Secret Garden Cotopaxi: amazing things to do

Tucked away in the highlands of Ecuador, there’s a place where llamas roam free, clouds hug the mountains, and your only job is to sit by the fire and watch Cotopaxi volcano reveal itself. Welcome to The Secret Garden Cotopaxi—a place so magical you’ll feel like you stepped into a dream you didn’t know you had. Whether you’re chasing adventure or craving stillness, this off-grid lodge offers both—and a whole lot of wow.

I spent 4 nights in this lodge and I had the time of my life. In this post, I will tell you what it’s like.

STAYING AT THE SECRET GARDEN COTOPAXI

Well, as I said before, this hostel made me withdraw all the bad things I said about staying in a hostel.

Oh well. I still love the privacy of my own room and bathroom, and that would never change, but I was really happy about my experience at The Secret Garden Cotopaxi, and I will tell you why.

Their private transportation will pick you up at a specific time either in Quito or Machachi (if you arrive from a different destination).

It costs only 5 USD or includes if you have purchased the package.

You will get to the destination in a two-hour ride through a very scenic road.

The vivacious manager will receive you with a “welcome to paradise” greeting, and as you look around, you can’t help but agree.

The cute and cozy place is made of colorful buildings of different sizes and shapes scattered around a manicured garden with flowers of every size and color.

A wooden deck right outside the main area and a net will be your favorite place to relax while you admire the imposing white-capped Cotopaxi in all its grandeur in the background.

And you dream about conquering its peak, but you know, or, at least I knew, that I could barely reach the beginning of the Glacier, and not even that.

That view and the bucolic setting would be my home for 3 days.

Ah, and NO WIFI there, which was a blessing.

I was disappointed at the beginning because I was hoping to stay there longer and work from there in that spectacular setting, but it turned out to be the best choice ever as I would immerse myself in my books and in interesting conversations with my new pals. Of course, all about travel-related chats.

The Secret Garden Cotopaxi is a hostel, but it also offers private rooms for those who want to have a romantic experience with their partner. And it is romantic indeed.

I chose a dorm room because the private accommodation was way beyond my budget, but unlike all the other dorms, here I felt really comfortable.

The room was spacious and we had a private bathroom, which was huge, clean, and also very stylish.

I have to say the entire complex was.

The round-shaped hobbit rooms covered with vegetation were my favorite, although they had external bathrooms.

And the outdoor toilets and showers were their special place. They were high constructions and both the shower and the WC were on a platform at the same level as the top windows. So you could look at the Cotopaxi and Ruminiahui mountains while…doing your things. That was hilarious but cool indeed.

Meals were served at big tables, and guests sat together, mingling and chatting away. The chimney was set up to warm up the cold evenings, and people would hang out there before and after dinner, either chatting or reading. I read almost two books.

Not that I am antisocial, oh well, sometimes. There I made lots of great friends. But I also loved having solo moments and immersing myself in my readings.

The food was delicious and prepared with care; you could tell.

The best foodie part was that you had access to delicious homemade banana bread and bananas all day long, besides water, tea, and coffee.

The atmosphere was always warm and friendly.

I was particularly impressed by the impeccable organization on one side but especially by the kind of guests it attracted. I am quite solitary and I never hang out with people I met in hostels, but there, I really felt part of the tribe. So weird.

I was happy to live after 3 days, though. Too much community life is not for me, but still. Extremely happy for the experience.

THINGS TO DO FROM THE SECRET GARDEN COTOPAXI

If I hadn’t had to work, I would have surely stayed longer. There are so many hikes you can do from there. When I booked, I took a special package that included one short hike to a nearby waterfall and another long hike to Pasochoa. I didn’t take this one and got refunded. That was nice.

You don’t need to reserve the tours in advance.

Once you arrive at the hotel, you will be briefed on all the activities available. Every day, during afternoon tea time, you will let them know your plans for the following day.

Normally the Cotopaxi hike always reaches the minimum number for a group tour, otherwise, it would cost a little extra money.

As for the other tours, there is a chance you are alone or with few people, which implies a higher cost. Those tours are.

