Cotopaxi Horseback Riding

3 hours in the saddle
Native chagra guide
No riding experience needed
Lunch and park permits included
Four departures a week

Duration
Full day (3 hours of riding)
Difficulty
Moderate
Departure
Foch Square at 7:10 a.m. / Zular Coffee Shop (San Blas Square) at 7:20 a.m.
Departure days
Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Languages
English, Spanish

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Tour overview

Three hours on horseback across the lower plain of Cotopaxi National Park, with the highest active volcano in the world at 5,897 m (19,347 ft) in front of you. This is how the chagras, the Andean horsemen of these highlands, have always crossed this landscape.

The ride stays around the Limpiopungo Lagoon at 3,850 m, so you get the volcano views, the ruins and the open páramo without the altitude of the glacier route. A native chagra guide leads the ride; your certified bilingual guide is with you for the rest of the day.

No riding experience needed. We leave Quito at 7:10 a.m., stop on the way south for acclimatization and supplies, ride in the morning, and come back after lunch at the same restaurant we passed in the morning.

Full day from Quito, four departures a week, transport, lunch and protected-area permits included. $112 per person.

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Itinerary

Stop 1: Pick-up in Quito

Departure from Foch Square at 7:10 a.m. or Zular Coffee Shop (San Blas Square) at 7:20 a.m., driving south on the Pan-American Highway through Machachi. About an hour and a half to the park.
Stop 2: Stop before the park entrance

A stop near the national park entrance so you can buy breakfast and supplies for the road. Breakfast is not included in the tour.
Stop 3: Cotopaxi National Park - 3,200 m

Entrance to the park at 3,200 m (10,499 ft). Your guide explains the lower part of the park and its endemic flora and fauna.
Stop 4: Photos at 3,600 m

Weather permitting, a photo stop in the lower part of the park at 3,600 m (11,811 ft).
Stop 5: Three hours on horseback

Approximately three hours of riding in the lower part of the park with a native chagra guide, returning to the same point where you started.
Stop 6: Limpiopungo Lagoon

Photographs at the Limpiopungo Lagoon at 3,850 m (12,631 ft).
Stop 7: Lunch and return to Quito

We leave the national park for a menu-type lunch at the same restaurant as the morning, then drive back to Quito.

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What's included

Included

Certified bilingual Spanish-English guide throughout the tour
Native Spanish-speaking chagra guide during the horseback ride
Horseback riding (approx. 3 hours)
Authorized tourist transportation
Menu-type lunch
Protected area entrance permits

Not included

Breakfast
Extra meals and beverages
Snacks
Tips
VAT

What to bring

Comfortable, warm clothes
Windbreaker
Gloves, neck and ear protection
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Camera
Comfortable shoes for mountainous and sandy terrain

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Good to know

Do I need riding experience?

No. The ride stays in the lower, flatter part of Cotopaxi National Park and is led by a native chagra guide. No experience is required.
How long is the ride?

Approximately three hours, around the Limpiopungo Lagoon at 3,850 m (12,631 ft), returning to the same point where you mounted.
What language does the riding guide speak?

The chagra guide who leads the ride speaks Spanish. A certified bilingual Spanish-English guide accompanies you throughout the rest of the day.
Is breakfast included?

No. There is a stop near the park entrance where you can buy breakfast and supplies for the road. Lunch is included.
What should I wear?

Comfortable warm clothes, a windbreaker, gloves, neck and ear protection, sunglasses, sunscreen and comfortable shoes for mountainous and sandy terrain. Average temperature is around 5C / 41F.
Which days does it run?

Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as a shared tour.