Cuicocha is a crater lake, 10-15 minutes drive outside of the famous leather village of Cotacachi, Ecuador, which is a pretty interesting place to stop by and discover in deep. Here are a few pictures of the town:

This crater lake is located at the foot of Volcano Cotacachi. It has a diameter of around 3 kms, and is 300m deep on its higher part.

It used to be a volcano and was very active in the last 15 000 years and had its last big eruption around 3000 years ago with lava streams covering the area of present-day Cotocachi town and Quiroga. Then, the volcano entered a dormant stage and water filled its huge caldera.

You can easily hike around the Crater : 20 kms and 4-5 hours will be required.

The trail starts by the information centre, and is very convenient to find as it follows the crater rim.

The hike offers a beautiful view over the Cuicocha lake, and the surrounding mountains : Cotacachi, Imbabura, and Cayambe.

In the center of this lake are three domes of volcanic rock that form two islands covered with vegetation and separated by a water channel, called “channel of dreams”.

I found this hike is very beautiful:the beauty of lake Cuicocha is outstanding, interesting flora and fauna with lots of hummingbirds, mountain panorama in the background, the hike itself is not too easy and not too hard. The trail can be easily done alone, with no guide. Recommended.