Cotopaxi Volcano Tour from Quito: Hike to Basecamp & Glacier

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1/16

Duration7h–8h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Hike two routes up Ecuador's most active volcano in one day

A full-day guided tour from Quito to Cotopaxi National Park combines two hikes: one to Jose Rivas basecamp on the Cotopaxi Volcano and another to the glacial zone at 5,000 meters. The tour includes park entry, lunch, private transportation from Quito, and a bilingual guide who leads the route and explains the geology and ecology of the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Moderate fitness is needed for the high-altitude hiking.

7h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Cotopaxi National Park and Volcano

Travel from Quito to Cotopaxi National Park
Explore Cotopaxi National Park landscapes
Hike to Jose Rivas basecamp
Hike to Cotopaxi glacier at 5000 meters
Visit Limpiopungo Lake and hike trail
Return to Quito

The Experience

You start in Quito and drive into Cotopaxi National Park, entering the Avenue of the Volcanoes—a high-altitude corridor where multiple peaks line the horizon. The park sits in the paramo grasslands and cloud forests of the Ecuadorian Andes, and the day centers on Cotopaxi Volcano itself, a snow-capped cone that rises to 5,897 meters. Your guide leads you on foot to Jose Rivas basecamp first, a lower hike that gets you close to the volcano's slopes and gives you a sense of its scale before the steeper push higher.

The second hike takes you toward the glacial zone at 5,000 meters, where the air thins and the snow-covered peak dominates the view. This is the more demanding stretch of the day—the altitude and the terrain require steady effort—but it is also where you stand closest to the active volcano and see the full sweep of the park's ecosystems below. Lunch is included and timed into the day so you refuel before or after the hikes, depending on the group's pace and the guide's route choice.

You also visit Limpiopungo Lagoon, a high-altitude lake where a loop trail circles the water and reflects the volcano on calm days. This walk is gentler than the basecamp and glacier hikes—roughly an hour—and offers a different angle on the landscape. The tour runs 7 to 8 hours total, including drive time, hikes and lunch. Transportation from Quito is included, and your guide speaks both English and Spanish, so language is not a barrier to understanding the geology, flora and fauna the guide points out along the way.

What’s included

Lunch.
private transportation from Quito.
Cotopaxi National Park entrance fee.
bilingual tour guide in English and Spanish.
pickup and drop-off in Quito.

Good to know

Moderate physical level

Operated by Quito Trip

Is this one for you?Choose the private or small-group option if you want the guide's full attention on the route and the flexibility to move at your own pace during the hikes; the shared tour works if you prefer to split costs and don't mind a larger group on the trail.