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Clémence, 29 years old, travel and photography addict.
Currently on a round-a-world trip with no return date.
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Clémence, 29 years old, travel and photography addict.
Currently on a round-a-world trip with no return date.
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Memories (images and music) of our 4-day tour from Tupiza to Uyuni, crossing the incredible landscapes of the Sud Lipez region, the Eduardo Avaroa Nacional Reserva of Fauna Andina and Uyuni Salt Flats.
A lot of music, amazing landscapes, severals lagoons, many llamas, breath-taking sun-sets and -rises… and unforgettable trip.
All the music is played and recorded by Ricaurte and me – thank you for being indulgent because we don’t have the appropriate material to realise high-quality records.
Last step of our adventures with Hanna, and some definitely eventful and memorable ones! Let’s go first to Cotopaxi National Park (the second highest volcano in Ecuador) and then to Quilotoa’s sublime turquoise lagoon. And as always, all of this by our own means: hitchhiking, with the tent and some wonderful hikes!
Samedi 09 mars 2019
We left without any regret Cayambe, ready to hitchhike to get to Latacunga. We set up at a petrol station located around the end of the town, but still a bit too much in the centre. The buses and taxis kept on stopping for us and didn’t make it easy!
As time was getting limited until the end of our trip, we had planned on two days to go to Cotopaxi National Park and one day for Quilotoa Lagoon, before splitting. Therefore we really had to arrive in Latacunga (the starting point to go to these two places) on that day, if we wanted to have time to buy food for these expeditions.
As hitchhiking wasn’t working well, we finally gave up and took a bus to Aloag, which route was bypassing Quito (we really wanted to avoid entering again the capital, as we would have had to cross it to go to another bus terminal).
A bit before reaching Aloag, the bus driver dropped us off at a petrol station along the Panamericana (the main road crossing the country from the north to the south). There could be a quieter place but there was a green area behind the station, which would be ok to have our picnic.
Once full, we tried again to hitchhike for the last part of the trip, which was much shorter. I didn’t have so much hope given the speed of the cars on this highway, but a driver finally stopped for us!
He was in a minibus with which he had dropped off a group in Quito, so we had a lot of space 😉 He was very friendly and drove us pretty close to our hostel in Latacunga.
We then still had about fifteen minutes to walk and finally arrived in a hostel exactly as we like, with nice common areas, a warm welcome and some nice facilities.
However we didn’t stay long there, as we still had to do all the shopping for our trek. We went to the city centre to buy fruits, vegetables, rice, pasta, chocolate, peanuts… well, all the food supplies we needed to have the necessary energy for our next adventures!
Back to our hostel, we cooked (I couldn’t resist negotiating over-ripe fruits so we came back with a huge bag full of bananas and passion fruit to cook as a compote) and prepared our bags, so as to leave very early on the following morning.
Dimanche 10 mars 2019
We woke up early, finalized our bags, had our breakfast and then headed to the terminal, where we immediately took a bus to Cotopaxi.
We had read on the Internet and our hostel’s owner had confirmed us that it was mandatory to be with a guide to enter the park, which was also difficult to access without a taxi. But we had friends that had managed to go there on their own and were determined to try our luck too!
We arrived at the roundabout where the bus dropped us off and where all the taxis were waiting, and started to hitchhike. The park entrance was still far away and then there were still about thirty kilometres to get to the lagoon where we wanted to camp, so it was impossible to go on foot.
This time we were lucky, as we found some driver after only five minutes waiting. It was a very nice couple of enthusiast Dutch, with who we talked happily until the entrance of the park. And this was a simple formality, as we were not asked for more than our passport.
I can then confirm that A GUIDE ISN’T MANDATORY to enter in Cotopaxi park! It probably is for safety reasons if one wants to climb higher on the volcano (as it’s still an active one) but not for some easy hikes until the first refuge.
Our drivers then drove us to the Limpapungo Lagoon, where we had planned to camp.
We first looked for a place where hiding our bag, so as to hike lighter (the bags feel heavier with the altitude) and then headed to Rumiñahui volcano. It is 4 630 m high and is supposed to offer beautiful views over Cotopaxi volcano.
Unfortunately we wouldn’t have the view on that day, as the sky was completely covered (it was actually a very cloudy time of the year, which is not ideal to see the volcanoes in Ecuador). The clouds stayed stuck to the summit for the whole afternoon; and it got even worse by the end of the day.
We still enjoyed a lot our hike, which we started by admiring a fox for a long while. The low vegetation revealed how rigorous is the climate at this altitude (the lagoon is 3 800 m high). There were some dry grass and lots of bushes with some nice little orange flowers all around.
