Activities for Pululahua Crater Ecuador

Ecuador has hidden treasures and Pululahua Crater is one of them!

Imagine to be inside of a volcano crater and have no contact with the outside world, yet, you are just minutes away from the closest town.

Pululahua was a volcano that erupted and as a result, it left a magical valley in its crater. 
After many years, this crater has become home of many people that have taken advantage of the rich soil the eruption left. However, now is a  place where just  a few families live,  and where you will fall in love immediately.

Pululahua has been declared a geobotanical reserve and as such, this place remains untouched.

This magical place is located one hour outside of Quito and you can either do a day visit or stay overnight in one of the hostels that are found here. For more adventurous travellers, there is also the option for camping.

The weather is great!
The valley is surrounded by mountains and this makes a very special weather with warm and sunny days with cooler afternoons and nights.

This green valley will take your breath away as you descend through the narrow road that leads you to the great flat land.

The nature surrounding this area is magical! There are many bird species to spot and also different varieties of orchids.

It is a great environment to relax, do some hiking, horseback riding, biking or just sitting around with a great book and enjoy the sound of the wind and animals around.

This place is ideal to visit  with children, leave them free in the countryside to explore.

HOW TO GET THERE 

The best way is to hire a private transportation that will take you straight to the crater,  you can stay at one of the hostels and hire activities such us horseback riding, biking  or hiking. There are different trails through the forest that range from easy to moderate.
Lunch can be taken at the hostels and then you can return to Quito in the afternoon.

If you wish to stay longer, you can overnight there and enjoy this wonderful place a little more.
On your return to Quito, you can do a short stop at the Equator Monument and/or Intiñan museum for a very special experience of being on the two hemispheres at once.

ACTIVITIES
This valley offers wonderful adventure activities, which do not require any experience.  

There are options to go through the forest or just through flat land to enjoy of this wonderful place.
Horseback riding - Can be hired from one to four hours to explore the area with a local guide.
Hiking- There are several trails from easy to moderate that can be done for one or more hours.
Biking -The flat land offers a good option for a easy to moderate biking experience. Bikes can be hired at the hostels or you can take your own.
Swimming - There is a small place with thermal springs.

Need advise on this trip?
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Nono a small town near Quito

Nono village is located in the north west of Quito at the foothills of Pichincha Volcano.

Travelling there takes around one hour each way.
This Andean village is very cosy and friendly to visit. Surrounded by mountains and hills, you will find good trails to hike.

The hikes to waterfalls are moderate and trails are suitable for adventurous families with children.

You can have the option to do a full day or spend the night in this beautiful place.

Weather is nice but cool, sunny days may be perfect warm weather, with cooler afternoons and nights.

ACTIVITIES
Nono village has some good options to be in contact with nature:

Horseback riding - You can arrange an expedition through the different trails of the area for one or more hours.

Hiking - There are a few waterfalls near the village that have easy access and will take you to beautiful landscapes and hidden waterfalls. You have the option to do a picnic in this area.

Birdwatching - You will have good opportunity to spot several species of birds living in the area, specially hummingbirds. This village could be the beginning of a wonderful journey to Mindo Cloud Forest to spot different bird species located in the area near the reserve.

Biking - There are also wonderful trails for bikers!

Cheese factory visit  - There is a community cheese factory that you can visit to see the process for making cheese.

There is the option to stay for a full day or if you prefer,  you have  the option  to stay at one of the local home stays that are little ranches from the locals.

Families with little children -  Besides the mentioned activities, there is a big milking farm, called La Querencia, that is open for visitors, where you can do the tour to visit the cattle and the milking process, they also offer a short tour through their farm animals, such as hens, ducks, goats, llamas, among others. Also, they offer the opportunity to do horse riding through the fields of the farm.

There is also a small playground and a fast food restaurant.

The village offers restaurants that sell mainly meat and fish, but they will accommodate vegetarian dishes as well.

HOW TO GET THERE
Since Nono is just one hour away from Quito, you can hire private transportation to take you there. Once at the village, there is no need of a car. You can explore the village by foot and if you need to go further, you can hire a local taxi for a few dollars.

Nono can be combined  with a trip to Mi do and/ or the visit to Equator Monument and Itiñan museum.

Would you be visiting this?
Please leave tour comments or questions and I will be happy to assist  you.