Cotopaxi Full-Day from Quito Including Entrances
Recommended by 98% of travelers
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Quito, Ecuador
+11
- 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Cotopaxi Volcano is the centerpiece of Cotopaxi National Park. At more than 19,000 feet (nearly 6,000 meters), its snowy peak dominates the landscape of the park. During this full-day tour from Quito, travelers experience the volcano from many vantage points. Explore a lagoon favored by water birds, learn more about the area at an interpretive center, and hike up the flanks of Cotopaxi Volcano to a recently-renovated climbers' refuge to experience this active volcano up close.
- Enjoy outdoor adventure close to the city
- Hassle-free exploration of a popular national park
- Gain insights with an English-speaking guide
- Convenient private transportation including hotel pickup and drop-off
What's Included
- Tourist transport
- Bilingual guide (English and Spanish)
- All entrances
- Details not specified
- Tips
- Food and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Se confirmará la hora y lugar de pick up hasta las 21h00 pm del día anterior a su tour, si no recibe esta información debe contactarse al +593983359-796, realizamos pick ups en las 3 zonas: La Carolina, Plaza Foch, Plaza Grande, si deseas ser retirado en otra zona podemos hacer con un pago adcional/The time and place of pick-up will be confirmed until 9:00 p.m. the day before your tour departes. If you do not receive this information, you must contact +593983359-796, We make pick ups in this 3 main areas: La Carolina, Plaza Foch, Plaza Grande, if you want you can add a transfer with extra fee.
Start time.7:00 am
Itinerary
1
Cotopaxi National Park
5 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Laguna de Limpiopungo
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Cotopaxi Volcano
3 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 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
Featured review
This tour was awesome. I had a limited stay in Ecuador and wanted to make sure I captured a great experience and this was awesome! From an organised pickup, preparing for the altitude and then even having the clouds clear so we could have amazing photos of Cotopaxi (kidding of course, the weather is unpredictable here but we were very lucky for a fabulous clear view on this day). The hike itself is not long but the altitude definitely tests you. It is all worth it for the stunning view of Cotopaxi! A hike that you can do without a load of hiking gear, definitely wear a lot of layers, the wind is cold. Cover your head and ears as well.
The tour guide Irene was amazing, she had so much information to share during the whole tour. Was helpful with some further questions about Ecuador itself aswell which was great. And of course Andres was a very skilled driver. Definitely recommend this tour, I may even have to plan to do the summit one day.
Reviews
4.9
based on 1,590 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
269 reviews
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Travelers praise the Cotopaxi National Park tour for its impressive natural beauty, challenging hikes, and rewarding volcano views. Guides provide extensive knowledge and supportive leadership, enhancing safety and cultural insight. Drivers receive commendations for professionalism and skillful navigation. Food offerings include quality traditional Ecuadorian dishes. Though the hike is physically demanding due to steep climbs and altitude, most appreciate the well-organized itinerary and memorable experience.
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This is a well organized tour mixing learning about Ecuador geological aspects with emphasis on Cotopaxi and hiking to the base camp. Daniel was awesome explaining things with enthusiasm and was accommodating.
The tour was well organized, good driving and worth the price
The guide was knowledgeable and took care of our needs
We booked a day trip to Cotopaxi and had the most wonderful experience, largely thanks to our guide, Jorge. From start to finish, he was exceptionally kind, professional, and attentive to our needs. High-altitude hiking can be intimidating, but he paced the climb to the José Rivas Refuge perfectly and offered the exact right mix of encouragement and support to help us push through and reach the summit. We felt safe, well-cared for, and motivated the entire day. If you're heading out to Cotopaxi, hope you get him as your guide—highly recommend!
This is the 2nd tour we booked with Josue and we loved it! Our driver was so impressive as well how he drove through the rough roads and weather in Cotopaxi. We got lucky with awesome photos of the volcano and Josue offered to take photos of everyone at each stop. The hike itself was difficult but the feeling when you complete it is such a great feeling! I’d recommend this to anyone I know
Flexibility for not taking the hike to the summit if you’re a Senior Citizen. But if you’re a hiker or a marathon runner, you can easily go to the summit.
This tour was great!!! Our guide (Veronica) was so passionate, bubbly and was proud of her country and all that it has to offer. We partially climbed the Cotopaxi active volcano in the middle of a snow shower and loved the challenge! When we arrived at the hiker’s refuge and realized that we were approximately 16,000 feet above sea level we had such a sense of accomplishment!
