My boyfriend and I went on this tour together and had a wonderful time despite rain, fog, and snow! Our guide Christian picked us up from our hotel right on time- we decided to leave at 8am to beat traffic. It was about a two hour drive south to Cotopaxi National Park, and Christian told us tons of interesting information about Quito and the surrounding countryside throughout the drive (in English). When we arrived to the park, we were joined by Marina, a local guide who stayed with us throughout our time in the park. She spoke a little bit of English but mostly communicated with us in Spanish, so Christian translated. We first stopped at a small museum and botanical garden, where Christian and Marina gave us an introduction about the park: the people, flora, and fauna indigenous to the area. Then, in order to test our tolerance for the altitude, we took a short hike through the foothills with Marina, and she gave us a more in-depth explanation about the landscape and local plants. We even saw wolf poop and deer tracks! My Spanish is rusty, but Marina slowly and patiently explained things to me in Spanish so I could translate for my boyfriend. It was good practice! We met back up with Christian who drove us to our next stop- Limpiopungo Lagoon at the base of Cotopaxi Volcano. We were told at this point that we should be able to see the volcano in the distance, but as we were visiting in the rainy season, it was too foggy to see! We briefly walked to the lake to see it up close and watch the ducks for a bit, but didn't stay long because we were eager to get to the final hike! We drove approximately thirty minutes more to the parking area at the base of the trail. It looked like the surface of the moon, with black sand and volcanic rocks as far as the eye could see, fog, no trees and minimal plant life. We were not feeling any signs of altitude sickness (we both had been taking acetazolamide as a precautionary measure for a few days), so we proceeded to hike the switchback trail with Marina up to the Jose Rivas Refuge at the base of the Cotopaxi glacier. We walked very slowly and tentatively, and Marina was careful to make sure that we were not overexerting ourselves. We felt very safe with her. We eventually made it to the refuge, where we stopped for photos and a revitalizing lunch of hearty soup and some tea before making our descent. I would absolutely recommend a heavy coat, sturdy hiking shoes, hat, and gloves for this hike. It was a cold rainy day, and actually started snowing during our descent from the refuge. I'm told it stays chilly year round because of the elevation, so even in summer you need warm clothing. The fog cleared enough on our way back down that we could take in the vistas below and finally see the glacier above us. We made our way back down to the car, dropped off Marina on the way out of the park, and then Christian drove us back to our hotel. In all the trip lasted about 8:00-4:30, so plenty of time to get back to our hotel, wash up, rest a little, and grab a late dinner. All in a days' work!
We had a fascinating, educational, and exhilarating day at Cotopaxi. We were pleased with both of our guides and would definitely recommend this trip to others! Thanks again.