Cuicocha Lake Trail – Cuicocha Crater Lake loop from Parqueadero Laguna Cuicocha

Hiking trails & Routes

Ecuador

Imbabura

Quiroga

Cuicocha Lake Trail – Cuicocha Crater Lake loop from Parqueadero Laguna Cuicocha

Easy

5.0

(3)

hikers

Cuicocha Lake Trail – Cuicocha Crater Lake loop from Parqueadero Laguna Cuicocha

00:37

2.21km

40m

Hiking

Easy hike. Easily walkable paths. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: September 24, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Reserva Ecológica Cotacachi-Cayapas

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

102 m

Cuicocha Lagoon Loop Trailhead

Highlight • Trail

Circular hike around the "guinea pig lagoon". The easiest way to get there from Otavalo is by bus to Quiroga and then by taxi from the parque central there ($5)

Translated by Google •

Tip by

430 m

Cuicocha Lake Trail

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

On this section of the hiking trail that runs all the way around Laguna Cuicocha, after climbing numerous steps and through lush Andean flora, you reach a ridge path with fantastic views of the lagoon and the Otavalo plain

Translated by Google •

Tip by

1.49 km

Cuicocha Crater Lake

Highlight • Lake

2.21 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

1.79 km

269 m

155 m

Surfaces

1.91 km

155 m

103 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Wednesday 4 November

19°C

9°C

87 %

Additional weather tips

There’s a fairly high chance of rain. Consider packing a waterproof jacket.

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

March 4, 2024,Ecuador Tag 2b: die Laguna Cuicocha

Laguna Cuicocha (“Guinea Pig Lake”) is a caldera and crater lake approximately three kilometers in diameter at the foot of Cotacachi in the Ecuadorian Andes, created by an imploding volcano. It can be circumnavigated in its entirety on a very demanding hiking trail; we limit ourselves to a section that leads up a ridge path over numerous steps and offers …

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