Mejia, Rumiñahui & Cotopaxi

Our next stop was near the Cotopaxi Volcano / the Cotopaxi National Park. We stayed in Mejia at 3800m at the cheapest hostal around - which nevertheless was 50$ / night, including breakfast 💸. Luckily, it featured an amazing restaurant and an amazing view, so we were more than happy with our choice! Darwin, the young owner of both the hostal and the restaurant (and also the cook!), was so helpful and a true magician in the kitchen - every meal was simple but flawless! 🤤 (It‘s called ruta de los volcanes, if you will ever find yourself in the area, give it a go!!)
We had amazing 3 and a half days there, in which we did three hikes: two to the Rumiñahui Volcano area nearby (one to 4200 and one to 4300m) and one in the Cotopaxi National Park. The hikes to the Rumiñahui volcano were challenging, especially as Alina suffered a bit from altitude sickness on the first hike, but both were really beautiful - even though the weather had left much to be desired. Alilles brings the rain, as it seems 🤷🏻‍♀️ Still, we were lucky enough to spot a family of great Andean Condors on both hikes to the Rumiñahui Volcano (see video) - such majestic creatures!! ❤️
The hike in the Cotopaxi National Park was alright, though not very challenging, and was lacking the famous view of the Cotopaxi Volcano due to the weather until the very end. Still, it showed itself last minute, and we were still able to get some pictures of the majestic (and still active, btw) volcano!
All in all, our stay in Mejia was a full success and we really enjoyed both the hiking as well as the quiet time at our room (despite the cold - heating and hot water was not existent 🥶). Another great training for all upcoming altitude hikes! But for now, we‘re having a break from hiking and head to Ecuadors capital - Quito, here we come!Okumaya devam et