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Mountain bike down Cotopaxi volcano

Mountain bike Cotopaxi

Explore the slopes of Cotopaxi on two wheels, passing through a volcanic wilderness of treeless steppe and crater lakes.

Even before you get on your bike, you'll get a thrill from journeying south from Quito along the Avenue of the Volcanoes to Cotopaxi National Park, presided over by one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. For the next few hours, you’ll be off-roading down its mighty slopes.

You'll have a chance to acclimatise legs and lungs to riding at high altitude (up to 4,000m) on dirt tracks that criss-cross a treeless expanse of wilderness, heading towards the mesmerisingly reflective surface of Laguna Limpiopungo. From here, hurtle alongside fast-flowing rivers towards the foothills of Rumiñahui, before plunging down through pine forest to arrive at the small town of Lasso, where the transport team will be waiting.

Activity Rating: easy

Ecuador & Galapagos Islands
Quito

Papagaio

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    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

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    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

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    Heloise started her Latin American journey as an exchange student in Santiago, Chile. With extended summer holidays this was the perfect opportunity to backpack through Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

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    Alex Walker - Travel Expert

    A globetrotter since her childhood, Alex spent a year studying abroad in Guadalajara and has returned to Latin America countless times since then.

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