Hike to Pasochoa – 4200 mt – 7 hours total hike

Hike to Ruminiahui – 4690 mt – 7 hours hike

Horseback riding

The hostel can also organize other hikes that are not included in their program, because they are less demanded, which are:

• Climbing Cotopaxi to the peak
• Chimborazo hike and climb to the peak
• Sincholagua
• Corazon
• Illinizas
• Cayambe

FURTHER NOTES ON THE SECRET GARDENS OF COTOPAXI

One thing I need to let you know, as a slow hiker, I didn’t take any of these tours based on my experience at Cotopaxi, and some comments from other guests who took the tours. The guides seem to walk very fast and are not very happy to wait for you.

So I wasn’t very encouraged to join a group. Because I know that I walk slowly in the mountain I always prefer to get a private guide, when I can afford it, and walk at my own pace without any pressure. I also love to take pictures and I don’t want to slow the group down for that.

This is one piece of advice I love to share. There is nothing wrong with being slow or just wanting to have another pace, but I don’t like to impose my choice on others. So, getting a private guide or grouping up with somebody with the same needs is the wisest thing to do.

Disclaimer – I don’t have any affiliation with Secret Garden, whatsoever and I don’t receive any money for speaking so well about them. It is just my most honest and spontaneous comment because I loved my experience.

HOW TO GET TO COTOPAXI

Hiking Cotopaxi, daily tour from Quito

I was staying in Quito for a few weeks and I realized that the Cotopaxi hike is one of the most demanded excursions that local travel agents offer as a daily tour from the city. You will leave early morning, around 6 am on a tour bus, and accompanied by a guide you will get there in about 3 hours.

The tour costs from 50 to 70 USD + 10USD for the bike rental. Yes, you can bike down the Cotopaxi Slope if you wish.

Hiking or Climbing Cotopaxi, staying at a local resort in the Parque Nacional Cotopaxi (Cotopaxi National Park)

I chose this option, and I couldn’t be happier. You are just an hour away from the hike and get to leave at 8.30 am after breakfast. Return is around 2 pm and you have then all the time to enjoy the spectacular views of the valley, relax, and socialize. I will tell you more about it later on this post.

Tour from here costs around 30 USD + 10 USD for the bike rental.

Going to Cotopaxi on your own

I didn’t know it was possible because in Ecuador you need to be with a guide to enter any National Park. However, I met 2 girls that got to Cotopaxi from Quito by Taxi and hiked it on their own. As I said the hike is not difficult and there are always people around since from Quito there are tours every day. However, I would not take the chance.

Remember you are at 5100 mt almost and you never know how your body responds to altitude. So I would rather hire a guide.

THE HIKING EXPERIENCE TO COTOPAXI FOR EVERYONE.

So if you are an expert hiker and you are already acclimatized, this is going to be a joke. It was not for me, but that’s another story.

The car would take you at about 4560 mt and you will walk about 3 km to reach the “Refugio” a restaurant/hotel where you can rest and get chocolate before walking up to the glacier.

It normally takes 45 minutes to the Refugio and another 45 minutes to the glacier, but it took me 1h 20′ to get there and I was happy I made it. Of course I didn’t go further to the glacier. I was exhausted. I thought I was already acclimatized to the altitude but I was not.

Every time I face these challenges with hiking I always ask myself how the hell I managed to climb Kilimanjaro. But I have my own theory.

In fact, I need to say, in my defense, that there is a huge difference between starting to ascend at 2800 mt and at 4500 mt. You get there by car, and as soon as you get out, your body feels this abrupt change in the air. I started panting and, as I started moving, my breath was getting shorter and shorter, and my steps slower and slower.

In the meantime, I watched the people of my group almost running all the way up. How the heck can they do it? It wasn’t my legs it was my heart beating so fast I got even scared.

What made it worse was that the guide was way up, and knowing that I couldn’t keep up with the group pace, I started to worry that I would have been left behind and that I couldn’t find my way to the refuge.

I was really tempted to go back and stay in the car. But damn it. I was there to hike not to race. I should have asked for a private guide, I thought.

I was almost panicking but then I saw one of the girls of the group walking at my own pace and suddenly the guide appeared to wait for us. Thank God.

I was relieved, and that helped with my pace. If we are nervous and agitated it adds up to the fatigue and it becomes harder to walk.

If you are serene and take your time, without worrying about what the others are doing, one step after the other, you get everywhere.

