Cotopaxi and Banos Tour - Full Day from Quito

What a fabulous day! Our guide, Pedro Toaquiza, was terrific! My daughter, whose been working in Ecuador for a few months, was keen for me to see as much of the amazing Ecuadorian landscape/ecosystem (which ranges from snowcapped volcanos to Amazonian jungle) as possible during my short visit, so we booked this one day tour to see as much as we can. Communication with the company was good and we were able to arrange a vegan meal (lunch is included) for my daughter at the designated restaurant near Baños. They also advised us of what clothing to bring as the climate, altitude, and weather can readily change. Not going to lie, it is a long day! This tour is advertised as about 10 hrs, but it can be closer to 12hrs factoring in road or weather delays. Pedro arrived to pick us up just before our scheduled 7:30am collection. Our first stop was Cotopaxi National Park—about 1-1.5 hrs away. En route, Pedro pointed out all the other volcanos within sight. (There are 84 within 3 hrs of Quito.) It was a very cloudy day and he warned that sometimes you can’t see the volcano well, but the clouds cleared enough to see this beautiful volcano and Stone Face mountain. After a nature walk by the lagoon, we set off toward Baños, which is at the edge of the Amazon region, about 2-2.5hrs from Cotopaxi. Nearing the Baños, an accident on the road (about 15 miles from the town) caused a traffic back-up on the 2 lane highway, but Pedro made a swift detour onto the local road cutting through the valley, which may have been a bit slower (but not slower than not moving on the road above) and provided an extra bit of scenic beauty and adventure to get us to town. My daughter and I had a quick walk through town, before meeting back up with Pedro to head up the mountain to the restaurant for the 2 course (soup/main) lunch. Nice food and the views were incredible! From there we went to the Tree House/la casa del arbol. A bit of an uphill walk, but the tree house was less impressive than the beautiful garden (with mountain-side swings and a zip line) surrounding it. Hummingbirds flit around the exotic flowers—and the views! Incredible! Then it was off to see waterfalls. We stopped at a couple of waterfalls along the road (including a ride on a cable car for a closer look) then went to our final stop—Cascada el Pailon (Bridal Veil Fall and the Devil’s Cauldron) on the Rio Verde. Here, you really get a sense of being on the edge of the Amazon. The power of this waterfall (even during the dry season) is amazing. We hiked to various viewing points, traversing suspension bridges. Some points were a bit wet and steep—there are good railings and steps, but a sturdy shoe would be worthwhile for the closer views. After this, we were ready for the 3hr drive back to Quito. Pedro was a wonderful guide, lovely company, and safe driver. (I’d recommend bringing tissues and quarters to cover any rest stops.)

Getting to know various places in Ecuador was undoubtedly a wonderful experience. The guide was friendly and professional, and the food was delicious.

I couldn’t recommend this trip more. The itinerary was fun and the guide, Ayrton, couldn’t have been more helpful. I would definitely do it again.

Had a wonderful and full day exploring Banos and Cotopaxi. Our guide, Ayrton, even stopped for tortillas on the drive home! Excellent way to see the top highlights in Ecuador from Quito!

This was a great day trip with Diego. Diego provided information about Ecuador and the areas we visited. I would recommend this day trip with Diego.

Unbelievable views. Jimmy and Veronica made the experience incredible. Theyre knowledgeable and kind!

My friend and I really loved the tour, from the locations we stopped to Myriam and Jimmy’s warm and fun company. Myriam is a fountain of knowledge and made us feel very welcomed and at peace. We highly recommend this for the best nature spots and most fun times

Pedro did a great job and was an excellent tour guide showing us all the sites in Cotopaxi and Baños in one day! He even stopped to let us try ice cream in a famous ice cream area. He provided lots of information in English for us and we enjoyed every aspect of the trip! We did a zip line in Baños and he took us to several stops including Devils Cauldron and on a cable car across the river making sure he took lots of photos of me and my friend that he airdropped to us after! Would recommend this tour!

David was a wonderful tour guide! He picked us up on time at the hotel. On the way to Cotopaxi and later Banos, he explained a great number of interesting things, including of historical, cultural, and ecological nature. He drove us safely to all points on our tour, and always pointed out unexpected treasures on the way. David knew the area very well and was well connected with locals, which made it easy at every turn whether we went to a local market, or stopped for ice cream on the way, or when we arrived at the zipline place, or later at Pumamaqui restaurant for dinner. Ziplining over the river was an unforgettable experience; the waterfall at Paillon del Diablo was truly impressive, and the area with the swing at the end of the world was simply breathtaking, with many colorful flowers, blooming hydrangeas and a great variety of humming birds, Casa del Arbol is a Garden of Eden! David did an excellent job explaining the details of every aspect of our trip, and despite heavy traffic on the return journey, he stayed alert and got us home safely. We can 100% recommend this tour, and David as your tour guide.

We had an amazing day on the Cotopaxi and Baños tour. Our guide, Diego was fantastic. He is very knowledgeable of the entire area and had many good stories to share. He felt like a good friend by the end of the day. Our tour lasted 13 hours, and we saw many wonderful things during that time. We were lucky with the weather and were able to see and enjoy Cotopaxi, and were able to see many other volcanos as we drove to our destinations. In Banos, we had a delicious lunch followed by four beautiful and fun stops. The final stop at the large waterfall was amazing. We are so happy we were able to experience it. I highly recommend this tour if you have the time.