Cotopaxi Volcano full day tour with all the entrances, every day

Recommended by 99% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Quito, Ecuador

12 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Ecuador’s Cotopaxi National Park is a unique area with a diverse ecosystem of fauna and flora. Join this full-day tour from Quito to explore the area around the active volcano and learn about the natural history of the region. You also visit the Limpiopungo Lagoon where you enjoy beautiful views of the volcano and surrounding areas.

Keep your eyes peeled for local fauna and flora
All entrance fees are concluded for your convenience
Enjoy round-trip transfers from your Quito hotel
Take in the landscapes of the Andean Mountains

What's Included

Tourist Transport
Bilingual Guide (Spanish – English)
All Entrances

Details not specified
Tips
Lunch

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

we will contact you to confirm you pick up place one day before the tour.

Operating hours
.7:00 am

Itinerary

Cotopaxi National Park

5 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Laguna de Limpiopungo

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Jeff_A

Veronica was a good guide and Jimmy a good driver. Definitely a very bumpy ride at times on the way up the volcano inside the park! Veronica loaned a hiking pole to whomever needed it. I will say the high altitudes are real! Consider prescription from your doctor or things like Coca Tea. Absolutely stunning views throughout.

Reviews

4.9

based on 329 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Well planned day, great...

Tony_H, Jun 2025

Well planned day, great walk up to the refuge. Was primarily Spanish spoken by the guide, which didn’t suit me, but it didn’t spoil a top day out

Cotopaxi tour

Esther_Q, Sep 2024

Our guide Felipe was great, knowledgeable and nice! We enjoyed the hike to the refugio josé rivas on Cotopaxi and we were lucky the view cleared as we went up. Be prepared, dress warm, it is cold up there! The stops along the way were useful for snacks, tea, and an information i missed before going is that we actually stop in a nice traditional restaurant with a view on Cotopaxi and llamas in the garden for lunch. The lunch cost is not included but you can have it there.

Memorable experience at Cotopaxi

Winson_L, Sep 2024

Adrian our tour guide was great. He was very attentive to everyone’s needs. The lunch was also excellent.

Great experience

MANLIO_G, May 2024

Great trip to the volcano. Kind and prepared guide. You will get to see standing landscapes and learn more about this part of Ecuador. Really raccomended

Amazing experience

William_F, Apr 2024

Everything went as planned and even on a cloudy day it was extraordinary. Andrea was the perfect guide. I didn't know if I could get up to 16k ft, but when I did was exhilarating. Lunch was good and 6 people was perfect sized group. I highly recommend.

Cotopaxi Volcano Hike

Shannon_H, Dec 2023

Hiking up Cotopaxi volcano was amazing! The views were absolutely stunning. It is a bit strenuous hiking at this altitude, but totally worth it. The restaurant we stopped at after Cotopaxi was very good and prices were very reasonable. I would pack a snack because we did not get lunch until around 4 pm. Our tour guide Irene was great. She went out of her way to make our day special.

Great Trip!

Frank_L, Sep 2023

It was a good tour. I had Pablo as the Driver and Andrea as the guide. Both were fantastic. Knowledgable, warm, friendly. The only thing to be advised about is that I was on a tight schedule and Viator lists this as an 8-hour tour, and its actually a 12-hour tour. If you want a more efficient experience I'd recommend asking the company for a private tour. Great trip. Chulla Vida!

High volcano peak with astounding views

Jeff_A, Aug 2023

Look for another tour or self drive

Kevin_H, Feb 2022

Overall the tour wasn’t quite what we were hoping for. It started by stopping at a gas station restaurant for breakfast and snacks which took about 45 minutes and seemed a little unnecessary. We were told we were just 15 minutes from Cotopaxi so everyone was excited. We then proceeded to pick up 2 more people which was 30 minutes out of the way and then returned to the same gas station so that these 2 people could go to an ATM. This lost us an hour. We finally made it to Cotopaxi National Park and stopped at yet another cafe there for coca tea. This to me should have been the one and only breakfast stop. This was followed by 20 minutes in the interpretive center and then another 20 minutes for the gift shop. All of these stops used up the morning of the tour. One of the listed highlights was a stop at the Laguna de Limpiopungo. We stopped here for 5 minutes and then were forced to get back on the bus. This stop seemed like a nice one as there was a trail around the lake and some great views so it was disappointing to have wasted so much time picking up people who were very much out of the way and making multiple food stops. From here we passed fields of the famous wild horses but I guess we didn’t have time to stop so we blew by them. Then came the hike itself which was fine and then we were loaded up and taken to a restaurant for “lunch” around 4pm. This stop was fine as well as the food was quite good and just $5 a person. We then were returned to our hotel. The total time from pick up to drop off was just short of 12 hours. The tour guide Irene was very nice, energetic and knowledgeable but the tour itself was a disappointment due to the poor time management of the day, multiple unnecessary stops and too much leniency in participant pick up locations. I wouldn’t suggest this tour and if I had it to do again I would likely rent a car and self drive as it seemed quite simple to do so.

Challenging but rewarding hike to base camp

Nicholas_B, Feb 2022

Good tour! There's a quick stop for breakfast on the way then you head to Cotopaxi. You visit the museum first and have a chance to get your passport stamped and get a tea to help prevent altitude sickness. Then the climb to base camp begins (this, like the majority of Cotopaxi tours, is a climb to the base camp). It's a pretty intense climb up just because of the elevation - your body will be working pretty hard. We took the "heart breaker" path which is a steeper direct route to the camp, but with two guides everyone could go at their pace (no pressure to keep pace with the people in front). At the top we had some hot cocoa and our driver Carlos (great guy) offered us some of his snacks while we exchanged travel stories. Then we headed down, checked out a lagoon at lower elevation, and headed to a lunch spot (pretty good food and canelazos, and there are also goats and alpacas on the property). It was still light out when we made it back to Quito. Good day!