Quilotoa Day Trip from Quito: Lagoon Hike & Tigua Art Stop

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1/16

Duration11h

GroupUp to 16

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Lagoon hikes, local art stops & canyon views from Quito

You’ll hike down into Quilotoa’s volcanic crater for close-up views of its turquoise lagoon (or ride a mule if you’d rather). Warm up over lunch with locals before meeting Tigua artists in their workshop—watch them paint or try your own hand. End with sweeping canyon views before returning to Quito with new stories and maybe sore legs.

11h

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Quilotoa Lagoon and Toachi Canyon

Travel to Ecological Reserve Los Ilinizas
Go to community lookout
Descend to Quilotoa Lagoon
Walk around lagoon and free time
Option to rent mule for ascent
Lunch break
Visit artisan workshop in Tigua
Visit Toachi Canyon lookout
Return to Quito

The Experience

We were already winding through the highlands when I realized how far Quito actually sits from Quilotoa Lagoon—three hours, but it didn’t feel that long. Our guide, Andrés, kept pointing out things I’d never have noticed: a farmer herding sheep in a bright red poncho, the way the clouds moved like slow dancers over the Ilinizas. The bus windows fogged up every time we climbed higher. Someone in the back started humming quietly; it fit the mood.

The first real jolt of excitement hit at the community lookout. The wind was sharp—like, really sharp—and suddenly there it was: this wild turquoise patch inside an old volcano. We started down toward the lagoon (the path is dusty and kind of slippery, just saying). I tried not to think about climbing back up later. Andrés laughed when he saw my face and said, “Don’t worry, you can always take a mule if you want.” Some folks did. I walked it and my legs still remember.

Lunch was simple but good—hot soup and rice with chicken at a little spot run by locals. I still remember how smoky it smelled inside, like wood fire and something sweet I couldn’t place. Afterward we stopped by a workshop in Tigua. The artists were painting these tiny scenes on wood—bright colors everywhere, roosters and mountains and people waving with paint-stained fingers. One woman let me try a brush stroke; she grinned when I messed up (which was nice of her). Then we headed out to Toachi Canyon for one last view before heading back to Quito. That light on the cliffs… hard to describe.

What’s included

Your day includes bilingual guiding in English or Spanish, all entrance tickets along the route, tourist transport from Quito to Quilotoa Lagoon and back again, plus a hearty lunch after your hike or mule ride down to the water’s edge before continuing on to Tigua’s artisan workshops and Toachi Canyon lookout.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Quito Tour Bus