We started to climb in a perfect peace and didn’t meet anyone until our lunch break, which we did in an area protected from the wind; just before the last climb, which would be more difficult. Once we set off again, we came across some small groups of hikers that were already going down.
Among them, we even met a Finnish man, with who Hanna was very happy to talk for a while (it’s not the most common nationality among the travellers). He advised us to be careful for the last park of the hike, which was apparently very steep and sandy.
And indeed, this last ascension was pretty intense! It was really steep, full of sand and rocks… we had to climb almost on hands and knees and it was challenging. But we finally got to the top, feeling happy and relieved. The sky was slightly uncovered on the other side of the summit and the panorama was amazing. However Cotopaxi was definitely hidden by thick and big clouds!
We started to go down pretty quickly, as it was already getting late and we still had to set up our tents. This part was much faster and funnier, as we only had to let our feet slip and run down like crazy!
We had some little rain showers and hoped it wouldn’t get worse so as to set up the tent in dry conditions; but luckily it stopped.
Back to the lagoon at the end of the afternoon, we filtered some water and looked for our well-hidden backpacks. We didn’t have the strength to walk until the authorized camping area, there was no one in the park and we found a place that was pretty protected from the wind… why should we go somewhere else then!
We then put the tent, organized our stuff and I took the cooker out… but here was the tragedy: I had thought about everything but buying a firelight or some matches! We had everything to get warm around a nice dinner, but not the most crucial element.
Luckily we had enough food to get a (cold) snack, so we just went to hide inside the tent to be protected from the cold and freezing wind. We would have a good and long sleep, well protected under our sleeping bags and our warmest clothes; and would be ready for Cotopaxi on the following day.
Monday 11th March 2019
We woke up at dawn with some heavy clouds that were still hiding the volcano. Would we manage to see it today? We removed the tent and decided to go the parking place close to the lagoon to wait for the first cars. There should be at least one person with fire so that we could prepare a warm drink and our precious and necessary porridge!
Indeed, as we were about to give up and eat our bread reserve (which we had planned for lunch), a car arrived, whose driver had some matches to lend us. One needs to be patient to get the water boiling at the altitude but we appreciated a lot this breakfast! We ate it while the first hikers looked at us intrigued and amused. We then got our bags ready and went to hide them again.
It was already 10.30 when we were finally ready to hike to Cotopaxi. There was a road climbing over about 12 km to the main parking lot 4 700 m high. From there it was possible to walk up to the first refuge 4 900 m high, and then to a small glacier 5 100 m high.
However, leaving so late made it complicated to reach the parking on time and then walk to the glacier. We had our fingers crossed, hoping that we would find some nice drivers to pick us up on the way!
After a few fails, a nice Ecuadorian-Argentinian couple saved us. And a few kilometres later, miracle: we discovered the summit of Cotopaxi! This thick layer of clouds / fog was actually stuck above the lagoon but once above, one could have the view over the volcano.
Once at the parking place, we left our drivers and started the ascent to the refuge. There was either a zigzag trail, or a path that was going straight but much steeper and sandier. We would keep this one to go down!
We protected ourselves from the sun (I had let the sunscreen in the bag hidden by the lagoon, but at this altitude it’s really burning so we had to cover our faces as much as possible) and started our slow ascent with perfect views over the volcano just above us.
We could feel the altitude but we were taking turns to carry the backpack and we made it in less than 45 minutes without pushing ourselves too hard (the park’s map indicated 60 minutes from this climb). We then continued to the glacier, climbing through some deep clouds that were giving a mystical and very special atmosphere. We were stepping on some reddish – brown – orange rocks and could hardly see a few meters in front of us.
Once again, the climb was faster than we thought as we made it in only 30 minutes. When we arrived, we could hear and perceive some impressive stone avalanches, which were sounding like a roaring river. Not so reassuring actually!
The wind was freezing and very strong so we quickly turned back. As we had supposed, going down was much faster than climbing, and it was a real pleasure to run down in the sand.
Once back to the parking lot, we started to go down the road, hoping once again on the generosity of some nice drivers that would pass by, as the road to the end of the park was really long!
We hardly had time to walk a few steps and take some pictures (the views over the valley below were beautiful) when a car stopped by. It was an Ecuadorian couple that had lived for twenty years in Belgium and was now back to Ecuador, with their son and it’s girlfriends (still living in Belgium and visiting Ecuador at the moment).
