Exploring Otavalo: A Bit Further from Town

Part 3 of 3

Fuya Fuya and Lagunas de Mojanda

One of our first adventures outside of Otavalo was to climb Mt. Fuya Fuya (4263 m), which means "cloudy cloudy." Eleven of us headed out for a guided day trip to the top of this nearby mountain, considered a "starter" mountain for those interested in scaling the higher nearby peaks such as Imbabaya or Cotapaxi. After a bit of difficulty locating the traihead, we trekked up the grassy hills to the more exposed rockface above. I could certainly feel the altitude as we approached the top, huffing a bit and resting from time to time... but all in all it was not a difficult climb. We enjoyed lunch provided by the guide service at the top, but due to the clouds couldn't really see much at the summit. On a clear day, they tell us, we should be able to see three lakes from the summit. The clouds cleared a bit on the way down for some great pictures, so we weren't too disappointed. The path was so steep that Aaron, Troy and Aviv decided to roll down the hill a few times... much to the amusement of the others. While we climbed to the summit, Zoe enjoyed a guided hike partway around the largest lake at Mojanda, below. She reported that the hike was spectacular and the conversation with her guide both educational and interesting. We used Ecomontes Tour guide service for the trip, next to the Peanut shop, on Sucre. www.ecomontestour.com

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Laguna de Cuicocha (Cuicocha Crater Lake)

During my stay in Otavalo, we'd seen rain (sometimes HARD rain) pretty much every afternoon. Any adventure out of town meant a risk of rain. Feeling optimistic, we ventured out mid-morning for a hike around Lago de Cuicocha. After 30 minutes by bus and another 15 minutes by taxi we arrived at the lake, which is near the entrance of a large ecological preserve. This crater lake tops an active volcano (3068 m) and has two little islands in the center where the mountain continues to grow. It's possible to climb to the rim of the crater and hike completely around the lake in about five hours. When we arrived, we hired a boat for a quick spin around the islands, and then checked out the little ecological museum so I could understand the geology of the lake. By early afternoon, the weather looked a little too dubious for a full circumnavigation of the lake. We hiked a bit, then headed back towards town for a late lunch. NOTE: If you take a taxi up to the lake, arrange for another to pick you up later. We didn't, and ended up walking a few miles down the road before hitching a ride in the back of a truck to get back to town. If I go another time, I'd plan for a hike around the lake (time permitting). Considering the time of day and the weather, however, the time we spent exploring was just about perfect!


Agua Calientes a Chichambiro
I was invited to join Zoe and her host family on a trip to the hot springs at Chichambiro. We rode for an hour in the back of a pickup truck through the most amazing countryside. I was reminded of my Honduran trip to the hotsprings, also through amazing landscape. This time, because we were riding outside in the bed of a pickup we were able to see even more. The ride was breathtaking!




We arrived at a fantastical water park filled with kids and families enjoying a dragon-shaped water slide, tiny zip-line and rope swings in a giant pool. Zoe and I opted for the extra $3 entry fee for the adjacent "medicinal" pools slightly futher up the hill. There we found equally fantastic concrete decoration surrounding a collection of pools of different temperatures, plus turcos (saunas), naturally hot showers, and cooling pools. I especially enjoyed the cave-like turcos, which smelled of eucalyptus and other herbs. In all, the pools were extremely relaxing, and at the upper pools, not especially crowded. www.chachimbiro.com




Before we left the family shared fresh hot cheese-filled empanadas from the little tiendas at the pools. On the return trip we stopped at the timy hometown of Zoe's host mom, and enjoyed a fruit named chirimoya, kinds of like a soursop; very yummy. (Note: Don't be too afraid of street food when traveling or you'll miss out of some great treats!) Again from the back of the truck we experienced the most amazing sunset, then suffered a bit through a chilly nightfall and a bit of rain. The delightful sunset far outweighed the tiny inconvenience of rain and cold.



NEXT: On to Peru...