GUNUNG · Ekuador
Quilotoa
Source
Panorama danau kawah Quilotoa dari tepi rim. Photo: source
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- Feels like
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- Humidity
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- Wind
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Source: Open-Meteo
Information
- Elevation
- 3.914 m
- Country
- Ekuador (EC)
- Location / Range
- Andes
- Mountain type
- Gunung berapi (kaldera)
- Volcanic?
- Yes — volcano
- Coordinates
- -0.8612, -78.8973
- Difficulty
- Mudah–Sedang (jalur kaki)
- Best Season
- Juni–September (musim kemarau Andes; pagi hari langit paling cerah)
- Permits & Rules
- Tiket masuk kawasan komunitas Quilotoa sekitar US$2 per orang; tidak wajib pemandu untuk lingkar kawah, tetapi jalur lintas-desa Quilotoa Loop dilakukan mandiri antar-hostal.
- Hazards
- Ketinggian di atas 3.500 m (risiko mountain sickness), kabut mendadak yang menutup jalur rim yang berpasir dan curam, angin kencang, serta pendakian balik dari tepi danau yang menanjak ~280 m.
Description
Quilotoa is a water-filled caldera in Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador—the westernmost volcano of the country's Andes. The roughly 3 km-wide crater formed after a catastrophic eruption around 1280 CE and now holds a lake up to ~250 m deep whose greenish-blue colour comes from dissolved minerals. The rim sits near 3,914 m while the lake surface lies at about 3,500 m. Its signature outing is the ~10 km rim circuit (4–5 hours) with lake views from every angle, plus a short drop to the shoreline. Quilotoa is also the celebrated finish of the Quilotoa Loop, a multi-day trek linking Andean villages such as Sigchos, Isinliví and Chugchilán.
Gallery
Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.
Routes
Lingkar Kawah (Quilotoa Crater Rim)
Sedang (jalur kaki, ketinggian)A full circuit of the caldera rim, about 10 km. The path is sandy and steep in places and exposed to wind and fog, but rewards with green-lake views from every angle. It can be combined with the short ~280 m drop to the shore (30 min down, 1–2 hours up). Start from Quilotoa village; pay the ~US$2 community entry fee.
Quilotoa Loop (Sigchos → Quilotoa)
Sedang (trek mandiri, navigasi)A multi-day trek linking Andean villages—commonly Sigchos, Isinliví and Chugchilán—finishing dramatically at the Quilotoa crater. The Sigchos-to-Quilotoa direction has more total ascent but saves the crater for the end. It is done self-guided, sleeping in village hostels; navigation relies on offline maps (AllTrails/Maps.me) since many side-trail junctions are easy to miss.
Climbing Experiences
Quilotoa (rim ~3,914 m) is experienced two ways: the ~10 km rim circuit (4–5 hours) with green-lake views from every side, or as the finale of the multi-day Quilotoa Loop between Andean villages. Hikers highlight the lake's striking colour, the tiring sandy rim path in fog, and the short but steep drop to the shore.
References
The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.