Not only were they adorable, but also they also made a detour by the lagoon to look for our bags, and they also had four matches left, which they gave us… and thus we could go directly to camp in Quilotoa! We had indeed thought about going back to Latacunga in the evening to buy a lighter and then go to the lagoon only on the following day. But it happened that our drivers were precisely going to Quilotoa, and we were saved now that we had matches 😉
It was unexpected but we were then heading to Quilotoa, and what a joy! The landscapes were beautiful and we could fully enjoy in these good conditions and company.
After a short stop at the Mirador del Toachi (viewpoint over an impressive canyon), we finally arrived in Quilotoa. The sky was completely cloudless, the sun was shining and the view over the turquoise lagoon was breath taking.
We let our drivers go and started with enthusiasm the trail steeply going down to the shore of the lagoon. Maps.me indicated a campsite there; so let’s hope it would be right, as we wouldn’t have the strength to come back up!
The view over the lagoon was sublime all along the path, with a golden light making it even more special on this end of the day. Once on the beach below, we found the campsite. There were no facilities but it was free, huge and absolutely superb, a real paradise!
We chose carefully our spot to set up the tent and then went to filter some water from the lake, as our bottles were empty. But here came another tragedy: the lake’s water was salty! My filter couldn’t change anything about it and it was just impossible to drink. We could still cook with this water but drinking was out of a question; and we had already not drunk enough during the day…
Given the time, the distance to the village and our tiredness, we wouldn’t go back up to buy water; so we would have to take it on ourselves and be patient until the following day.
This incident didn’t prevent us from fully enjoying this great campsite, with the view over the quiet lake and the starry sky. We went to bed with our throats feeling dry but it would be ok!
Tuesday 12th March 2019
We woke up with the first rays of sun, had our breakfast without anything to drink and left before the sun would get too strong.
The light was amazing and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the lagoon while climbing; but I was really suffering from dehydration. I felt the lack of oxygen, had no strength in my legs, was walking very slowly and kept on stopping to have breaks.
I ended up asking for water to some nice English girls that were going down, which saved me for the second part of this steep climb.
As we finally reached the village, we bought no fewer than six litres; with this we should be able to rehydrate ourselves properly!
We poured the water in our bottles and flasks, prepared a bag to do the loop around the lagoon and left the rest of our stuff at the Tourism Office. We then left for this 10-km hike, feeling re-energized with all this water at hand.
We were very enthusiast, following this beautiful path that kept on going up and down, offering incredible views over the lagoon, which colours were changing depending on the clouds and the sunshine.
About 2h later, we had reached exactly half of the trail and found a perfect sport for our picnic lunch. This time we had brought the gas stove and our two last matches to make some coffee and catch up for the morning; and we really appreciated it.
As we left one hour later, some thick clouds had started to cover the lagoon and were announcing a cloudy end of the day.
We reached the crater’s highest point, more than 3 900 m high. Unfortunately, there was no view over the lagoon anymore, as it was now completely covered by the clouds.
I realized that Maps.me was indicating about two hours to reach the village, which was exactly the time left before the tourism office would close, and we had our bags there… so we had to accelerate! I was already ahead of Hanna and didn’t tell her about the short delays, sustaining my momentum.
I then continued in the fog that was getting thicker, turning over from time to time to check if Hanna was still following, until I couldn’t see her anymore. I was out of breath to keep this pace at this altitude around 3 900 m). I finally got lost at a one point that was a bit confusing.
As I was going back on my steps, I came across a Venezuelan guy that was also lost. Then arrived Hanna, who was in a big stress to have lost me and to be without the backpack (and therefore without water, jacket, phone… as we were sharing the same bag).
She literally blew up, yelling at me… but she was completely right and I really felt sheepish. Our bags were not so important; security came first! But for now, we still had to find our way so I would apologize later.
After a big detour, we finally found the right way (we couldn’t really follow the lagoon like at the beginning as the clouds were now hiding it). We arrived feeling and our legs sore and our heads empty this challenging and stressing end hike. The village was also covered by this fog, which gave it another appearance. It’s good that we finally camped there on that evening, as it wouldn’t have been so pleasant!
We took our bags (the tourism office was actually closing at 5 p.m. instead of 4 p.m…) and after receiving contradictory information about the bus schedule, narrowly took the last bus going back to Latacunga.
The bus trip was the occasion to talk about our incident. I felt really sorry to have acted like this and it would definitely be a lesson for the future.
We arrived in Latacunga at nightfall, around 6.30 p.m. The streets were full with the kids getting out of school, people finishing work and the political parties protesting in the streets for the news elections… and about 10 minutes later, Hanna realized that her phone had been stolen; her jacket’s pocket had been cut right at the moment that she had taken her hands out of it.
We were under shock and took a taxi to come back to the hostel. We had had enough emotions for this day! After the attempt to steal her phone one week before in Quito, it was quite a lot for Hanna.