After the climb back down to the bus we were able see the peak of Cotopaxi peeking out from behind the clouds and the scene felt almost magical.
We would definitely recommend this tour to others!!
Its a good walk to the base camp. Physically challenging but I saw ppl of all ages and gender do it and in the end manage. The route down recommended by the guide was a fast one but slightly slippery. The Lake though was a quick stop not much explained by the guide and not much time spent either
Jorge was a wonderful tour guide and so positive. The whole day was very well planned and very fun. I really enjoyed it.
The tour took about 9 hours and was well organized. We had a group of about 10 people in this tour. After picking up everyone at their hotels in a van, we first stopped to get food and cash, then stopped to get coca tea to help with the altitude before going to the visitor center. After the visitor center we went to the parking lot (~4500m altitude) below the Cotopaxi volcano base camp. The trip by van to the parking lot took about 3 hours, including the 3 stops (around 20 min for each stop). From the parking lot, we walked up a winding path to get to the volcano base camp at an altitude of 4864m. I normally live near sea level and was only in Quito for less than a day, so the altitude was noticeable and had to walk slowly, but was doable in under an hour. I didn't take any additional medication for the altitude, just the coca tea. It was also noticeably colder than Quito, maybe 5-10C in Oct 2026, but jeans and 3 layers of shirts was sufficient to keep warm. It was a little cloudy and there were brief moments where the summit could be seen between clouds, and we got some decent photos during those times. Then we went down a steeper, but more direct path back to the parking lot. It was really sandy and a little tricky to walk without slipping, but it was much faster than going up. Then we got back on the van and stopped at a lagoon for about 15min, then went to Rondador Cotopaxi to eat lunch, which luckily had a vegan option. Then we went back to Quito. During the bus ride to Cotopaxi, our guide explained a lot about the geography and history of the area in both Spanish and English and was very knowledgeable about the area. Overall, it was a great tour and would recommend it to others.
Irene the guide was really nice and with a lot of knowledge. She was very responsible about the altitude and made us feel safe.
What a great trip! So much fun to hike to base camp. Our guide was great, we enjoyed the history lessons and instruction he gave us to make the hike. We really enjoyed Ivan our driver who let us practice our Spanish!
We had an amazing time with our tour guide Pamela today, Pamela was professional with a good attitude and making jokes to keep everyone entertained. We got lucky with weather at the time of year, we managed to get some nice photos and make memories. The driver of the tour bus Jonathan was excellent and picked us up, took us to our tour destination and then safely dropped us back off at our hotel. Would recommend to anyone looking to discover about Cotapaxi and it's surrounding national park. Although the tour does not include food / drinks, we was able to take breaks to acquire snacks before the trip and before return back to our hotel we was taken to a nice place to have some home cooked food.
We had a wonderful time with our tour guide Veronica! She was so kind!! We had our 16 month old with us and she was so understanding the whole time. We loved our time in Ecuador and this trip is a must!
Amazing experience, give your self at least 2 days in Quito as the way to the refuge is ascent and the altitude is high, especially if you are coming from sea level. But the view is totally worth it!! Jorge was an inspiring guide, provided useful information about cotopaxi national park. Jonathan was an experienced driver. Cotopaxi volcano is very impressive
This was such a great first activity to do when I landed in Ecuador! From the time I booked, the communication was great. I also received a message from our guide, Irene, in the morning to confirm the pick-up time and she sent us photos from the day afterwards too. The bus was super clean and modern and our driver (Jimmy) got us there and back very safely, taking care of the bus by cleaning it when we stopped too. It is a long day but not too bad and the trip is broken up a lot by going for breakfast, doing the short hike to Cotopaxi base-camp, visiting the laguna and then going for lunch. The hike itself is only short - but the altitude is no joke if you're not used to it! If you get to base-camp early you have the option to walk a little further up the hill and make it to 5,000 MASL. This was a little bit tough but so glad I did it!
Cotopaxi itself is stunning if you get good weather - the disappearing glacier is beautiful and sad to see 🥹We even saw an Andean fox!
There is no food provided on the tour, this was the only down side - but I was aware of this when booking. As a vegan, I would recommend taking your own food for the day as the cafe's don't really cater well for veggie/vegans. But I sat with everyone and ate my own food, no problems. Thank you for a wonderful day guy🗻I'll remember this trip forever!
