Quito sits at 2,850 m with a ring of volcanoes around it. Cloud forest lies to the west, and the largest indigenous handicraft market in South America sits two hours north. That is the case for basing yourself here.
The catch is that the best day trips from Quito do not all run every day. Each has its own departure days, pick-up point and level. So the fastest way to waste a short stay is to choose before checking what actually leaves.
Look at the calendar before the map
These are the departure days of the trips we operate ourselves, all listed under day tours from Quito:
- Half Day Walking Tour Quito: every day, at 10:00 a.m. and at 2:00 p.m.
- Cotopaxi Hike and Bike: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
- Cotopaxi Horseback Riding: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
- Quilotoa Culture and Hike: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday
- Otavalo Cultural and Shopping: Tuesday and Saturday
- Mindo Adventure and Sweet: Friday
That list alone shapes your week. Friday is the only Mindo day, and a Cotopaxi day too. Sunday gives you Cotopaxi or Quilotoa, not both. The Old Town walk fills whatever gap remains.
Cotopaxi Hike and Bike – 10 hours, $61
Cotopaxi is the highest active volcano in the world at 5,897 m. On the Cotopaxi Hike and Bike the transport takes on most of the altitude. It reaches the parking lot at 4,600 m. From there you hike to the Jose Rivas refuge at 4,800 m, the high point of the day. You need no technical gear and no experience. Then around 45 minutes of downhill biking to the Limpiopungo Lagoon at 3,850 m, bike and helmet included and optional. Rated moderate. Pick-up at Foch Square at 7:10 a.m. or Zular Coffee Shop on San Blas Square at 7:20 a.m.
Quilotoa Culture and Hike – 12 hours, $56
An emerald lagoon inside a volcanic crater. Quilotoa Culture and Hike opens at a working Andean market, not one built for visitors. There, lowland produce trades for highland produce: Saquisili on Thursdays, Pujili on Sundays. Then a highland home at 3,800 m and the painters of Tigua with their animal faces on sheepskin. After that, the stop above the Toachi river canyon. From the community viewpoint at 3,900 m you hike down inside the crater to the shore and back. Count about three hours. Rated moderate, and the way up is where the altitude makes itself felt.
Otavalo Cultural and Shopping – 12 hours, $56
Quito to Otavalo is two hours by direct bus. Otavalo Cultural and Shopping takes the full day and turns it into six stops. You watch bizcochos come out of the oven in Cayambe, then stand on the equator at the Quitsato solar clock. Next come San Pablo Lake with Imbabura behind it and free time in the Plaza de los Ponchos. The afternoon belongs to the Cuicocha Lagoon at 3,068 m, an active crater with domes rising out of the water. Finally, 45 minutes in Cotacachi, a town that lives from leather. Level easy, and it runs on the days of the biggest fair.
Mindo Adventure and Sweet – 12 hours, $56
West of Quito the Andes drop into cloud forest: warmer air, dense green, birds everywhere. Mindo Adventure and Sweet mixes wildlife, adrenaline and dessert. It runs from the hummingbird farm to the walk to the waterfall and the tarabita cable car. Then come the zip line over the treetops and a chocolate factory with a tasting. Level easy, and the one day with no altitude to manage. Fridays only, and the pick-up runs the other way round. First Zular Coffee Shop at 7:00 a.m., then Foch Square at 7:10 a.m.
Half Day Walking Tour Quito – 3 hours, $13
The cheapest and most flexible. The Half Day Walking Tour Quito is three hours on foot from the Basilica del Voto Nacional. The route passes the colonial church facades, the places where the city’s history happened and the legends locals still tell. It ends with a tasting of traditional sweets and Ecuadorian chocolate at Yumbos Coffee Shop. Every day at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Our office is on the corner by the Basilica, so it starts on our own doorstep. Best day to do it: the day you arrive.
Two more Cotopaxi options
- Cotopaxi Horseback Riding – $112. Three hours in the saddle around the Limpiopungo valley at 3,850 m, in the lower part of the park. A native chagra guide rides with you. The volcano without the hiking altitude. No riding experience needed; chaps, poncho and helmet included, breakfast not.
- Cotopaxi + Quilotoa, 2 days 1 night – $152. Both big names in one trip, with a night at a tourist-class hotel near Cotopaxi. So day two starts at 8:30 a.m. instead of before dawn. Two lunches and the second breakfast included. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, confirmed from a minimum of one passenger.
What the price covers, and what you pay on site
On Cotopaxi, Quilotoa and Otavalo the price includes a bilingual Spanish-English guide and authorized tourist transport. It also covers a menu-type lunch and the protected area entrance permits. Mindo includes guide, transport and lunch. The price never includes extra food, drinks, snacks or gratuities. Carry small cash for the rest:
- Quilotoa: $2 lagoon entrance, $1 Toachi Canyon, optional kayak $3, optional horse for the climb back $10
- Otavalo: $5 for Quitsato
- Mindo: $5 hummingbird farm, $3 tarabita, $10 to $20 canopy, $10 chocolate factory
- Quito Old Town: the $13 covers the bilingual guide, while food, drinks and museum and church entrance fees are separate
Order your days by altitude, not by preference
Quito is already at 2,850 m. The Cotopaxi refuge is 4,800 m and the Quilotoa hike ends climbing back to a rim at 3,900 m. Both feel harder on day two in the country than on day five. Put the Old Town walk and Mindo, warm and low, near the start of the week. Then leave the high days for later.
Tell us how many days you have
We operate every trip on this page ourselves, with our own transport and our own guides, nothing resold. That is why we can tell you straight which day suits you instead of the one that leaves tomorrow. Start with the Cotopaxi Hike and Bike page, or compare the rest in our list of tours from Quito. You can also send us a WhatsApp at +593 98 094 2338 with your dates. Then we will put them in the right order.
