IN THE SHADOW OF ECUADOR’S MAGNIFICENT STRATOVOLCANO COTOPAXI

Sleeping in the shadow of Ecuador’s magnificent stratovolcano Cotopaxi is a surreal experience that will seem like a dream until you wake up the next morning and see it towering outside your window. When building my Ecuador trip itinerary I wanted to have a couple of days to just chill in between our Quito and Baños stays. I wanted amazing views, solitude, and relaxation and the Cotopaxi region delivered that in spades.

Hacienda Los Mortiños

After a full day of travel and then 3 days in Quito doing daily tours, waking up early, and pretty much keeping a schedule, it was time to downshift for a couple of days. I chose the Hacienda Los Mortiños property specifically because it’s practically in the middle of nowhere and fit the bill for what I was looking for. When searching for a place to stay that was close to the Cotopaxi volcano I came across the Hacienda and was struck by how near it seemed online. The picture on their website looked too good to be true but as you can see from my own shot above, it’s the real deal!

Located just outside the north (El Pedregal) entrance to Cotopaxi National Park, this cozy hacienda is perfectly situated for both active travelers and those looking to just chill (like us). Both of our rooms were on the second floor of the back house and had incredible views of the volcano and surrounding area. But besides the great views, the entire property was legit badass, well taken care of, and well run!

The views and surroundings were therapy.

Sometimes it’s best to just let people see what you’re talking about. Check out these short video clips and pics I put together.

Pretty nice right? The game plan was to do nothing the first day and for a while the weather was playing its part. When we arrived it was cold (about 38 degrees F), overcast, and it started to rain. Hacienda staff turned on the fireplaces for us and just about everyone took a nap against that backdrop. But this being Ecuador, the weather did a 180 a few hours later and remaining inside was no longer an option.

Hiking and Mountain Biking Trails

The clouds began to clear in the late afternoon, sun started to come out, and I was ready to explore. We got dressed and headed out on one of the many trails that lead away from the property. Of course I chose one that got us closer to Cotopaxi. After making the small hike up the hill, we got some pretty cool shots of the volcano and several volcanic rocks that were spread out all over the area. Seeing the rocks was a reminder that this is an active volcano whose last eruption was only 6 years ago.

As the sun started to dip, the mountain bikers started to arrive in their 4 wheel drives. La Hacienda Los Mortiños also caters to bikers and campers on their grounds. They made their way up the trails, pitched their tents, and started their camp fires. Mountain bike riding (and cycling) is big in Ecuador. We later found out that there have been some recent Ecuador biking/cycling winners in important worldwide races. This has increased the popularity of the sports in the country.

Horseback riding in Cotopaxi National Park

The following day we slept in, had breakfast, and booked a horseback riding expedition that would take us into the national park. I wanted to get closer to the volcano. The horses are trained and live on the hacienda grounds. After a short walk to the stables and safety briefing we selected our horses. All riders are provided a helmet and given basic riding instructions and commands. We saddled up and were on our way towards the park.

As we entered park grounds, the weather changed on us, going from mostly sunny to cloudy with cold light wind. Having been in Ecuador 5 days now, we knew what to expect and came prepared with windbreakers and dressed in layers. Our guide led us through some hills, across streams, and grounds covered in volcanic rock from the last explosion. He would pause at points of interest and explain the lay of the land to us or tell stories about the land we were on. The whole ride was informative and entertaining.

I had a close call with my horse almost dumping me off at the top of a baby hill. He took off running up and caught me off guard causing me to lose my balance for a couple of seconds. I was like whoa mf’er, whoa… You can see it happen in the clip below. What’s funny about the ordeal is my son unable to contain his laughter in the video. he’s cracking up behind me 🤣.

Mother Nature did not cooperate at night.

Because of it’s remote location and having a national park in front of it, the Hacienda Los Mortinos is also great place to stargaze. To me that was one of the selling points to get me to book. But the weather did not cooperate during our stay and we had overcast skies both nights we stayed. There are some amazing pics online for you to see for yourself. Not only is the Milky Way fully visible from the hotel but due to it’s proximity to the equator, you can view constellations in both the Northern AND Southern Hemispheres.

I recommend trying to book around a new moon for the darkest sky possible and then with a little luck you will get to see it all! Since stargazing was off the table we decided to have some local beers for our nightcaps. I gotta admit that it was a good time drinking with our 2 older kids (20 &19). Back home we’d only share a beer at big family get togethers with everyone spread out with different relatives but here it was just us and the bonding, silliness, and roasting was truly memorable not just here but the entire trip. 

HOW TO GET TO THE HACIENDA FROM QUITO

According to Google maps you can make it in under 2 hours in the early afternoon. Add 30-40 minutes if you leave Quito during the morning rush hour like we did. Also keep in mind that about 60% of your time on this commute will be spent on the roads between Machachi and Porvenir. Easily the worst roads I’ve ever been on. I swore we were going to get flats at least 4 times on this stretch. The jacked up roads of Houston, Texas don’t have anything on them. Check your driver’s tires and make sure he has a spare. And pray too.

THINGS TO KNOW // SUMMARY

• Elevation is 11,978 ft above sea level. That’s 2,628 ft higher than Quito! Monitor yourself for altitude issues.
• Only breakfast comes with your paid hotel stay. Lunch and Dinner are on you.
• There are lots of things to do at Cotopaxi National Park from walking around lakes/lagoons to climbing to the top of the Volcano. You can do as much or as little as you’d like here. Just a beautiful park and area.
• The roads are perfect if you’re coming from the south entrance! We took the main road through the national park on our way to Banos and it was night and day difference. Even seen some wild horses along the way.

And on that note, as Bill Belichick would probably say, “We’re on to Baños”.