Lake Quilotoa is one of the best places to visit in Ecuador! Whether you're looking to hike the crater rim, or simply marvel at the greenish hue of the water, we think Lake Quilotoa is one of the most beautiful places in Ecuador.

Lake Quilotoa: A Must-See In Ecuador

Lake Quilotoa is one of the best places to visit in Ecuador! Whether you’re looking to hike the crater rim, or simply marvel at the greenish hue of the water, we think Lake Quilotoa is one of the most beautiful places in Ecuador.

 

Sometimes something that wasn’t even on your travel radar end ups being one of your favorite experiences. For us, Lake Quilotoa will always be a cherished memory. It’s stunning beauty left us breathless and amazed.

 

Lake Quilotoa 

Less than 3 hours away from Baños is the small town of Quilotoa. Our friend Max, who we stayed with for a few days while visiting Ecuador, suggested we drive out to see the lake there. Although we had researched Ecuador tourist attractions, we admit that we had not heard of this lake. We trusted Max though, and knew it would be worth the drive. Damn. It was totally worth the drive!

 

First of all, the drive itself was really nice. We kept seeing lush green mountains and farm land and we could not stop staring out of the car window. We even asked Max to pull over a few times because we couldn’t get enough.

 

nature in Ecuador
Some of the beautiful scenery we saw on our way to Lake Quilotoa

 

Then we arrived in town and parked in a small parking lot. After we paid the $2 a person entry fee at a small booth, we started walking towards the lake. To our absolute pleasure, we encountered our first llama of the trip! Although we would soon see and touch more llamas in Machu Picchu, this little cutie was our first so he’ll always be special.

 

Ecuador tourist attractions usually involve llamas
Llama outside of Lake Quilotoa
Lake Quilotoa, Ecuador must sees
Llama selfie!

 

After the llama encounter, we continued to walk down and up the path towards the lake.

 

The entrance to Lake Quilotoa
The entrance to Lake Quilotoa
The walkway leading to the top of Lake Quilotoa
The walkway leading to the top of Lake Quilotoa

 

And then we saw Lake Quilotoa, and we actually gasped…

 

Lake Quilotoa from the lookout point
Lake Quilotoa from the lookout point

 

All I kept thinking was, “Mother nature is fucking crazy.”

 

You see, Lake Quilotoa isn’t just a lake. It’s a lake, inside a crater, inside a volcano. *mind blown*

 

Lake Quilotoa is one of the most beautiful places in Ecuador
Lake Quilotoa is one of the most beautiful places in Ecuador

 

As we continued along the walkway, the sun kept coming out from behind the clouds which added to the experience because it changed the color of the water from a blue tint to an almost emerald tint. They say there are minerals in the water, which cause the greenish hue.

 

Lake Quilotoa Crater Hike

There is a path that you can hike to go down to the edge of the water. You can also walk around the entire rim of the crater which is just over 3 kilometers. If you choose to hike down to the water and don’t feel like hiking back up (it’s pretty steep in some areas), there is a small hostel on the waters edge. Because we had plans to also visit the Swing at the End of the World later that day, we only hiked down for about 20 minutes before making our way back up.

 

Lake Quilotoa is one of the top Ecuador attractions
The path heading down to the edge of the water
Lake Quilotoa, nature places in Ecuador
Hello from Lake Quilotoa!
Without a doubt, Lake Quilotoa is one of the best places to visit in Ecuador
Without a doubt, Lake Quilotoa is one of the best places to visit in Ecuador
Buddy The Traveling Monkey at Lake Quilotoa
Buddy at Lake Quilotoa

 

A few tips for visiting Lake Quilotoa:

  • – Wear comfortable sneakers. Some of the path is made of stone but most of it is dirt.
  • – Dress in layers. It was very windy when we were there which made it chilly. Since we warm up pretty quickly, after walking for a bit we were ready to take off our sweaters.
  • – Take a bottle of water. After all the walking, you’re going to want something to drink.
  • – Watch your step. A few people walked past us on horses. Needless to say, there was poop on the trail.
  • – Make sure you take your camera. We can’t tell you enough how amazing and beautiful this lake is.

 

If you’re in Ecuador, Lake Quilotoa really is a must-see. If you’re backpacking Ecuador, we think you’d really enjoy the Lake Quilotoa crater hike. Or if you’re just looking for some Ecuador attractions that are outside of Quito, this is a great option as well. Either way, Lake Quilotoa is absolutely gorgeous and we’re so glad that we went. We really do think it’s one of the best places to visit in Ecuador.

 

Click below to see the items we recommend for your visit to Lake Quilotoa

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Have you been to Lake Quilotoa? What did you think of it? We’d love to read your comments below! 🙂

 

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Lake Quilotoa is one of the best places to visit in Ecuador! Whether you're looking to hike the crater rim, or simply marvel at the greenish hue of the water, we think Lake Quilotoa is one of the most beautiful places in Ecuador.

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28 Comments

  1. Spectacular, V! Great post & tips. I can’t believe that I haven’t been to Ecuador yet, especially having lived right next door. Looks like you guys had an amazing time 🙂

    Hugs,
    G.

    1. Thanks G! I hope you get to go someday, it’s such a lovely country.

  2. Imagine going up there and not having a camera with you :O Mother Nature is just incredible, is it weird that I want to go a swim in that amazing turquoise? Great post Vicky, more on Ecuador pleaaaase? 🙂 x

    1. Totally NOT weird Mel!! LOL And yes, more coming soon! 🙂

  3. I have found the same. It is usually the unexpected parts of the trip that are the most interesting and leave you with the best memories. The lake/crater/volcano looks beautiful and like a place that anyone who is traveling around the area would want to visit. Thanks for sharing : )

  4. A lake inside a crater inside a volcano? Wow! Thanks for sharing and beautiful images- the lake looks like a painting 🙂

  5. Mother nature is f*cking crazy, that is a dream! I love it when places you have no preconceptions about blow your mind. It was the same for us in Colca Canyon, I actually preferred it to the trek to Machu Piccu! Great post Vicky. Hi Buddy!

    1. Oh really? That’s interesting, I’ll have to look it up. And thanks Gemma 🙂

  6. Carol Colborn says:

    I must say Buddy spices up your trips a lot! And I always love his picture in such gorgeous places as Lake Quilotoa!

  7. There is so much to see and discover in this planet. Things you don’t even realise are there just pop up and blow your mind away! The azure blue of the lake is incredible.

    1. That’s very true, that’s why it’s so important that people travel.

  8. I love coming upon surprise destinations that end up becoming a highlight of the trip!

  9. I get why your mind would be blown! That lake is spectacular! Love this post chica! xoxoxoxo

  10. Wow what a beautiful place! I missed it when I was traveling through the area – next time!

  11. You’ve convinced me to add Lake Quilotoa to our travel list. It looks gorgeous and my kids will love the llamas 🙂

  12. Seriously, that photo of the lake is incredible?! We’ve been to a couple of lakes inside of volcano craters now – 2 in Indonesia and one in Guatemala, and they are sooo cool. Can you swim in this one?

    Thanks for sharing!

    1. Hi Dariece! I’m not sure if you can swim in it. Good question though!

  13. I hadn’t heard of Quilotoa either until after arriving in Ecuador. It’s been on my radar for the past week now but I’m not sure if we’re going to have the time to squeeze it in. But these awesome photos and your excitement in this post have definitely nudged me in the direction to just make it happen! Looks incredible!

    1. Hi John! If you’re in the area, definitely try to see it. It’s gorgeous and you don’t have to stay that long to be able to admire it properly.

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