Riding the Volcano

Departing Quito at 7:30 am, the Pan-American Highway carries the group south through the Avenue of the Volcanoes before arriving at the park entrance and ascending through pine forest to the tour's highest point at 4,500 meters.

Horseback riding begins at 9:00 am, guided by expert native guides whose knowledge of the land runs as deep as the legends they share along the way. The trails wind across exclusive hacienda paths through majestic páramo and native forest, past herds of wild horses and fighting bulls, and up toward the flanks of Rumiñahui, where an unbeatable panoramic view of Cotopaxi opens up in all its volcanic grandeur. Condors are frequently spotted riding the high-altitude thermals overhead, while native flora, rabbits, foxes, and high-altitude bird species populate the landscape in every direction.

Some rides reach 4,200 meters, where the wind is pure, the silence is extraordinary, and the feeling of freedom is unlike anything a lower altitude can deliver.

A delicious set menu lunch at the historic Hacienda Tierra del Volcán rounds off a morning of genuine Andean adventure.