Recently Viewed
Cotopaxi Horseback Ride and Hike
Embark on a unique horseback riding and hiking adventure in Cotopaxi National Park. Explore the stunning landscapes and challenge yourself with a journey to the base camp.
Embark on a unique horseback riding and hiking adventure in Cotopaxi National Park. Explore the stunning landscapes and challenge yourself with a journey to the base camp.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Avenida De Los Volcanes - The journey will take us along the renowned Avenue of the Volcanoes, marked on GPS as Avenida de los Volcanes. Along the way, there will be a stop at a gas station to use the restrooms, purchase lunch, and stock up on water and snacks for the day.
The drive will pass between the volcanoes Pasochoa, Rumiñahui, and…
- Avenida De Los Volcanes - The journey will take us along the renowned Avenue of the Volcanoes, marked on GPS as Avenida de los Volcanes. Along the way, there will be a stop at a gas station to use the restrooms, purchase lunch, and stock up on water and snacks for the day.
The drive will pass between the volcanoes Pasochoa, Rumiñahui, and Sincholagua, leading to the Cotopaxi Volcano.
- Northern entrance to the Cotopaxi National Park - Upon reaching this entrance, visitors can purchase coca leaf bags or candies to alleviate altitude issues. It’s also a great place to buy locally made gloves, hats, and ponchos.
- Cotopaxi National Park - Inside the National Park, the adventure begins with a horseback riding experience. Participants will be equipped with helmets and ponchos before setting off on a less-traveled path, offering stunning views and a chance to connect with nature.
- Parqueadero al refugio Cotopaxi - After the horseback ride, a 30-minute drive will take us from 12,000 feet to 15,000 feet, where we will park and embark on a 1.5-mile hike to Basecamp. This offers an incredible experience and breathtaking views, akin to being on another planet.
- Barrio el Caspi - The return journey will take us back to Quito via the tourist route.
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Driver guide
- Horseback equipment
- Horseback riding equipment
- Private transportation
- Driver guide
- Horseback equipment
- Horseback riding equipment
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Lunch
Additional Information
- The exclusive horseback riding experience within this National Park. Others operate from outside the park.
- An ideal mix of horseback riding and hiking through two distinct landscapes.
- Explore more of the National Park by entering through a less-traveled route and exiting via the regular path.
- No prior horseback riding experience is necessary….
-
The exclusive horseback riding experience within this National Park. Others operate from outside the park.
-
An ideal mix of horseback riding and hiking through two distinct landscapes.
-
Explore more of the National Park by entering through a less-traveled route and exiting via the regular path.
-
No prior horseback riding experience is necessary.
The journey begins at 7 am from Quito, taking a unique route into the National Park and exiting through the popular path to maximize exploration of this incredible area.
Travel past three volcanoes: Pasochoa, Rumiñahui, and Sincholagua, along the renowned Avenue of the Volcanoes.
The adventure kicks off with a horseback ride.
Following the horseback ride, there will be a half-hour drive to a parking area situated at 14,800 feet or 4,700 meters above sea level, where the hike to the base camp will commence.
This experience is not recommended for those who are not adventurous, dislike bumpy roads, are sensitive to changing weather, or have heart conditions.
- Personas con prótesis
- No es recomendable para personas con problemas respiratorios
- No recomendable para personas que odias salir su zona de confort
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(286 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Martineg1518
Jul 20, 2025
A memorable day at Cotopaxi! - We had a very nice day! We are a family of 6 with 4 teenagers aged 13 and 17 and they particularly enjoyed horseback riding. The scenery was breathtaking! The rise of the Cotopaxi volcano is demanding, but it's worth it. We were proud to have managed to reach 4800 meters! 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gleb337
Jul 20, 2025
Excellent, authentic, fun, real - Everything was perfect, the team was very kind, the trip was also well-planned. A perfect way to spend a day in Ecuador!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gaurav
Jul 20, 2025
Great experience - Great guides. Horseback riding was legit, scenic views, solid hour. Prepare for varied weather, especially if you are going in July. Would recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fernando_t
Jul 17, 2025
The climb up to the... - The climb up to the volcano requires stamina. The horse riding goes through interesting land areas and last a good amount of time.
