Quilotoa

Caldera crater lake

Quilotoa is the name of a caldera and crater lake located therein, at the same time the westernmost volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes.

Today, the highest point is 3914 m height, diameter of the caldera is 3 km. The last eruption took place in may 1280. At this time, a violent eruption occurred ( Level 6 on the scale of Vulkanexplosivitätsindex ) whose Lahar and pyroclastic flow reached the Pacific. Since then, lies in the caldera by up to 250 m deep crater with incurred by minerals green color. At the bottom of the lake there are fumaroles on the east side of the volcano, there are hot springs.

For some time the Quilotoa is a popular tourist destination: mostly from the nearby city Zumbahua of tourists come and pay to enter the view, popular is the 5-hour hike around the caldera, in about 3 hours one can from the caldera to the sea walk there and back.