Depart in a 4WD vehicle to Cotopaxi National Park and be taken to the highest point of the tour: 4500 metres (15,000 feet) above sea level. The volcano juts out from a flat landscape, the view is stunning, and, on a clear day, you will see the eight volcanoes that surround Cotopaxi.
This is a bucket list day as you mountain bike around the base of the world’s highest active volcano. Your ride starts at 3800 metres, you’ll don helmets, gloves and protection pads for a truly one-of-a-kind biking adventure. On dirt roads you will wind around through volcanic ash and tundra landscape . You will have to do some pedalling while you descend slowly over an eight-kilometre ride to a lunch spot by an Inca ruin at 3700 metres (12,140 feet). Cotopaxi’s ecosystem is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including a unique combination of pine vegetation. Keep your eyes peeled for a condor or caracara, a local bird of prey. The bikes will be loaded back on the 4WD before heading up to Laguna (Lake) Limpiopungo at 3800 metres, where the last phase of the ride will be 16 kilometres (10 miles) of winding your way downhill – on dirt and paved roads through pine forest. Your bike adventure will end in the late afternoon, when you will be driven back to Quito.
Meals: B, L