Description: On my trip to Laguna Quilotoa, before embarking downwards from the top of the crater to the sparkling glass-green lake below, my girlfriend and I had the pleasure of meeting a man called Manuel Umajinga, the owner of Hostal Chocita Quilotoa, who was offering mule rides to passing tourists.
We thought nothing more of our meeting until we reached the bottom 45 minutes later to find the same Manuel Umajinga already at the bottom, not at all looking the sweaty mess that we were. It was at this moment that we looked towards the crater surrounding the lake and decided to take Manuel up on his kind offer of a mule ride back to the top ($5, taking 45 minutes).
We got talking on the return journey about the traditional art he and his family painted, using the smooth canvas of sheep skin. As we were rather interested in purchasing some of this artwork anyway, we decided to take him up on his offer and went with him to his hostel, which also doubles as the family home.
The hostel contains a selection of 5 double and single beds, each with a rather dingy set of covers, and plenty of blankets, which are essential at Laguna Quilotoa as the night time temperatures drop down past zero frequently. The two toilets were in a very sad state of repair, where several floaters looked like they had been waiting to sink for weeks! There are also no showers on offer, which were most wanted after hiking up and down the volcanic crater. Saying this though if you are just staying for the night then they are surely not a definite necessity?
This hostel is probably as basic as you can get and under normal circumstances I would never consider staying somewhere as basic as this, but the family were so accommodating to my girlfriend and I, that we would definitely stay here for our next trip to this area. Plus it is the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself into Spanish, learning about the Andean culture, as Manuel is more than keen to ask question after question.
As well as accommodation, Chocita Quilotoa also offers a small selection of food (whatever the family are cooking for the day!), cold and hot drinks (which are plastered across the front of the hostel in big black letters). Manuel gives tours of the local area, including around the volcanic crater ($8, 3 hours) and also to the nearby cloud forest town of Chugchilan by mule for approximately $15, depending on the number of people in your group.
To reach Hostal Chocita Quilotoa, at the entrance of Laguna Quiltoa, next to the car park, with Hostal Pacha Mama directly in front of you, Hostal Chocita is the first building on your left. You can't really miss it as the hostel's name is also plastered in huge letters along the side of the building. For more information you can contact Manuel directly by phone on 094391840.
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