We started our 7-day (6 nights) private tour with our guide Diego. His spoken English was quite good and he took care of all our needs and also accommodated any itinerary changes. He made sure to find restaurants that had at least a few vegetarian options in the menu. And last but not the least, he was a great help dealing with language barrier.
We started the day quite early, @7:30am by visiting the Middle of the world monument in Quito. About 26km north of Quito you have the Monument to the Equator, which highlights the exact location of the Equator (from which the country takes its name) and commemorates the eighteenth-century Franco-Spanish Geodesic Mission which fixed its approximate location. This national landmark has several statues, a small village, and a charming museum which gives you a sneak peek into the history of Ecuador and its indigenous people. There is also an area which is like an open air museum that has model huts of indigenous people.
Our next stop was the Cotopaxi National Park which was about 2-hour drive south from Middle of the world monument. We got a wonderful view of the Cotopaxi Volcano from Quito as we were driving on the Pan-American highway.
Once we reached the Cotopaxi National Park, we drove to Limpiopungo lagoon passing by Quilindanya volcano on the right.
The Limpiopungo lagoon offers one of the best landscapes in Cotopaxi, when the volcano is clear of clouds. The Cotopaxi volcano was under cloud by the time we reached the park. We walked around the lake for half hour enjoying the scenery. There were scores of wild horses around the lake. The lagoon is located on the slopes of the inactive Rumiñahui volcano. The name Rumiñahui means “stone face” in Kichwa. It is one of the most beautiful inactive volcanoes that Ecuador has, since the mountain has several peaks: north, central and south, and the highest of which is the north at 4,722 meters. Be prepared for some cold and windy conditions at the park and one can get out of breath walking at high elevations.
During summer one can enjoy the Cotopaxi National Park on a horse ride. You can hire the service in inns or hotels in the area.
We stayed in old city Latacunga for the night. It is a small city with many plazas within walking distance of each other. Plaza Bolivar, the main plaza, is surrounded by mayor and governor building as well as a church. We walked around the town in the evening stopping at the many plazas, watching street vendors selling tasty food. The hotel we stayed here was surprisingly modern and comfortable and I would recommend it.