Monday 11th March 2019
I was supposed to leave straight away to go to Cuenca and get my visa extension, but I finally stayed one day more in Latacunga to get some rest and help Hanna finding a new phone (she didn’t speak a lot of Spanish).
I also enjoyed this day to do some necessary shopping, edit the pictures of the last days and have a well-deserved yoga session.
To be continued…
Bus Cayambe – Aloag: 5$
Bus Latacunga – Cotopaxi: 1,5$
Bus Quilotoa – Latacunga: 2,5$
Hostal Sendero de Volcanes: 7,50$ for a 2-bed room, breakfast included. Very nice hostel, with a spacious kitchen and some nice common areas at the last floor, with a billiard, a terrace and a bar. The owners are very welcoming and full of good tips.
Cotopaxi National Park: Free entrance. Its possible to go there hitchhiking from the main road to get into the park (it’s huge and impossible on foot, unless you have a lot of time). In any case, a guide is not mandatory, contrary to what everybody will tell you.
Quilotoa Lagoon: Free entrance. There’s a 10-km loop all around the lagoon. Camping is free on the shores of the lagoon, but be careful because there are no facilities at all, and the lake’s water is salty. One should anticipate and bring enough water supplies 😉
Happy to have left the noisy capital with Hanna, we arrived in the region of Otavalo, mainly to know the wonderful volcanic Cuicocha lagoon. We then wanted to go the Cayambe volcano, but the adventure turned up being more complicated than expected… but still pretty funny!
Wednesday 6th March 2019
We left Quito in the morning. Crossing the capital wasn’t easy and we needed about two hours to arrive at Carcelen Terminal, located at the north of the city.
As soon as we arrived, we took a bus to Otavalo, a town about 2h north of the capital. From there, we jumped straight away into another bus to get to a very close village, San Juan de Ilumán, where we had found a hostel / camping with excellent reviews.
We immediately liked the village of Ilumán. Located at the feet of Imbabura volcano, it mainly has indigenous people living, all wearing the traditional clothes (white shirt with coloured embroideries, long skirt and hat for the women, poncho and hat for the men).
We finally found the Tio Hostel, where we felt good as soon as we arrived. It is located in the middle of nature, with nice views over the Imbabura volcano. We were very well received and were told we could help ourselves in the various medicinal herbs growing there.
I set up my tent with joy, especially after the non-stopping squeaks of the buses breaks passing in the street of our hostel in Quito.
Thursday 7th March 2019
After a good night sleep for me, less for Hanna (she was in the dormitory located close to the common area and had to endure the cigarette smokes and noises of her not so discreet neighbours), we left to Cuicocha Lagoon.
We took a bus to go the village of Cuicocha and had to finish with a taxi to get to the lagoon, as there was no other means of transport.
Once at the long expected lagoon, we were not disappointed. It is a lake formed in a volcanic crater, with two islands in its centre. One can walk all around it in about 4h, during a beautiful loop offering amazing views over the lake.
We were delighted during the whole hike. The sun was shining, there were flowers all around (lupines, orchids and so many others which name I ignore), the vegetation was changing all along the path, it was always going up and down, and all of this in a perfectly quiet environment.
We spent about 5h there, including one hour enjoying our lunch with a view over the lagoon. This hike was just amazing; the vegetation is very diverse, the flowers full of colours, there are many orchids… I can only recommend it.
We came back at the end of the day in Ilumán, enjoyed an artisanal ice cream and then went back to our hostel.
Friday 8th March 2019
We had planned to hike up to Imbabura volcano, which sounded like a challenging walk (8h climbing to the summit), but we really wanted to try it.
I shared my tent with Hanna to avoid being annoyed by her neighbours but this time it was the music in the nearby village that disturbed our night.
Therefore as the alarm rang at 5 a.m., we preferred to sleep a bit more and decide on our program once awaken.
We finally chose to pack our bags and leave this campsite even though we liked it so much. We head to Otavalo and then Cayambe. However we went down half way, so as to look for an hacienda that we had found on the internet, where the accommodation looked very nice.
The region of Cayambe is known for its bizcochos; some small cakes which are the specialty of the area. There were several bakeries selling them around the roundabout where we had got down, which was the perfect occasion to try them.
We entered in the closest one, where we were very nicely received. We had some free tasting of some bizcochos with dulce de lece, cheese and coffee; all of this while chatting with the friendly owner; which was pretty cool and unexpected! The bizcochos are a kind of biscuit with the shape of a big match, without a special taste (the taste is mainly brought by the dulce de leche or any other jam you add to it).
