Hidden among the serranía is located one of the most beautiful natural monuments in Ecuador. The lagoon of Quilotoa.
This particular area shows extraordinary features that can only be found here. Desert moorlands, bizarre mountain shapes and desolates but color full villages complete this amazing landscape.
These small Andean towns full with ancestral traditions preserved until the present days are surrounded by Andean forest and paramo, as announcing the presence of the volcano with its beautiful lagoon.

We drive from the city of Quito taking the Pan-American south route until the entrance to Pujilí. From this point the journey begins across the road that will take us to zumbahua from where we depart to visit the mythical lagoon in a journey that takes near 30 minutes.
A crater of 3 kilometers of diameter camouflaged among the thick fog contains to this natural attractiveness.
It is possible to carry out the descent until the banks of Quilotoa lagoon. The itinerary takes 40 minutes. Its greens waters and sheer walls let us see the rest of the last cataclysmic eruption and remind us that we are inside the crater of the second most active volcano in the western Andes. Occasional sulfur gas bubbles from the inside of the lake appear filling the air with a bizarre odor.
For moments, the cold penetrates up to the bones; the strong whistles of the wind distract our concentration while we don't fix that the color of the water changes between green and turquoise according to the sunbeams impacting on the surface.
In the calm beach formed on the edge of quilotoa lagoon it is possible to find native people of the area that offer us an interesting trips on handmade boats.
The dry and rocky terrain made the descent to the crater easy and amusing, but the ascent will be we much more complicated. While we go ascending, we envy people that decided to pay to ascend in mules across the difficult road.

From the border of the crater the view is spectacular. With some luck we can appreciate some moor birds like the curiquingues and sparrow hawks. Back in zumbahua, an aromatic tea with bread or a portion of potatoes with corn and pork meat distracts us of the intense cold and the fog that surrounds the village.

Once in the way back to the capital, we can appreciate the beautiful landscapes during the descent route up to main highway. The beautiful images are captured in the detailed paintings carried out by the famous artists in Tigua, another small village in the highlands made up with lamb or pig leather. This is a perfect souvenir from our visit to the Quilotoa lagoon.