Following the Galapagos, we didn't have much time left in Ecuador as we wanted to head south for the summer season in Patagonia. But as always, I wanted to cram in as much as possible so we decided to book onto a bus company called 'Wanderbus'. They would take us from Quito to Banos in a day (a very long day) but we would get to stop at some sights along the way. This way I didn't feel like I was missing out!
We were collected from our hostel in Quito around 6am and we headed out of the city to a traditional hacienda for breakfast. The word hacienda derives from the Spanish word 'hacer' which means 'to make'. The hacienda we visited was a working farm and had orchards to maintain. The breakfast they provided was amazing - homemade breads, fruits from the orchard, milk, egg and cheese from the farm and of course, dulce de leche. Yum!
Following breakfast we continued around 30 miles south of Quito to Cotopaxi National Park. Cotopaxi stands at 5,897m and is one of the world's highest volcanoes. It is almost symmetrical and makes for a pretty impressive view. Unfortunately for us, it was pretty cloudy.
After several hours driving, we arrived at Quilotoa. Quilotoa is a water filled caldera and the most western volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. The caldera is 2 miles wide and was formed by the collapse of the volcano. We didn't get much of a view here either!
Feeling a bit disheartened and disappointed with the lack of views we had, we continued the rest of the way to Banos.
Finally the weather decided to be kind to us, as we approached the town of Banos. The sun was setting and we had a magnificent view of Tungurahua volcano. Tungurahua translates to 'throat of the fire'. It was an incredible end to our day.
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