Explore the spectacular and colourful landscape of the high Andes and ride in the wild open foothills of the perfectly shaped Cotopaxi.

This is an almost complete circuit of the snow-capped Cotopaxi volcano, through breathtaking, wild open country including Cotopaxi National Park and seldom-visited open plains high in the Andes. You have seven days of riding which at times will involve some tricky terrain and long days in the saddle. Ride across old lava flows which are dotted with rocks as they were catapulted out from the erupting volcano. The glacial retreat followed by the volcanic activity has sculpted an intriguing landscape.

On some days you ride along old Inca routes, on others you pass by adobe cottages and tiny fields farmed by the charming and very friendly local people, the ladies wearing brightly coloured, pleated skirts and their traditional hats. The children are often out and about herding errant pigs and donkeys. You may also see some of the Andean wildlife including high altitude humming birds, foxes and deer and Andean lapwings.

The accommodation on this ride is a mixture of comfortable haciendas and farmhouses. Some are built of adobe with thatched roofs, some contain original Inca stone and there is even one comfortable lodge built of straw bales covered with adobe.