Cotopaxi- Administration National Park

This mountain is impressive, with more than 5000 m at the top. It is possible to climb to the parking area with a car, which is at 4500 m approx. Then the refuge is at 4800 and can be reached in a reasonable time... However going upper will need more preparation, several hours and good weather. Worth visiting!

Awesome, worth whatever effort it takes to tread the slopes. My pix was taken from afar, but only because the volcano was already starting to hide itself from view. Wish they'd sort the road a bit, it doesn't have to be a motorway, but we don't all drive blooming tractors! Secondly, don't buy anything from the traders surrounding the ticket office; it really is 30% cheaper at the airport! That said, it was still worth the effort, worth the walk to the refuge at the top, worth the altitude sickness, worth the aching chest, worth the cold, worth the clouds, and indeed, worth the entire journey from London on its own! Thank you, Ecuador.

Well, first off, the people who worked on and around the volcano were super friendly. Some new a little english and were patient in conversation. We hired a guide for 60$. Our guide took my family of 6 in their truck, and we headed up the trails towards the volcano. During the ride up, I rode in the bed of the truck with the kids, and we got to see, smell, and hear all the wonderful nature along the trail. I have to mention that we are increasing elevation the entire time, and after a certain point, the road goes from paved to dirt-ish (lots of bumps). The guide suggested we take some Coca, a hard candy, prior to heading out. It is supposed to help with altitude sickness. No one got ill. Our first stop was a lagoon on the volcano, where we took some pictures, and the guide talked about the local wildlife. We then hopped back into the truck, and everyone squeezed into the cab as it started to rain. Long story short, we got to the volcano, and it was super fun. I highly recommend you go.

It's a volcano, and active, with wild horses and hiking/mtb'ing/mountaineering, and just outside Quito. Why not go? Awesome place. Visitor center and enough services for most people, but big enough to feel you've "gotten away". There's birds, plants, lizards, and so on for wildlife folks, cool volcanic features and weird weather phenomena for science geeks and very impressive to see (which is often hard).

Incredible national park that's very well organized. Did the horseback ride since riding down on bikes was a little much for our 8 yo grandchild and it was fantastic. There are horse skeletons out along the hills from the eruption and so you can see how the earth is rebuilding from them.

I wouldn't try to drive any rental car up the volcano due to the paint chipping you will receive and only capable vehicles can make it anyway. The guides are affordable and do an amazing job so use them.

Definitely a must visit place for any avid hiker that can deal with altitude. Shuttled to the parking lot at around 4500 meters and hiked 500 meters to the glacier. The Refuge at just over 4800m is a nice place to have lunch.

Can take day tours from many places in town for between $25-$45 depending on how many people are signed up.

Went with a tour group and met some cool Austrians who spoke English and Spanish. Oscar our guide was so patient with us sea levelers. We climbed to the relief center at 16,000 ft. A bit taxing but everyone in our group made it. Well worth the effort!

The official guy in the office was extremely helpful and spoke good English. Please note that when you park in the car park to register, you will be approached by people that have nothing to do with this park.
They will tell you that you need to pay to enter, that you cannot take your car, or taxi that you came with, and that you need to pay them to take you to the car park for extortionate fees. They will also tell you that it is the law that you must have a guide to climb. Ignore them all! They are liars and just after your money.
It costs nothing to enter and you do not need a guide to climb. The best way to get rid of them is to tell them that you are going to ask the park ranger in the office and they will quickly tell you that just for today, they will let you enter as you wish.

Awesome views in this park

Amazing views and very nice hikes to the refuge

Beautiful hike up and fun going down

6 condors seen from Rumiñahui summit in Cotopaxi National Park

Indulge into nature. Enjoy the cool weather. Watch the horses and the wild birds and take a hike around this magnificent area.

You can see the peak only early in the morning. Later during the day the clouds settle in and there is nothing much to see. You can hike up this mountain. There is lake you can walk around. You can see the peak better from the airplane. My opinion time could be better spent doing other things because this a whole day trip.

As always Cotopaxi is one of the many wonders of Ecuador. We camped in the nearby site La Rinconada, lovely little forest. Many places for a campfire, there are toilets nearby (although not always as clean, better bring your own toilet paper) and extra fire wood if you didn't bring enough. The views are amazing! And we had de luck of seeing two deer walk by.

If you are thinking of staying for the night, be prepared you're camping beside a volcano it is going to get very cold. Bring fresh water and don't forget to pick up after yourself, after all you're staying in a Ecological reserve.

P.s.: If someone tries to tell you it cost money, other than by the entry gate, don't pay!!!

Climbed to base camp and went horse back riding. Great place, and so much to see

Cotopaxi is the tallest active volcano in the world. You can drive up to over 15,000 ft. If you're physically up to it there's a lodge a thousand feet above the parking lot.

We arrived about 1:30. It is currently obligatory to hire a guide. Entrance to the park is free, but the guide was $40. We entered in my vehicle a chevrolet suzuki grand vitara. Drove up just short of the parking area, got out several times for foto ops, learned about the history of the park and lits about the flora and fauna. Coming back down we drove off to the right to see the small river that came down from the volcano. That water was pristne. We parked there for quite some time had some watermelon and hiked a bit into the distance. We drove to the lagoon too. On our way out of the park we saw 2 deer. Once we left the gate around 5:15, the clean bathrooms were still open. The late afternoon sun was on the top of the volcano. Exquisite views. We drove a short distance and ate grilled lamb plates at a restaurant on the right hand side. We marveled at the view throughout our meal as the setting sun came down and displayed a range of pinks.

The weather 100% cooperated w us and in the park it was not terribly cold and/or windy. Cloudy some and sunny some. Perfect weather to enjoy the park and it's incredible views.

From central Quito you can reach Cotopaxi in an hour. In addition to this you must also consider 45 mins drive to the car parking. This road is very bumpy and in a pathetic state. Be well prepared and covered as the temperature goes down to 1 degree in summer with cold winds. So be careful specially if travelling with kids.

a really beautiful park that you can drive through, stop to take pictures of the volacano, and do a short 1hr ish hike around a lake. the naturalist with us was very knowledgeable on the birds, fish, and flowers there and we were lucky to spot 3/6 birds in the post.