I also have to say that during group hikes, there should normally be two guides, one who leads and one who closes. That was not the case, but I understood later that there was no chance of getting lost. The path to the refuge is a huge, easy, just steep road, but there is no chance you can get lost.

Once I arrived at the refuge, I decided I would end my hike there. The other guys were too fast, and considering the path would become steeper, colder and windier, I didn’t want to run the risk to be left alone again.

I felt a little defeated, but hey, you’ve got to listen to your body and your sixth sense.

The rest of the group who ventured further to the glacier, up to 5100 mt, came back in the blink of an eye. A joke, it seemed.

Some of them are running.

The way back is naturally easy, although a little slippery.

BIKING DOWN THE COTOPAXI VOLCANO

Once you walk down to the parking lot, you can bike back down to the valley. You must book your ride in advance because your tour company will need to load your bike, which you will have previously tested.

You have two options: either start your ride from the parking lot all the way down the hill (at the foot of Cotopaxi), which is bumpy and curvy but, according to my friends who did it, not dangerous.

Or you can start at the end of the hill, where the road still gets bumpy but not steep, which means you will have to put the effort and pedal  But that’s where the fun is, right?

The ride ends almost at the entrance of Cotopaxi National Park, where all the bikes are loaded onto the Jeep, and we all return to our hostels.

CLIMBING COTOPAXI UP TO THE VERY TOP

If you are fit and already acclimatized and you love heights, you might want to challenge yourself and try to get to the Cotopaxi peak.

It’s 5,897 m, mind that. In this case, you will definitely need a guide. If you go with somebody else it is better to have a guide each, because if one can’t make it and needs to turn around, the other can keep going.

The tour company normally provides high-mountain certified guides and the necessary equipment, such as a helmet, cords, and traction cleats.

It is very challenging and being fit is not the only requirement. Altitude sickness can hit anyone of any age, gender, and physical condition. Of course, if you suffer from asthma it’s not advisable to go.

Good luck!

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR HIKING COTOPAXI

Ok. So you have decided to venture up to 5,100 mt and are not very experienced with heights. Here are some tips for you. As I explained before, the walk is really short, but still, you need to follow some common-sense high-mountain rules.

Stay hydrated

It’s a healthy habit to stay hydrated always, even more so when you are at such an altitude. Drink lots of water the days before and keep a bottle with you.

Stay away from alcohol

Staying hydrated means drinking a lot of water and natural juices only!  Alcohol is your enemy in this case, at least a couple of days before and after I would suggest you avoid it.

Acclimatize before hiking

How do you acclimate to Cotopaxi? I met two girls who were coming from the sunny coast, at sea level, straight to 4800 mt. That’s definitely not a good idea.

Nothing can happen but physiologically speaking your body will not like such an abrupt change of altitude. Be wise and stay in Quito, which is at 2800 mt, for a few days so that you can get accustomed gradually to height.

In general, every time you hike to high altitudes you must first acclimate at lower but still good heights so that your body can get accustomed to it.

Remember that it doesn’t matter how fit you are or what age, altitude sickness can hit anyone. And, what’s more, if you had already been in the mountains once and you were just fine, it doesn’t mean that the next time it won’t affect you.

So just be careful and act wisely.

Dress appropriately: it’s extremely cold

Cotopaxi: What to wear? It is cold and windy at that height. When I was there, it also started to snow. I was wearing a heavy hooded jacket like the one you wear for skiing. My hiking pants were over wool pants. Gloves, a scarf, and a cap will also protect you from the icy wind. And, of course, good waterproof hiking boots.

Respect nature: Always

Well, this is not for hiking Cotopaxi only, and it doesn’t mean to offend anyone, but I can never stress enough how important it is to respect nature as if it were your own home, because it is. So please be kind, don’t litter, and take your rubbish with you.

Did I forget anything? Write your tip in the comments below. 

I was actually so blown away by the place that I decided to write an article.

Please feel free to ask me any questions in the comments below. I will be happy to assist you in planning your trip to Ecuador.

FOR FURTHER READING

• The Andean Condor: Ecuador National Animal
• Does it Snow in Ecuador?: Places to Visit and Things to Do in Ecuador in Winter
• Ecuador National Flower: The Flower of the Andes (Chuquiraga jussieui)
• A detailed guide to Mindo Cloud Forest Ecuador
• 20 Things to Do in Cuenca, Ecuador