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| hike to the glacier |
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| hiking up Cotapaxi with clouds rolling in |
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| next to the glacier |
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| View from the refuge |
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| After lunch the sky turned blue so we got a nice view of the top |
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| At the refuge (15,953 ft or 4864 meters) |
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| The drive back to Latunga from Cotapaxi was nice |
We took the 1.5 hour bus ride to Latunga from the southern terminal in Quito (Quitumbe) which cost $1.5 and arrived in Latunga and walked around. We ended up staying at a backpacker hostel called Tianas. They only had dorm beds available so we stayed in the dorm for $10 a night despite the funky smell in the dorm then moved to a private room for $12. I think it might be the only backpacker hostel in town or I would have gone somewhere else. We arranged a day trip to Cotapaxi with them. I am not sure why tours are more expensive in Latacunga then from Quito but it was $40 per person for the day hike without biking while most agencies charge around $35 in Quito or $45 for biking, while in Latacunga they charge $55 for biking).
I was surprised there was an airport in Latacunga since it so close to Quito and found out its because of the large greenhouse that exports roses to the US. You can see the greenhouse on the ride out to Quilotoa because its so large. Latacunga has an altitude of about 2,750 meters.
We stopped at Limpiopungo lake to acclimate on the way to Cotapaxi and also stopped at the Cotopaxi museum.
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| a really beautiful ride back |
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