Mountain bike down Cotopaxi volcano

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