TOURISM AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The higher zone is much more easily visited, since it is accessible by car through the detour for the town of Cotacachi near the city of Ibarra, two hours north of Quito. The most visited site is the Cuicocha Lake, twenty minutes after Cotacachi town. The lake has restaurant facilities, two islands that can be visited, and a trail to hike around it. After the lake lie Cotacachi volcano, the hot springs of Apuela town and the paramo lakes of Piñán. The Lachas and Toisán mountain ranges offer hikes through pre-montane forest. One can reach the town of Charco Vicente, in the lower zone, by boat in the Cayapas River, starting in Borbón. Trails venture into the rainforest from there.