Review provided by Viator
Saierz
Jul 17, 2025
Memorable - Very memorable day with our first horse riding experience then hiking to Cotopaxi basecamp.
Jorge is very helpful in making sure we do everything we could to combat altitude sickness.
The stop on the way to pick up snacks/lunch was on point. He also kindly lended me his hiking stick when I was having trouble going downhill from the basecamp. Thank you Jorge!
The horses are very well trained for the horseride. You will be fine if you've never ridden. Just note, if your horse starts running (more like jogging), make sure you keep your heels away from the horse especially if the speed is making you move around. You do not want to accidentally tell it to go fast when you're also telling it to slow it down.
That's the only thing I think could be emphasized more for first time horse riders - how to maintain balance if the horse speeds up.
Check weather beforehand and bring clothes - layers, hats, gloves, masks to protect face from wind. Recommend 3 days in Quito before tour if you can.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q4859zidanielf
Jul 16, 2025
A Powerful Experience and Great Hike - As someone who loves hiking and running, I was excited to hike up a portion of Cotopaxi, and this tour did not disappoint! This can be a difficult hike, with the high altitude and loose sand-like path, but it is definitely manageable and a very rewarding hike! The guides on the mountain are incredibly experienced and supportive, helping all of our group make sure that they made it up. If I lived closer, I would do this much more often!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jaci
Jul 14, 2025
Worth every second!!! - Jorge was amazing and educated us the entire trip! He went above and beyond capturing every moment and even helped with my surprise engagement once we reached the top! Recorded everything and then proceeded to take more pictures of me and my fiancée for the horseback ride afterwards! HIGHLY Recommend this for anyone!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
William_c
Jul 12, 2025
Must-do if you are going to Cotopaxi!!! - The horseback riding component was an incredible experience. Guide was patient, knowledgable, very accommodating. There are a lot of Cotopaxi tours on Viator, but the unique entrance and horseback riding excursion separates this tour from the rest. 10/10 recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Lisa_o
Jul 10, 2025
The ONLY tour you need to book - This is THE TOUR to do if you get the chance. From start to finish, Jorge was so incredibly kind, thoughtful, communicative, informative, encouraging, philosophical. I really can't say enough about how great Jorge was and this tour was. My partner and I were the only people that day so we got the chance to talk with him most of the car ride on our way as well as the hike.
It is a STEEP hike with completely unpredictable weather. However, Jorge set an absolutely perfect pace for us so that we could easily make our way up to the base camp. He did several check-ins along the way to ensure we were having fun and not out of breath/needing assistance. It did start snowing and there was snow on the ground when we went. The clouds were covering Cotopaxi a lot of the day, but still so, so beautiful and magical. Jorge was so encouraging to us, took tons of photos, and made us feel so safe and excited to be up there.
The horse back ride was also amazing!! The staff is primarily Spanish-speaking, but they did several check-ins, gave great instructions in English, and were completely available if anything came up. It's an incredible view of Cotopaxi and a wonderful 1-hour trail ride along the way. They also took tons of great photos of us on the horses, which was so fun!
The road is pretty bumpy on the way there and it is a long day, but it's so absolutely worth it. Out of our entire trip, (Quito, Galapagos, Amazon), this really is the tour that stands out and that we'll be talking about for years and years. Absolutely magical and so fun! I have so many photos and memories I'll cherish from this experience. Book it, 100%!!! You will not regret it.
Review provided by Viator
Kelliemartina
Jul 9, 2025
A great way to explore the park! - We had an amazing day with Jorge. He picked us up from our accommodations in Quito and we headed off to Cotopaxi National Park, sharing facts and information as we drove. The horseback ride was a fun way to see some different areas of the park. As we were riding, we saw deer bounding through the mountains. Jorge joined us on our hike from the car park to the Refugio and enjoyed his lunch with us, sharing more of his knowledge of the area. We really enjoyed this adventure and are happy we did it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
