Field Trip #3: Imbabura UNESCO Geopark
2 Days / 1 Night (Oct. 6 & 7)
Price per person: $135
Field Trip Leader: Marco Almeida
Day 1 – Thursday 6th
1. 8h00: Quito – Tabacundo route:
Stop to observe small, but impressive tectonic features at the Río Pisque Viewpoint.
2. 10h30: Tabacundo – Cajas:
- Short stop to buy some traditional snacks (bizcochos & coffee) while we observe the volcanoes (p.e., Imbabura, Cotacachi-Cuicocha) and some major fault systems (p.e., Otavalo, Billecocha) of Imbabura province and related geographical features of San Pablo Lake.
3. 11h30: Otavalo: Free time at the Famous Plaza de los Ponchos: an amazing and unique place to buy souvenirs.
4. 12h30 – 14h00: Lunch time at the Cuicocha Crater Lake and visit the Interpretation Center.
5. 14h45: Visit the Cotacachi Cuicocha Volcanic Complex: geological overview of the volcanic complex formation and caldera forming eruption.
Options in this place:
- take a boat (@$4) to visit the Yerovi dome and a bubbling zone (evidence of Cuicocha activity).
- short hike to Cuicocha dome summit to have an incredible view of the volcanic caldera.
6. 17h00: Visit Cotacachi City. Free time to buy crafts or clothing made from leather (typical of the area!) ...
7. 19h30: End of the day’s activities. Spend the night in Cotacachi (Hotel El Arbolito)
Day 2 – Friday 7th
1. 8h00: Breakfast
2. 9h15: visit El Gran Condor: house of ancestral treatment of textiles.
3. 9h45 – 10h45: Hike to Peguche waterfall. We should see some bubbling springs.
4. 11h30: Trip to the Yahuarcocha Lake, to see some morphological features related to Río Ambi Fault system.
5. 12h15: Lunch time! “Picnic” by the lake.
6. 13h00: return to the city of Ibarra, which was destroyed by the August 16th, 1868, earthquake (7.2 of magnitude and X of intensity). Visit the Municipal building (El Cuartel Cultural Center) and their photo gallery.
7. 14h00: Free-time: traditional ice-creams at Helados de la Rosalía.
8. 14h45 Return to Quito. Estimated arrive time at 18h00.
Includes:
Breakfast, Box Lunch x 2
Comfortable Tourism Bus
Lodging on a shared double basis in Cotacachi.
Bottled Water