Sendero al Fondo del Crater
Sendero al Fondo del Crater
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
26 reviews
Excellent
19
Very good
4
Average
1
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Phyllis T
Cuenca, Ecuador97 contributions
Aug 2022
The hike around the rim and the one to the bottom are steep and slippery in spots but well worth the effort. We were there in Ecuadorian fall, but the flowers along the rim hike were profuse and gorgeous. There’s no spot that the lake isn’t amazing, the colors change as the sun moves or the clouds and fog travel across. If needed there are little snack tiendas along the rim route, but we packed our lunch and plenty of water. Poles for each trek (around or down) would be recommended. Also, there are donkeys or horses you can ride up from the lake for $10/pp. And kayaks or a motorized zodiac you can have a ride in in the lake.
Written August 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adventure beyond imagination
Munich, Germany18,239 contributions
Jan 2022 • Friends
Trail all way down to the beautiful crater lake. Down hill walk is easy but up hill is a huge challenge due the nearly 4000m above the sea level. Numerous stops with stunning views.
Written January 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sporty1823
Cedar Rapids, IA351 contributions
Feb 2019 • Couples
This is an awesome trail that gives you the option to hike down to the water of this crater. the path is steep, starts with steps then turns sandy, took us around 30 minutes to hike to bottom. There is the option to swim in the lake, but it is very frigid. You can also rent a kayak. It was windy at the bottom so make sure you pack layers and of course bring water. There is an interesting opportunity to hire a mule for the way back up - I selected this option and did not regret it one bit, cost was $10. Took around 45-50 minutes to ride back up. Those hiking took quite a bit longer. If you want to rent a mule, you should arrange this option before you hike down to guarantee there is availability to ride back up. There are workers on the trail that shovel the mule feces off the trail to keep it clean. Give yourself a couple hours minimum to enjoy this hike down and back. It's definitely worth the view, not many other places in the world you can experience something like this.
Written February 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JonnyC000
Ledbury, UK154 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
We booked with El Nieges tours because we hadn’t been to this kind of altitude before and we were a bit apprehensive. In fact, though it was definitely a slow tough trek up from the lake, we needn’t have worried. Neiges were professional enough but it was pretty clear it was a boring day for the guide. He was much more interested in climbing Cotopaxi. He was a safe driver and answered all questions but not the most enthusiastic guide we’ve had in SA.
Would definately recommend kayaking on the lake, it felt very otherworldly. Would like to have gone around thr rim as well as the views from the top were spectacular. One of our highlights of Ecuador.
Would definately recommend kayaking on the lake, it felt very otherworldly. Would like to have gone around thr rim as well as the views from the top were spectacular. One of our highlights of Ecuador.
Written April 1, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kaye N
Provo, UT2,151 contributions
Aug 2019
The Good: This is truly a beautiful area. The view of the turquoise blue lake in the crater is magnificent and you should see it. There are viewing areas at the top so you don't have to go down the trail if you don't want to. If you do, you can walk down the trail a bit and you might see a big fluffy alpaca to take your picture with for about $1. The restaurant Kirutiva Mushuk Wast was a nice place to relax and get a delicious meal.
The Bad: Donkeys walk the same path down to the lake to carry tired hikers back up. Steer clear of them! One donkey walking past me kicked and I missed the kick but his foot came down on mine. I've been home a month and just had it x-rayed and one bone is snapped into four pieces. A friend in our group helped me and tried to get ice at the restaurant but they don't have ice there. They said they don't even refrigerate things there because it's so cold. It's very cold and windy in Quilotoa so dress warmly.
If we'd had more time we might have ventured onto other trails to explore a bit but the cold wind was a deterrent.
The Bad: Donkeys walk the same path down to the lake to carry tired hikers back up. Steer clear of them! One donkey walking past me kicked and I missed the kick but his foot came down on mine. I've been home a month and just had it x-rayed and one bone is snapped into four pieces. A friend in our group helped me and tried to get ice at the restaurant but they don't have ice there. They said they don't even refrigerate things there because it's so cold. It's very cold and windy in Quilotoa so dress warmly.
If we'd had more time we might have ventured onto other trails to explore a bit but the cold wind was a deterrent.
Written September 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
K Pastore
Hinsdale, IL674 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
You start from the top and work your way down to the lagoon with incredible views. There is a good amount of loose soil, so this is not for everyone. The climb up is very rigorous, especially with the altitude so take your time (water and a snack too). Once you are back on top there are a couple of great restaurants with authentic Ecuadorian foods. Enjoy!
Written July 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ronald D
Eindhoven, The Netherlands245 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
A beautiful view from the top tempted us to go down to the crater lake. What started off as a relatively 'easy' walk did become more difficult and at some point we had to stop every now and then to take in the views, as most of the time we had to look at our feet, because the path became steeper and the sand was very loose.
After we got down we enjoyed standing near the lake, but thinking about the way down, we decided to go back up by paying 10 dollars each for a horseback ride, which was worth the money and saved us a lot of time as well.
After we got down we enjoyed standing near the lake, but thinking about the way down, we decided to go back up by paying 10 dollars each for a horseback ride, which was worth the money and saved us a lot of time as well.
Written May 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelly C
3 contributions
Mar 2018 • Solo
Quilotoa is an amazing place! If you have the time, I recommend hiking around the crater rather than down into it. Both have difficult ascents, but I enjoyed hiking around more. The landscape actually seemed to vary a lot, it was beautiful. It took me about 5 hours, and I'm not an intense hiker.
Written April 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Olarescu R
5 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
We did the hike around the crater and that was amazing. The view from the crater was not as pretty as I expected and the way up was soooo hard. I understood from other people that it should be possible to camp for free in the crater. That sounds good, but take into consideration that is quite cold at night.
Written October 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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