It was tasty but not enough to buy some. However, we fell for some arepas (corn based pancakes), anise biscuits and dulce de lece. We couldn’t resist!
After spoking for a long while with the owner and enjoying the view from his restaurant terrace, we started to look for our accommodation.
According to Maps.me, the hacienda where we wanted to go was close by. We first followed a path going deeper and deeper in the fields. We eventually reached some high bushes and fences; it was getting complicated!
We finally found a way to pass the fence and continue on the path, but to the point that we passed the place indicated on Maps.me… and we could still not find any hacienda! The few farmers that we met around had not even any idea about it, which did not smell good.
As we went back to the main road, thinking about giving up, we asked for help to the last people we met. They told us that the hacienda was actually on the other side of the roundabout, about 3 km further!
Thanks Maps.me for the mistake, that happens… but we abandoned our quest; we would not do these kilometres along this noisy and dangerous road.
We then took a bus to Cayambe, the next town where we could sleep. It was getting late with all of this and it was about time to find a place to spend the night.
Once in Cayambe, we started to look for an accommodation. The choice was limited and expensive, which was really not appealing. We were finally better in Ilúman!
The second hostel where we asked for information was offering two prices: 10$ for a few hours, 12$ for the whole night… it took me a while to understand why, but we finally got the point. It was obviously not for us and it would probably be very noisy!
I let Hanna wait with our bags and looked for another accommodation a few blocks away. This one was not attractive either but looked a bit more correct so I went back to look for Hanna. She actually confirmed that she had seen a couple entering and paying just for a few hours; we definitely had to leave this place!
Once finally settled, after having asked to change for a more quiet room (there was music out loud in the street), we could at least get some rest. It was small, there was no window and we also heard a couple making love in another room; but it would do the job for one night, and the situation was actually comic in the end.
We did some laundry by hand, had our picnic dinner on our sleeping table and planned the rest of our adventure. The point of going to this town was to go to Cayambe volcano (the third highest in the country) but we would lack of time to do all the things we wanted and it was not easy to go there on our own.
We then decided to leave straight away on the following morning and head south, to Cotopaxi and Quilotoa, which would be our last steps together.
To be continued…
Bus inside Quito: 0,25$ per trip
Bus Quito – Otavalo: 2.7$
Bus Otavalo – Ilumán: 0.30$
Bus Ilumán – Cotacachi: 0.30$
Taxi from Cuicocha to the lagoon (no other way to go): 5$ per car, so the more you are, the better to reduce the price!
Bus Otavalo – Cayambe: 1$
Tio Hostal in Ilumán: 5$ in dormitory, 2,50$ in a tent. Kitchen and shower included, medicinal herbs available. The WIFI is only at the reception in the village. The hostel is out of the village, in the middle of nature. The owners are lovely and the atmosphere very friendly, it’s a real crush!
Cristal Hostel in Cayambe : 15$ per night in a double-bed room, with a private bathroom. We could get some hot water in the morning (for a tea) but there was no kitchen available. Noisy and very basic hostel but the choice is limited in Cayambe.
Cuicocha Lagoon: Free entrance, about 4h hiking to walk all around the lagoon.
After the Ecuadorian coast and Mindo’s jungle, back to civilization with the short discovery of Quito. I had no expectations for the country’s capital but I was finally pretty seduced by its historical centre… and by all the chocolates tasted in the city’s numerous chocolate shops! 😉
Lundi 04 mars 2019
We woke up early with Miriam, and I left early to the centre of Mindo to buy our bus ticket to Quito. Carlos, our hostel’s owner, had recommended us to get it in advance, as it was a long weekend with the carnival; and the buses would be full soon.
Unfortunately the office was not open yet so I had to come back to the hostel, had my breakfast and left again to buy the tickets.
It was worth doing it as when we then came at 11 a.m. to get our bus, the waiting line was already endless and the bus was full!
We then had a 2-hour journey, followed by at least one hour and a half to go to our hostel once in Quito. The country’s capital is surprisingly built, spreading long and narrow from the north to the south, encircled between the mountains. Crossing the city can therefore be particularly long.
We finally arrived at the beginning of the afternoon, had a quick lunch and went out for a walk in the city centre. As it was a holiday, the main market and most of the shops were closed.
However the tourism office and the historical centre’s chocolate shops were still open, so we enjoyed a lot tasting some delicious chocolates, and we didn’t deprive ourselves!
We didn’t have a lot of time to visit but this first insight of the city was pretty positive. The colonial architecture in the centre is well preserved and there was no traffic on that day, making the stroll nicer.
We came back to the hostel at the end of the day, where Miriam got her backpack before heading to the airport. We split after these two beautiful weeks travelling together, plus five weeks at Finca Sagrada. But no doubt, we will see each other again in the future, wherever it is!
