Cuicocha

In America, Ecuador 2001 On  12/05/2001  No comments

Again, I went to see the open market in Otavalo. From there I decided to visit the Cuicocha lake. I caught a bus up to a small town called Cotacachi; from there I got a taxi to Cuicocha. The name of the lake is due to the fact that in the region there is a lot of “cui”. Cui means guinea pig and cocha, lake in Quechua. At an altitude of 3070 meters and a depth of 180m, the lake was formed in the crater of a volcanic eruption. It stored water in its interior and has an island in the middle.

I did a boat tour to go around the island. It didn’t take long but it was worthwhile to see the wall of the volcano from inside. I could see water bubbles from gases that come up from the depths. The color of the water, sometimes dark blue, other dark green, makes the landscape to be a good excuse do go all the way there. It gives a great peaceful feeling.