A challenging hike with stops for snacks, tea, lunch, etc. While we could have done without some of the stops before the hike (snacks, tea, and museum), because it made the day unnecessarily long (would have preferred to spend more time at the park), the hike and views were great. Also of note, the bus didn't have curtains, which made for uncomfortably warm driving.
This tour is a MUST DO!!! I am so glad I got to not only see Cotopaxi, but hike up to the Base Camp!! Jorge did a fantastic job of explaining things and keeping us very informed of food stops, bathroom stops, etc. He was extremely friendly and made sure we got some good photos! The drive up to the parking lot of Cotopaxi was no easy feat and I honestly cannot believe a bus can even make the drive, but Mauricio handled it like a boss!!! I felt super safe as a solo female joining along!! The price is fantastic for the value you get. Also, breakfast was huge and $4 and lunch was also huge, included a petting zoo with alpacas, and was only $6! They also dropped me off at a different spot along their route rather than my hostel so I could go for a much deserved beer!!
We had an amazing day! Our tour guide was very informative, and super kind throughout the trip. The stops for breakfast and lunch were very good and came at a great time. Highlight was obviously the hike to the refuge center, we were able to see the peak of Cotopaxi a few times while the clouds parted. Our guide took lots of pictures of everyone too, which was really nice to look back on all of the photos. She also was really helpful at all of the meals and wore many hats assisting everyone. Would for sure do again!
Be prepared for the altitude, especially if you’re coming from sea level. It’s quite windy up there so I have a face covering as well
It did not rain much when I was up there, but I could see that being a big issue if it were to have happened
Just an amazing experience. Everything flowed so smoothly thanks to Jorge. He is incredibly knowledgeable about Cotopaxi and you can tell how much he loves showing the beauty of his country. As a solo woman traveler it is important to have a guide that is attentive and responsive and he was. The other tourists were impressed with him as well. The tour itself was phenomenal. Beautiful views along with information about the environment. The schedule was efficient and gave enough time to rest during the hike and stop for photos. The Cafe and restaurant where breakfast and lunch were sold were delicious. It was just the right amount of time and information. The Driver drove safely and the bus was clean. I've done many tours but this was one of my favorite.
Great tour and excellent guide, come prepared though! A must see if you're in Ecuador. I'd definitely go again.
I had a great experience on the Cotopaxi tour! Carlos was an excellent guide—very knowledgeable about the local area, the history, and the volcano itself. He did a great job explaining everything along the way and made the experience even more enjoyable. Johnathan was also an excellent driver. His skillful maneuvering made the ride feel smooth and comfortable, even when we encountered some pretty rough patches on the way up the volcano. Both Carlos and Johnathan were professional, friendly, and made the whole experience memorable. Highly recommend this tour!
This tour was great. This is a hard hike so please keep that in mind, I would recommend always bringing a change of clothes as the weather is unpredictable and we got soaked!
An epic experience of endurance and determination. The guide was knowledgeable and encouraging. 10/10!
Great excursion! Agree with other reviewers about the order and description of the day. It guides even stopped us off at our near by airbnb (inside of the listed hotels)
Beautiful view . Interesting facts about the volcano mountain . The tour guide was great . It was a privet tour for me and my husband.
Very well organized and the guide communicated the elevation gain and intense winds prior to departing for the trek
This was a wonderful excursion and I highly recommend it to anyone considering a day trip to Cotopaxi! Jorge was a great guide and Jonathan a talented driver. All the stops were excellent and the entire trip was super comfortable. You don’t have to hike up to the refuge unless you want to so this is good for active hikers and the curious alike. Also, the trip included people from around the world but especially Latin America and even Ecuador — that’s how you know it’s really good!
A really great day out, Fernando was a superb host. The hike to the base camp is amazing but go prepared. It's cold, really cold, so warm hat, gloves and lots of warm layers are needed. I don't know whether it's mentioned in the itinerary but, if it isn't, it really should be!
Had very good experience from hotel pickup to drop off. Irene was our tour guide Mauro was the driver. Both of them are experts in their jobs. Irene explained the every details of the tour well. Both were very kind. The tour was amazing. The views were astonishing. It was very windy and cold on the mountain when we were hiking from the parking to the base camp. It was bit difficult due to the wind and steep climb. Luckily we were able to see the whole view without much clouds.
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