I had time for a little yoga session and some cooking, and then arrived Hanna, a Finnish friend also met during this same volunteering. The adventure would now go on with her!
Tuesday 5th March 2019
Let’s go for a more extensive visit of Quito. We first went to a chocolate shop where Hanna had a coffee. The chocolates’ prices were out of our range (9,50$ one bar!) but it was nonetheless attracting.
We did a bit of grocery shopping that we dropped off at the hostel, before going on with our visit.
We first went to the Basilica Sagrada del Voto Nacional. We didn’t go inside (it wasn’t free) but stayed outside. Of gothic inspiration, it is still very recent – like very often in South America – as it was open only in 1924!
We then went down to the main square, and explored the surrounding streets. The positive impression that we had the day before got confirmed; the architecture and the atmosphere were really pleasant to stroll. We were not expecting anything, and were even dreading the capital, but it was finally a nice surprise.
We passed by several chocolate shop throughout our stroll, where we enjoyed a lot our tastings, and finally cracked and bought some. It was a luxury but we would certainly enjoy these chocolates during our next treks 😉
We actually learnt that about 4% of the world consumption is a very high quality cacao, precisely used in these chocolates, hence why their high prices.
As we were taking some pictures from a bridge, a robber tried to snatch her phone out of Hanna’s hands. Luckily a man came to rescue her by jumping on the guy and managed to recover the phone.
More fear than harm in the end, but we were both feeling a bit shacked after this incident. We bought a small lunch and went to eat it on the main square, taking some time to regain consciousness.
We then wanted to climb to a viewpoint located in the south, but we didn’t have the feeling anymore and finally stayed in the centre.
There wasn’t any parade for the carnival but many children having fun throwing a kind of soapy foam all around. They caught us a few times and I was not so keen on the chemical smell but it was pretty funny in the end.
We came back to the hostel at the end of the day, already tired of the city. And yet, most of the streets where we had been walking were still closed to traffic!
One day to know Quito would be enough for us. We had surprisingly enjoyed the city but were already looking forward to be back to nature on the following day.
To be continued…
Bus Mindo – Quito: 3.20$, about 2h trip
Bus in Quito: 0.25$ per trip
Bigmum Homestay : 5$ in a 4-bed dorm. Very well located hostel in the historical centre. No cozy common space but comfortable beds and a very good price for the capital.
Hmmmm the ocean… the waves, the sun, the turquoise water, the sunsets everyday… and the mosquitoes! Tales of a sunny journey spiced up with epic and memorable hitchhiking experiences.
Sunday 24th February 2019
We woke up after a difficult night in Guayaquil – terribly noisy hostel, music out loud for the whole night, unbearable heat – and headed straight in the morning to the bus terminal.
We initially wanted to go to the Ecuadorian coast hitchhiking but it would not be easy to get out of this big city (the second of the country). We then decided to take a direct bus to Puerto López; hitchhiking would be easier once on the coast.
After a longish trip, we arrived in the beginning of the afternoon. The terminal was a bit far from the city centre but we didn’t want at all to pay for a taxi so we left on foot, trying to reach the long-waited ocean on our way.
As soon as we were on the beach, we had our picnic; and God knows we needed some energy to continue our walk.
Once in the centre, we realized that the campsite where we wanted to sleep was still far away so we finally took a moto-taxi to finish our trip.
We finally arrived at the end of the afternoon. This campsite belongs to a lovely couple that welcomed us very nicely. It’s a bit far from the centre but cheap and quiet, which was perfect for us.
As we were just starting to set up our tent, a French family arrived, travelling by bike with their two kids – 7 and 8 years old. We immediately had a nice contact with them; we would probably share some nice times with our new neighbours.
We then had our dinne and a shower, and went to bed early to compensate for our terrible last night in Guayaquil.
Monday 25th February 2019
Puerto López is mainly famous for the Machallila National Park, which is located close to the town. Wonderful beaches with warm and turquoise water, and an exceptional fauna and flora especially make the richness of this park.
We then left early in the morning to Machallila. We first went to the centre of Puerto López, from where we hitchhiked and were quickly taken by a nice Ecuadorian man.
Once at the entrance of the park, it is possible to go directly to the beach of Los Frailes, which is the most famous. The second option, which we obviously chose, is to walk for about 3 km to two different beaches (where bathing is forbidden because of the dangerous currents) and viewpoints, before finishing at Los Frailes.
The sun was already very strong but luckily the trail was shady, crossing a nice forest composed of small bushes where butterflies were flying wholeheartedly.
