our break, the trail goes down and up, through a forest and past streams, until we are back on the rim of the volcanic lake again. We make frequent stops as we cannot get enough of the views. As a bonus, the Imbabura volcano sheds the clouds off and we see her in all her beauty, with the afternoon light as a huge spotlight from above. When we finally reach the restaurant at the lake, one of the ladies calls our taxi driver, and sure enough, he turns up pretty soon. He takes us to the bus stop for Quito, and even waits to make sure we get on the right bus. A perfect end to a perfect day.

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Laguna Cuicocha (Ecuador)

Laguna Cuicocha > Ecuador > Americas

[Visited: September 2022]

Around the World in 80 Clicks

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