Cotopaxi rises in a steeply symmetrical glacier-capped cone to 19.460 feet (5,897 meters) and is Ecuador’s second-highest mountain and its highest active volcano.

Limpiopungo Lake is also located in the park. And nearby we will  find two wonderful Indian markets in the tiny villages of Saquisilí and Pujilí. These markets are as authentic and non-tourist as you can find in Ecuador today, and are important for the local indigenous people as they form the center of their social and economic worlds.

Here you will find all find of fruit, yarns, ropes, ceramics, heaps of used clothing, pails and stacks of shovels and axes for sale. Ceramics are particularly common in these markets as there is a lot of clay in the surrounding hills.

Saquisilí is located only a few kilometers west of the Pan-American Highway, just south of the town of Guaytacama, while Pujilí is about 10 kilometers west of the city of Latacunga. Markets days held on Wednesdays and Sundays in Pujilí and Thursdays in Saquisili.

Early in the morning, we drive south from Quito through the Avenue of the Volcanoes to reach in the Indian Market, a morning visit the market. Lunch in a typical restaurant.

After lunch, we visit the Cotopaxi National Park including Lake Limpiopungo. Afternoon drive back to Quito.

Early in the morning we travel south through the Avenue of the Volcanoes to Cotopaxi National Park. We will visit Lake Limpiopungo and if the weather permits climb up to the glaciers. A box lunch will be provided on route. In the afternoon we will drive to our selected hotel. Dinner and overnight. (choose where to stay below)

After breakfast, we will leave early in the morning to visit a local Indian market. Lunch will be served in a typical restaurant. Afternoon drive back to Quito.

After breakfast we leave for Cotopaxi National Park, where we can visit the interpretation center to learn about the highest active volcano in the world and the history of its major eruptions, as well as the local flora and fauna.

We visit lake Limpiopungo ("open door")  and its surroundings where excellent views of Cotopaxi, Sincholagua and Rumiñahui can be had. A box lunch will be provided on route to the Pasochoa private reserve.

The Pasochoa area is a rare reminder of the unique characteristics of the ancient Andean forest ecosystem. Pasochoa's crater has two deep ravines: the Santa Ana, where you will find four hiking trails, and the Sambache, access to which is prohibited for conservation reasons. The steep slopes and irregular topography of the Sambache and Santa Ana ravines makes them difficult to access for the purpose of farming or grazing. This reality has helped to conserve this valuable biological resource, which is now open for you to visit.

The Wildlife Refuge is located on the flanks of the Pasochoa volcano, whose altitude ranges from 2,800 to 4,200 meters.  One of the special attractions of Pasochoa is the diversity of birdlife to be found there. There are 24 families and 127 species of birds, 14 of them belonging to the hummingbird family. The most common hummingbird species are the ‘colibri pico de espada’ (sword-peaked hummingbird), ‘la cola larga’ (long-tailed hummingbirds) and ‘el soldadito’ (the little soldier).

The song of the huirac-churos's (a snail-eating bird) is an ever-present sound in the refuge. With a little luck, you will be able to observe ‘semilleros’ (Catamania sp.), turtledoves, ring-doves, wild mountain turkeys (which are in danger of extinction in the Andean forests because of over-hunting). On a clear day and with some luck, you may have the privilege of seeing the majestic condor, another bird threatened with extinction.

After our tour you will travel northwards once again to arrive in Quito stay overnight at your hotel. B, L