We reached a first viewpoint, giving us a nice insight of the park’s landscapes: turquoise water, high cliffs with orange tones and covered by abundant vegetation on the top. Many bird were flying over our heads, in particular the ticheras – literally “scissors” – named like this for the shape of their tail, always opening and closing like a pair of scissors.
We went down to the first beach, Playa Prieta. A very nice white sand beach, delimited on each side by high cliffs and covered by little crabs running all around with their so characteristic and funny walk.
We then back to the trail and arrived shortly after to Playa Tortuguita. No turtle to watch as its name could let it think, but again some wonderful white sand and birds everywhere. A small island is in the middle, surrounded by fascinating waves that join around the island.
We spent a while enjoying this wonderful beach and it peacefulness, before moving on to the second to last step; a viewpoint covering the whole park.
The trail was full of Palo Santo, a beautiful tree which wood is sold everywhere in South America. It is burnt to purify the air, help relaxing, repulse mosquitoes, to use for some ceremonies, etc.
The view from the mirador was sublime, with Los Frailes on our left, the ocean’s immensity facing us, and the last two beaches on our right. We also stayed there for a while, enjoying the view and the light but valuable breeze cooling us down after this hot walk.
We finally went down to Los Frailes beach, with the ultimate reward: the long waited bath! It was so amazing that we stayed there for hours: warm and transparent water, small waves without any danger… pure relaxation.
The beach was big enough to have the visitors spread on the area without annoying each other. We had managed to find a small shady space (scarce on this beach) but even there I couldn’t stand the heat and kept on going back to the water.
As the beach would close at 4 p.m., we unfortunately had to leave, although regretfully. We did part of the trip on foot – it was still very hot and we were sweating again like crazy – before being lifted by a nice French family.
We made a small detour with our drivers to go to take pictures in a fishermen village close by, and then went back to Puerto López.
We passed quickly by the market to buy some fruits and started to look for an ice cream… but in vain. It was surprising for a touristic destination like Puerto López, but it was actually impossible to find even one ice cream shop! After striding along the city from one side to another, we ended up abandoning and just admiring the sunset from the beach.
We took a moto-taxi to go back to our campsite as night was falling down; and enjoyed our dinner and shower after this long day.
Tuesday 26th February 2019
We had a quiet morning chilling at the campsite and talking with our cyclist friends and left in the beginning of the afternoon to the centre of Puerto López. From there we hitchhike to go to Aguas Blancas, another part of Machallila National Park.
Once at the entrance of the park, we were told that the price was of 5$, non-negotiable. Only for the visit of a small museum and to bathe in a sulphur lagoon… that was not for us!
We then decided to go back and walked for a while along the main road. The cars were driving too fast to stop for us! Luckily a nice couple finally stopped and drove us for the last part, which we would have had to do under a terrible heat otherwise.
Back to Puerto López, we went to the beach; we had nothing better to do than bathing.
As we had both been to the water, a guy passed by and accosted us. He realized after a while that I had contacted him on Couchsurfing. He then kept on apologizing for not having replied to my request, but he had gone to party in Montañita (a city close by, which is known for its parties, drugs and surf…).
There’s no hazard in life, we quickly understood that we would not have felt well with this couchsurfer and that we were much better in our quiet campsite!
We were quite embarrassed, feeling a bit stuck with this forced company (on the top of that, one of his friend had joined meanwhile). But after insisting on the fact that we were very reluctant to go partying and spend our money in alcohol, and that we were planning on going to bed early in the evening, they finally understood the message and suddenly left.
At last we were on our own to enjoy another bath and admire the sunset in proper conditions! We stayed there until nightfall, and as we left, we noticed that the two guys had found two other feminine targets with whom sharing a beer on the beach. We were definitely not fan of this way to “chase” every potential prey!
Wednesday 27th February 2019
After folding the tent and saying goodbye to our cyclist friends and lovely hosts, we left for some new adventures. As always, we first joined the main road crossing Puerto López, from where we could easily hitchhike.
We were lucky as a car stopped very quickly for us. It was three men coming every day to Puerto López to make an inventory of the rays on the beach and take DNA samples. They even showed us a few pictures; some rays have a diameter of 3m, impressive!
They dropped us off half way; we had already done a good part of the trip thanks to them. We were now on a big crossroad and it was time for lunch… not really the most bucolic place to east but never mind, we had out picnic there.
We then left, quickly lifted by three nice Ecuadorians for a short ride. As soon as we went down on another crossroad, we had another ride with a young policeman that was driving as fast as a pilot.
He dropped us off in San Jacinto, where we went to look at the beach, but it was dirty and not really welcoming. The sun was really strong so it was just better to continue our trip.
