46 · Cotopaxi, Ecuador

Quilotoa Crater Rim

Loop the rim of a water-filled caldera at 3,900 m on a ground path with drops on both sides, from the village at 3,914 m over Monte Juyende at 3,930 m and back, for a two-dollar community fee.

Trail runningLoop

LATACUNGA
ECUADOR

Reserva Ecológica Los Ilinizas

0° 52' S
78° 55' W

10.5 kmDistanceHardSite gradeLatacungaNearest base

Site grade

HardFeatured

The whole loop sits between 3,800 and 3,930 m, the path is a narrow ground trail on a crater rim with near-vertical drops toward the lake, and the descents are on loose stone. The distance is modest; the altitude and the exposure are not.

The experience

About ten kilometres of narrow ground path on a crater rim, never below 3,800 m, topping out at 3,930 m on Monte Juyende, with loose-stone descents and exposure toward the lake. The distance is a morning; the altitude makes it a day for anyone arriving from sea level.

The lake sits 400 m below the rim inside a volcano in the Los Ilinizas Ecological Reserve, and the rim is high enough to see the Toachi canyon on one side and the water on the other for the whole loop. The village, the toilets and the fee all belong to the Centro Turístico Comunitario Quilotoa.

Quilotoa is an indigenous Kichwa community in Sigchos canton; the Centro Turístico Comunitario Quilotoa runs the viewpoint, car park, toilets and hostels, and La Gaceta puts about 500 people as dependent on its tourism. The crater sits inside the Los Ilinizas Ecological Reserve, created in December 1996.

Where the sources disagreeThe community charges two dollars a person at the village entrance; in August 2026 the vice-president of the Centro Turístico Comunitario told La Gaceta it covers the car park and toilets. That is worth knowing because in January 2017 the tourism ministry and the same community signed an agreement eliminating the two-dollar charge, so the fee's legal status has been argued over for years. Pay it, it is the community's income. The rim path has near-vertical drops toward the lake and Happy Gringo advises against it in wind; the descents are on loose stone. Nothing on the loop is above 3,930 m, but nothing is below 3,800 m either, and the village itself is at 3,914 m: sleep in Latacunga or Quilotoa first. Swimming in the lake is prohibited.

Trail path

The line
you follow.

StartMirador Quilotoa, the lake viewpoint at the top of Quilotoa villageFinishMirador QuilotoaDirectionEither way round. Viaja la Vida recommends starting to the left of the viewpoint, so that the steeper ground is climbed rather than descended.

01Mirador Quilotoa
02Monte Juyende (Las Golondrinas viewpoint)
03Far rim above the Toachi canyon side
04Shalalá side of the rim
05Mirador Quilotoa

Route sections

01 · The Two-Dollar GateMirador Quilotoa to Monte Juyende
The community tourism centre collects two dollars at the village, for the car park and toilets as much as the view. From the mirador the path climbs left along the rim to Monte Juyende at 3,930 m, the highest point of the loop, before the first breath of the day has settled.02 · The Narrow RidgeMonte Juyende to the far rim
The rim thins to a path with the lake on one side and the outer slopes on the other. Happy Gringo's rule is the right one: do not attempt it on a windy day.03 · The Loose DescentsThe far rim to the Shalalá side
Between the rim shoulders the path drops on sand and small stones, the stretch where Viaja la Vida was crouching and holding on. This is the part that decides whether you run or walk the second half.04 · Closing the CircleShalalá side back to the mirador
The last shoulders roll back toward the village. The lake is 3,493 m and 400 m below; the descent to it is a separate path from the mirador, not part of the loop.

Weather profile

What the sky
is likely to do.

Equatorial high Andes: strong sun and cold in the same hour, cloud that fills the crater by early afternoon, and wind on the rim that the guides treat as the main hazard. Nights at 3,914 m are cold.

Season & timing

Managed seasonNo managed season. The viewpoint is staffed year round; the two-dollar fee applies every day.Best windowJune to September for the drier, clearer mornings. Start at first light and be off the rim before the afternoon cloud and wind.SurfaceGround path of volcanic ash, sand and grass along the crater rim, with steep loose-stone descents and short climbs between rim high points; no pavement, no stepsDirectionEither way round. Viaja la Vida recommends starting to the left of the viewpoint, so that the steeper ground is climbed rather than descended.

Signature moments

What you will
remember afterwards.

The first sight of the lake from the mirador

Monte Juyende, the top of the loop

The rim thinning to a ridge

The Toachi canyon opening on the outer side

The village roofs coming back into view

THE RIM

3,930 M

Monte Juyende, the high point of a loop that never drops below 3,800 m

The Las Golondrinas viewpoint on Monte Juyende is the top of the circuit at 3,930 m; the village start is at 3,914 m and the lake 3,493 m. You are above most of Europe's summits for the whole run.

Access & logistics

AccessFrom Quito, bus from the Quitumbe terminal to Latacunga, then a local bus to Quilotoa; Quitotrip's 2026 guide gives about two hours and three dollars for the second leg. Quilotoa village is 178 km south-west of Quito. The path starts at the mirador at the top of the village.PermitsNone beyond the community entrance: two dollars a person at the village, covering the car park and toilets. Swimming in the lake is prohibited.BookingsNone for the loop. The community tourism centre offers lodging, food and guides in the village.WaterNone on the rim. Fill up in the village; carry more than you think for the altitude.FoodRestaurants and shops in Quilotoa village at the start and finish. Nothing on the loop.Mobile coverageSignal in the village. Do not rely on it on the far rim.DurationNo official time. Viaja la Vida walked it in five and a half hours with stops; Happy Gringo gives no time; a Quito operator allows six hours.

Key hazards

▲Altitude, 3,800 to 3,930 m for the whole loop
▲Near-vertical drops toward the lake from a narrow rim path
▲Wind on exposed rim sections
▲Loose sand and stone on the descents
▲Sun and cold with little shelter
▲No water on the rim

SafetyOrientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance. Acclimatise before you go, skip the rim in wind, and carry a windproof layer and all your water.

Open the rim path on OpenStreetMap →Request this run →

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Official sources

Last verified 2026-09-16 · Record CETC-RUN-046 · Orientation only. Always use current official maps, alerts and safety guidance.

Photograph: Annom · Public domain