Altitude at Cotopaxi, calmly explained

How does the altitude at Cotopaxi feel?

For most visitors, like hard work at an easy pace: you breathe fast, your heart beats harder and the steep sand slope to the refuge feels much longer than it is. Many people also get a mild headache, which usually fades once they are back down.

At the car park, at about 4,500 m, each breath holds noticeably less oxygen than at sea level. You notice it as soon as you start walking uphill: ten steps can leave you puffing, and the refuge, only a few hundred metres higher, takes 45 to 60 minutes to reach. Guides set a slow, steady pace on purpose. Nobody expects you to hurry, and stopping every few minutes to catch your breath is normal.

Standing at Limpiopungo lagoon, at about 3,800 m, most people feel little beyond the cold wind. Reviewers of the flagship refuge tour call the hike “challenging” and “strenuous but worth it”, and that is a fair summary: the altitude makes it tiring, not technical. A good night's sleep, a light breakfast and plenty of water make a real difference.

How high do you go on a Cotopaxi day trip?

On the refuge tours, to 4,864 m at the José Ribas refuge, after a drive to the car park at about 4,500 m. On the lagoon and Quilotoa tours you stay at about 4,000 m or lower.

The table follows a typical day, from your hotel in Quito to the highest point you could reach, with Quilotoa added for comparison. The summit line is there for scale only: no day tour goes there. The summit is a separate two-day climb with glacier gear and a start around midnight.

How many days should you spend in Quito before Cotopaxi?

At least one, ideally two. Quito lies at about 2,850 m, high enough for your body to start adjusting, so a day or two of sightseeing there makes the refuge hike noticeably easier.

Advice for high-altitude travel says that two or three nights at about 2,500 to 2,800 m protect you well before you go higher, and Quito fits that almost exactly. Use those days for easy sightseeing in the Old Town or La Mariscal rather than long hikes, and do not book the refuge hike for the morning after a long-haul flight. If you arrive from the coast, the Amazon or the Galápagos, the same logic applies: give yourself a day in Quito first.

A day trip is easier than the numbers suggest because you spend only a few hours above 4,000 m and then sleep back in Quito, much lower. Altitude illness mostly builds with time spent high, especially overnight. The summit climb is very different: you sleep at the refuge and set off around midnight, and climbers spend several acclimatisation days on smaller peaks first, as the guide to climbing Cotopaxi explains. For background, the CDC page on high-altitude travel is clear and sensible.

What are the symptoms of altitude sickness?

The usual sign is a headache, often with loss of appetite, nausea, tiredness, dizziness or poor sleep. Symptoms can start within hours of going up, and they usually ease quickly once you go down.

• Common and mild: a headache, short breath when walking, a racing heart on the slope, feeling tired or slightly dizzy. Most people on a refuge day feel some of this.
• Tell your guide: a headache that keeps getting worse, nausea or vomiting, or feeling unusually weak. The guide may suggest a longer rest or turning back, and you can wait at the car park or go down to the lagoon.
• Go down and get help: confusion, unsteady walking or breathlessness while resting. These are rare on a day trip, and going lower is the cure.

On a refuge day, going down is also easy: the van waits at the car park, and the drive to Limpiopungo takes you several hundred metres lower within minutes. Guides see the effects of altitude every day, so speaking up early is normal and nobody will mind. Drinking water, eating something light and avoiding alcohol the night before all help.

Does coca tea help with altitude?

Coca tea is a traditional Andean drink that many tours offer at the park entry, and many visitors find a warm cup comforting. It is not a medicine, and it does not replace a slow pace, water and time in Quito.

Mate de coca is made from coca leaves and has been drunk in the Andes for centuries, especially against cold and tiredness. On the short Cotopaxi visit with alpacas and the lagoon it is part of the stop at the park entry, and the most booked Cotopaxi and Quilotoa day offers it before the park as an optional extra. Reviewers of the refuge tour mention coca tea stops too. Enjoy it as part of the culture rather than as a treatment.

Two practical notes. Do not take coca leaves or tea bags home: many countries treat them as a controlled substance. And if you are thinking about medication, there is a prescription medicine called acetazolamide that can speed up acclimatisation, but whether it suits you and how to take it is a question for your doctor, not for a guide or a website.

The gentlest way to see the volcano: five hours with pickup at your accommodation, the Romerillos viewpoint with alpacas, coca tea and handicrafts at the park entry, photo stops at about 4,000 m and a walk at Limpiopungo lagoon. No refuge hike. Rated 4.4 from 124 reviews.

★ 4.4 (124) · 5 hours · Full refund up to 24 h ahead

Explore the short Cotopaxi visit →

Who should not hike up to the Cotopaxi refuge?

People with heart or lung conditions, pregnant travellers and anyone who has had severe altitude illness before should check with a doctor first. For them, and for young children, a lower day around the lagoon is often the better choice.

The refuge hike is not technical, but it is steep and very high, and tours set their own limits. The hike-and-bike day, for example, is not suitable for children under 6, people over 65 or anyone with heart or breathing problems. Families with young children often stay at Limpiopungo and the lower viewpoints, which still give a full day at the volcano.

The short lagoon visit stays at about 4,000 m and below. The Cotopaxi and Quilotoa day trip (4.1 from 687 reviews, the most booked and the lowest rated of the main tours here) pairs the foot of the volcano with the Quilotoa crater rim at about 3,900 m, and the small-group Cotopaxi and Quilotoa day (4.7 from 70 reviews) covers the same ground in smaller groups. None of these three hikes to the refuge. On the private horseback day you can take the flat Limpiopungo trail instead of the hike. To weigh the two volcanoes, see Cotopaxi or Quilotoa.

How cold is it at Cotopaxi?

Colder than most visitors expect. By day it is usually around 0 to 8 °C at the car park and the refuge, the wind makes it feel colder, and nights drop below freezing. Even on a sunny morning, expect near-freezing wind up high.

Cotopaxi lies almost on the equator, so there is no real summer or winter: the temperature depends on the altitude and the weather of the day. At Limpiopungo lagoon a calm, sunny morning can feel mild, while the car park, about 700 m higher, is often windy and raw. Cloud usually builds by late morning to midday, and once it hides the sun the temperature drops fast. Rain, hail or a little snow are possible in any month, more often from February to May and in October and November.

The sun is the other surprise. At this altitude, so close to the equator, it burns quickly even through thin cloud, and the snow and the pale sand reflect it. The driest months, with the best chance of clear views, are June to September, which can be very windy, and December to January.

What clothes should you pack for a day at Cotopaxi?

Dress in layers you can add and remove: a warm base layer, a fleece or light down jacket, a windproof and waterproof shell, a warm hat, gloves, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen. Wear hiking shoes or trainers with good grip for the loose sand.

• Layers: a thermal top, a fleece and a windproof jacket work better than one heavy coat, because you warm up fast on the slope and cool down fast at the top.
• Head and hands: a warm hat, gloves and a neck gaiter or scarf against the wind.
• Sun: sunglasses, high-factor sunscreen and lip balm.
• Feet: hiking shoes or sturdy trainers with good grip; the sand slips under smooth soles.
• In your bag: water, a snack and some cash for the food stops, since several tours do not include meals.

If you forget something, stalls at the park entry and the roadside stops sell wool hats, gloves and ponchos, and reviewers of the hike-and-bike day mention buying exactly that on the way. On the private horseback ride and refuge hike (5.0 from 23 reviews) the horse gear is provided, but warm clothes are still yours to bring. The full picture of the hike is in the Cotopaxi refuge hike guide.

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