Private Tour
Full-Day Cotopaxi National Park Horseback Ride hike for Beginners
Overview
Available languages
10 hours
Mobile ticket
One of the best Experiences in the Andes Mountains Near to Quito City. Cotopaxi is consider the highest active Volcano in South America. If you are a lover of outdoor activities, this is for you. Horse Riding in the highlands. Hiking to the José Ribas Refuge 4864m (15958ft), a lot of flora and fauna are part of this great adventures.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Private Cotopaxi Volcano Hike with Horseback Riding for Beginners offers an unforgettable experience in the Andes. We’ll depart from your location at 7:30AM and journey along the Avenue of the Volcanoes, where you’ll enjoy stunning views of potato fields, cattle farms, and breathtaking landscapes surrounding Cotopaxi National Park. The horseback riding portion lasts 1.5 hours at an altitude of 12,800 feet, accompanied by a local cowboy guide. Don’t worry no prior experience required! Afterward, we’ll drive for 35 minutes to reach the parking lot, where our hike begins. We’ll ascend from 14,763 feet to 15,958 feet to reach the José Ribas high camp, offering spectacular panoramic views of the Andes. Though this is a challenging hike, our experienced guides will maintain a steady pace to ensure your comfort. Frequent stops, water, and snacks will keep you energized along the way. If you prefer a gentler option, you can choose a hike around the Limpiopungo Lagoon at 12,800 feet, which is a flat, easy trail. To end the day, you’ll enjoy a taste of local cuisine and have the chance to feed llamas an unforgettable experience. This is a LOOP TRIP, and we’ll return to the hotel around 5PM.
What‘s Included
Entry fees
Lunch
Air-conditioned vehicle
Horse Riding renting
Gratuities
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
Full-Day Cotopaxi National Park Horseback Ride hike for Beginners
Pickup included
Reviews
105 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Must do
Keren v,,Dec 19, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Highly recommended activity. We had an excellent guide and amazing time. The horseback riding was a highlight of the trip. Hike was challenging but the guide was patient and excellent about it. So much fun.
A spectacular day in Cotopaxi.
Z8689LDserenap,,Dec 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Me and my partner had an unforgettable day in Cotopaxi and surroundings. Carolina was an amazing guide, very knowledgeable and caring and our driver Wilson took us back and forth safely and comfortably. We spent a splendorous day and enjoyed the incredible landscapes. Will do it again!
Review for Gustavo – Cotopaxi Tour
edmondp178,,Nov 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had an amazing experience with our guide, Gustavo, on our Cotopaxi tour. He is incredibly passionate and deeply knowledgeable about Ecuador — from its history and culture all the way to its biology and geology. Throughout the trip, he shared fascinating insights about the flora and fauna, turning the entire experience into a memorable and enriching learning journey. Even though we had only a short stay in Quito, Gustavo went out of his way to show us around as we drove through the city, giving us a wonderful introduction to local life. His warmth, enthusiasm and genuine care made the tour truly special. We enjoyed the day thoroughly and would gladly recommend him to any friend visiting Ecuador.
Incredible Day-Trip to Cotopaxi
zachs647,,Nov 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I can’t recommend this day trip to Cotopaxi enough—it was spectacular! We were picked up by our guide, Pato, at our hotel in Old Quito around 7:30 am. We then drove for a little over two hours to the northern entrance of Cotopaxi National Park—the rural scenery along the way was lovely—and on to a lodge in the park that offers horseback riding. The horseback-riding part of the trip proved to be an unexpected highlight. Riding through the paramo surrounded by volcanos on all sides was stunning; we even had an opportunity to gallop for a bit (which was admittedly nerve-racking being a horseback-riding novice!). We then drove further into the park, parked the car, and hiked up to the highest lodge/reserve on Cotopaxi, which sits at 15,953 feet. The hike was breathtaking, literally, and the first part was made more challenging by biting wind and cold light rain. But the journey was very much worth it—the views from the top were incredible! The refreshments in the lodge were also a nice treat. We were even greeted on our drive out of the park with a cloud-free view of Cotopaxi in all its glory. We finished our trip with a delicious lunch at a local restaurant outside of the park before returning to Quito around 5:00 pm. Pato was an excellent guide—knowledgeable, accommodating, and a great photographer. Definitely take this tour if you want a memorable experience in Ecuador!
Wonderful day
FellowTraveler199054,,Oct 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had such an incredible time on this tour! Definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Ecuador. Ismael was an amazing guide the entire day and so informative. Loved the positivity and motivation especially during the hike up the volcano!! Learned and saw so much. The hike up the volcano is definitely no joke. It is difficult, but I never felt rushed and was able to acclimate to the elevation at my pace. The horseback riding gave picture perfect views! Lunch was delicious and conversation all day was effortless. Thank you Ismael for a wonderful day!
Amazing views and friendly people
Jennifer D,,Aug 30, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We booked this tour the day before when we landed in Quito. Easy to book and good communication. There was just the two of us on our tour and our tour guide was fantastic! The tour company was called Ecuador a Color. Arrived on time and had so much information to tell us on the drive to and back from Cotopaxi. The horseback riding was great and had excellent views with lots of opportunities for photos. We only did the hike around the lagoon which was a good choice because we did not factor in altitude acclimation as we had only been in Ecuador for one day by this point and I found even the flat walk around the lake caused me to feel the elevation. But our guide was patient and let us take lots of breaks. He was very knowledgeable about the surrounding fauna and waterfowl which was really cool. My only suggestion would be to give yourself a few days in Ecuador to adjust to the elevation if you aren’t used to it before doing this tour.
Amazing tour
harrycH7063FI,,Aug 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had an amazing trip to Cotopaxi. Was well taken care of by the tour guide Pamela. The horse are well trained and easy to ride without much experience. Cotopaxi national park is very breathtaking.
Amazing trip to Cotopaxi
976kristinh,,Jul 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The tour was amazing. The guide, Pato was great, very nice and knowledgeable. We really enjoyed the horse riding, and the scenery was awesome. We hiked up to the refugio of Cotopaxi in cold wind and rain, but we were prepared for bad weather and it was really worth it, The view up there is amazing! Can highly recommend the trip!
Amazing experience - Beautiful Mountain!
nicolelZ230LZ,,Jul 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Pato was an amazing guide! Everything from correspondence before to dropping us off at our hotel. The horseback riding was fun. The hike up Cotopaxi was grueling...and so windy it almost blew me over a few times. Thankfully, Pato had an extra windbreaker jacket he lent me. At times, it felt like the volcanic rock was sand blasting my face. Haha! He told me it would be like that for about 3-5 minutes and he was right. After that, we tucked into a little valley and slowly hiked up. I wanted to quit half way when it started to get windy again and he said the Refuge was right there...and pointed. So I continued...and I'm glad I did!! What an awesome feeling getting to the top. Pato knows everything about Ecuador. He does tons of private tours (not just this one) so just ask, and I'm sure he can even do it. I was surprised he even did day trips to Banos! This is definitely a great tour and I would highly recommend Pato (it's his company)!!!!
Most fun thing ever
John B,,Jul 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00It extremely fun but the hike is somewhat strenuous. The horseback ride will be the best thing you’ve ever done. Ismael was the best tour guide we have ever had. My wife and I were absolutely blown away by how kind and accommodating he was. He made multiple stops on the way for us to buy things we needed/show us cool stuff. It was amazing. He is the absolute best.
Related Experiences
Operated by Ecuador a Color tour operator