Cotopaxi National Reserve Bike and Hike Day-Trip

My daughter and I went on the full day trip to Cotopaxi Volcano and had a wonderful time. The people we dealt with to schedule the excursion thoroughly answered all of our questions so that we felt totally prepared for the trip. We enjoyed a great breakfast and then lunch at Chuquiragua Lodge, which is not far from the volcano. Our guide was very personable and gave us a lot of information regarding what we saw and the history of the area. We had a small group which made the trip seem even more personal. I would highly recommend this excursion if you have a day to explore the Quito area. Thank you Nature Galapagos for making our first day in Ecuador so memorable and special.

The tour guide was terrible. He had very little information about where we were going, the volcano, history of the area. He asked us for questions instead of providing information of the area first. Also for the bike part no one made sure the equipment was fitted properly or that everyone knew how to work the gears of the bike properly. My daughter had an issue with her back wheel and brake and when she told the tour guide he said it was fine. Her back wheel shook side to side when braking and as you brake almost the whole way down the volcano this was very dangerous. We had to stop our ride and ask the person in the bus following us for a different bike. He didn't want to give her a new bike and wanted us to just ride the rest of the way on the bus. I finally got him to switch her bike out for a different one and we continued biking down. Through all of this the tour guide was not available as he was at the front of the group and had not noticed that we had stopped. I also think that the information they give you about this tour is lacking. They should be very clear about the clothing and equipment that may be needed for the hike up to base camp, especially gloves, hat and glasses or goggles. We encountered hail and sleet and the hike would have been very painful if we did not have the proper equipment. Finally the bike ride should be categorized as mountain biking as the dirt road is deeply rutted! The best part of the tour was the place we had breakfast and lunch. The food was delicious and they were very accommodating of different food preferences. I would not recommend this tour for the above reasons.