Once again, we were lucky as we were quickly lifted by some fishermen, which let us go behind their truck. There was no fish anymore but the smell was definitely strong!
They were precisely driving to Canoa. We arrived there at the end of the afternoon and immediately found a nice campsite very close to the beach, whose friendly owner also saves injured animals. Dogs, cats, pelicans and other seabirds which names I ignore… the atmosphere was really nice even though the mosquitoes were even more virulent than in Puerto López.
We had a quick yoga session and ran to enjoy the last rays of sunlight on the beach.
Bathing and enjoying the sunset, how to finish better the day! We were still craving for an ice cream since two days, so we started to look for an ice cream shop recommended by our campsite’s owner, but half of the village got plunged into the darkness because of a power cut… let’s just say we would still not get our ice cream.
We went back to our campsite disappointed, but still with hope; we would finally managed to find this ice cream sooner or later!
Thursday 28th February 2019
After a good night-sleep, we had our breakfast and went for a walk along the ocean. A long stroll with our feet in the water, the cliffs on one side, the immensity on the other side; nothing better to revitalize ourselves.
Canoa is a small town mainly dedicated to tourism, especially appreciated by the surfers. However it suffered from a very grave earthquake two years ago, which provoked a tsunami and did a lot of damage in the whole region, and considerably reduced the number of visitors.
The town is still marked by the tsunami nowadays, and the amount of accommodations and restaurants is too high for the current demand, which makes the situation pretty hard for the locals.
Half a day there would be enough for us as we were not into surfing or staying for hours on the beach. We did some grocery shopping, had our lunch in town (to change a bit from our eternal picnics) and AT LAST, found a coconut ice cream, which we highly appreciated!
We left at the beginning of the afternoon to our next stop. We went out of Canoa and walked to a roundabout from where it would be easier to hitchhike.
And indeed, as soon as we arrived, we did not even have time to drop our bag that a car was already stopping for us! Two nice Ecuadorian guys in a small car, which space behind was largely taken by a huge box… we were packed in but it was actually comical.
I noticed that our driver was wearing a gap with the name and logo of an ice cream, and was wondering if this voluminous box on our side couldn’t be full of ice cream… and indeed shortly after, our drivers offered us an ice cream, as it is what they were selling and distributing in various cities of the coast!
Two ice creams in one day, what a luxury after this shortage 😉
We quickly arrived in our final destination, recommended by Maud and Olivier (our cyclist friends). They had been looking for a place to camp on the beach and had been received by the owners of a superb bamboo house overlooking the ocean, which plans had been made by a German architect.
Indeed, the owners received us very warmly as soon as we arrived. They were cleaning the house as they were about to open a restaurant there on the following day, after three years building it.
We offered to help them but they insisted that we should go the beach to enjoy this wonderful place. We then went to bathe with lots of pleasure. High cliffs delimited the beach, Punta Blanca on one side and Punta Prieta on the other one.
I stayed for a long time in the warm water, lulled by the waves and meditating in front of this spectacular landscape, while Miriam was writing in her diary. However, I got literally devoured by a tiny insect that looked insignificant, but was actually fierce.
It was then time to go for a shower and cover us after all these bites. I enjoyed the last sunrays from the second floor of the bamboo house; just unforgettable…
We shared a nice moment with our hosts. They even had the kindness to prepare us a delicious dinner; we were really received like princesses! We helped them to do the dishes, as they had to clean everything for the coming day. It is the least we could do for all their generosity.
We finally went up to our incredible house, where they even had landed us some small mattresses. Unfortunately we didn’t sleep as well as we thought we would, as the place was opened to the wind and the mosquitoes attacked us for the whole night!
But never mind, we will always keep a very special memory of this wonderful experience, which marked the end of our journey on the Ecuadorian coast.
To be continued…
Bus in Guayaquil: 0,30$
Bus Guayaquil – Puerto Lopez: 6$, about 6h trip
Moto-taxi in Puerto Lopez: about 1$ depending on the distance
Hostal Berlin in Guayaquil: 13,50$ for two people with a double bed and private bathroom. Kitchen available. Very gloomy and extremely noisy hostel (music out loud all night long and never-stopping traffic), really not a pleasure.
El Camping de Dona Elsie : 2,50$ per person per night in tent. Shower and kitchen available. The camping is away from the city centre but is very quiet and pleasant, with lovely owners.
Camping Iguana in Canoa: 3,5$ per person per night in tent. Shower and kitchen available. Only block from the ocean, this ocean is nicely set with nice wooden constructions. The owners saves injured or abandoned animals (birds, dogs, cats), which gives a special atmosphere to the place.
