Cotopaxi Hike & Horse

Overall we had a great day. Manuel, our guide, was very knowledgeable about the area and spoke good English to explain all about the nature and culture of the area. The hike to the refuge at 4864m was harder than expected but worth the climb. We were lucky to see two Andean wolves/foxes Riding on the horses was a great way to see the landscape, and being given the outfits to wear made it more fun. The only reason we gave 4 not 5 star was because there was some confusion on the price. After booking the trip on line we asked to pay sixty dollars more per person because there were only two of us, it’s cheaper if more people go.

This was a fantastic trip with excellent personalized service. My wife and I were picked up at the house we were staying at in Quito but our guide Gerald. He was on time, courteous and was in a spacious and clean vehicle. He was nice enough to stop at a clean rest station for us to grab a coffee on the way there and during the ride there and back constantly gave us intriguing local facts about the country, the volcanos and generalized conversation. We got our selves fixed up at the entrance of the park where we were able to buy some gloves and snack and then proceeded to head for the base of the mountain, all the while, Gerald pointing out amazing facts. Once we hit the parking lot we proceeded up the volcano to the base camp where, although it was a tough climb, he was encouraging and and made the hike to base camp a blast. Making it to the base camp there was hot chocolate and cocoa leaf tea waiting for us for a needed break. After a brief rest we descended back to the parking lot were were were taken by vehicle to this beautiful hacienda/ ranch style restaurant where the food was great and FIFA was playing. we then left the restaurant where our horses, a guide and Gerald were waiting for us. The horse back ride was about 2 hours and was gorgeous and peaceful. With the end of the day trip concluded, we were brought back to the city by Gerald and dropped at our house by 6 pm. The day was perfect and turned out to be a bucket list trip for my wife and I. I would highly recommend Takiri travel tours, the Hike and Horse as well as ask for Gerald as you guide as he was awesome.

We did the Cotopaxi hike&horse tour with Takiri travel and we had an amazing time! It was the only tour we could find that included both horseback riding inside the park and a hike up to the refuge, and we enjoyed both activities thoroughly. It gave us the chance to experience most of what the wonderful and diverse Cotopaxi national park has to offer. Our guide, Angel, was very helpful, he gave us lots of information and made sure we didn’t miss any photo opportunity. The agency was responsive and easy to reach - even though we booked only 2 days in advance, everything was very well organised, from pick-up to drop-off. We would definitely recommend taking this tour with Takiri!