Hiking to the Refugio at Cotopaxi National Park

Cotopaxi is an impressively massive cone shaped volcano that can be seen from many places in Ecuador, including Quito and Quilotoa. Marveling at its majesty from afar becomes quite the tease after a few days and, naturally, you’re going to want to visit. We want to share what we learned with other explorers interested in a day trip to Cotopaxi National Park.

Getting There

The easiest way to visit Cotopaxi is to schedule a car or shuttle to pick you up from your hostel in the morning and take you on the 1-3 hour drive to the Cotopaxi Refugio trail head parking lot (view location in Google Maps). Along the way, you’ll have excellent views of the volcano and surrounding National Park.

The Ascent

From the parking lot, you’ll start your ascent toward the Refugio, which is only 0.6 miles (~1 km) away. However, the parking lot is around 14,750 ft and the Refugio is at 15,950 ft. Meaning, this will be one of the most challenging half mile walks you’ve ever taken. Even the first step onto the parking lot ground is difficult, as you feel the sudden shock of what such staggering altitude starts to do to your senses and body. Plus, the roaring chilly winds certainly don’t make it any easier. Don’t be surprised if the journey upward takes you an entire 2 hours!

MAKE SURE YOU BRING PLENTY OF WATER and a snack to avoid altitude sickness. Though, to be completely honest, it may be unavoidable for some people.

The grueling ascent to the Refugio at Cotopaxi.

For those who are brave (crazy) enough, you can climb the final 3,500 ft to the top of Cotopaxi from the Refugio. If you’re only feeling slightly brave (but not too loco), you can hike another 0.4 miles with 800 ft elevation gain to the nearest glacier.

Bonus Adventure: Mountain Bike Down the Mountain

Ask your “tour” operator if you can rent bikes to ride down the mountain from the parking lot. We did this and it was SUPER fun! Fair warning, the road is pretty bumpy. So if you’re not semi-familiar with downhill mountain biking, maybe skip this.