A small market town located only a few miles away from Latacunga and the Quito-Ambato highway, Pujili is a small town with a rich culture and history.

Most of the inhabitants of Pujili are indigenous, and the best time to see native customs and clothing are the market days: Wednesdays and Sundays.

Unlike Otavalo, which is mainly for tourists, the market in Pujili is still a local affair. Men and women from surrounding villages will pack up their llamas and burros early in the morning in order to come to the market and sell their extra produce for whatever money they can make.

Like the market in Saquisili, it is more than simply a time to shop: it is also an important social activity, and locals will dress nicely and spend a good amount of time socializing. Tourists are discovering Pujili (as well as Zumbagua and Saquisili, the other market towns in the area), so there will be some stalls dedicated to Otavalo-style weavings or other popular tourist goods. Pujili itself is known for clay pottery and ceramics, which are also sold at the market.

For a small town, it has an interesting history: the citizens of Pujili fought bravely in the war of independence. One of Ecuador’s presidents, General Guillermo Rodríguez Lara, was a native of Pujili. The town was devastated by an earthquake in 1996, but has since been reconstructed.

Tours Unlimited is a leading company offering personalized service to international tourists. For 15 years, it has contributed to the development and promotion of all Ecuador’s four regions. We invite you to come and enjoy Cotopaxi, 8 out of 10 of our clients and visitors has given an “excellent” rating to our tours dedicated to discover Cotopaxi and its surroundings.

We will offer a punctual, courteous and professional service adjusted to your individual needs with the objective of showing the magic of Ecuador in a safe, fun and responsible way. All of our guides are bilingual fully prepared to give you the most complete information about the local culture, history and geography; 9 out of 10 of our clients and visitors has given an “excellent” rating to our guides. If you don’t believe us, check out some of our clients’ testimonials:

“Really enjoyed our day trip to Cotopaxi. Guide was very informative and made us very welcome. Beautiful countryside!” Dermot Geochecan, USA

“Excellent tour guide. Very willing to stop for pictures, shopping. Rodrigo spoke English fluently. Very informative and interesting! We highly recommend this tour.” Terry Kuczeruk, USA

“We really enjoyed the trip to Cotopaxi. The driver and guide were very professional, polite and helpful. The service was magnificent and we will refer our friends. Great service! Thank you Andrew and Nicolas!!” Lisa Turner, USA

Itinerary

There are departures on this tour on Wednesday.

After visiting Pujili, via Latacunga, we will taste two traditional exquisite foods of Ecuador: "Allullas" and "Queso de Hoja". Then we will visit the community of Tigua, a well-known place for its handicrafts. From here we will continue our trip towards the volcano Quilotoa and then we will walk right round the crater rim in about six hours. You will not be disappointed, it’s very beautiful.

• - Bilingual guide English/Spanish (we also offer German and French speaking guides)
• - Transportation
• - Lunch at local inn

• - Tips

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Quilotoa is a water-filled caldera and the westernmost volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. The 3 kilometers (2 mi) wide caldera was formed by the collapse of this volcano following a catastrophic VEI-6 eruption about 800 years ago, which produced pyroclastic and lahars that reached the Pacific Ocean, and spread an airborne deposit of volcanic ash throughout the northern Andes. The caldera has since accumulated a 250 m (820 ft) deep crater lake, which has a greenish color as a result of dissolved minerals (no fish live there). Fumaroles are found on the lake floor and hot springs occur on the eastern flank of the volcano.