Leaving Quito next up was the Quilotoa Loop, leading to a water-filled crater lake in the Ecuadorian Andes. The ride was stunning, running up and down into valleys with snow topped volcanoes peaking out along the way. The last part leading up to the lake is a sandy hiking trail and it was great fun to whizz passed the backpackers hiking up there. Arriving at the top we were rewarded with a stunning view into the deep crater lake with turquoise coloured water.
After briefly drooping down into the valley our journey continued back up into the Andes along a mountain pass leading up to the snow-capped Volcano Chimboroza with a peak elevation of 6’263 m. Chimboroza’s summit is the highest point on Earth, measured from the Earth’s center, due to the proximity to the Equator. Seeing the volcano appear larger and larger as we came closer, it was difficult to keep focused on the road – just simply mind-blowing. The plan was to camp at the base of the volcano. But with temperatures around 5 degrees and a chilly wind blowing, we decided to head further to Banos, known as the “Lauterbrunnen” of Ecuador, set in a valley surrounded by steep mountain cliff sides.
Up until now we encountered a lot of rain in Ecuador, so the plan was to speed up and head to Peru. The next days were spent riding over many mountain passes – one day 470 km over a time span of 9 hours.
