21.08.09 - Puluhua Crater, Mindo Zip-lining and Cloud Forest Cascadas

Angello, our driver for the day, takes us north out of Quito to Puluhua Crater, the only volcano crater in the world, in which people live. It last erupted 2,500 years ago so it’s dead now, but the rich soil continues it’s life in the form of providing useful farmland for growing corn and other crops. The inhabitants bring their produce to market on donkeys up the steep crater walls. Angello tells us of 60 volcanoes in Ecuador, 15 of which are on Galapagos (one is continually active on the island). Banos, a resort town in the south, had to be evacuated only 2 years ago when it’s neighbouring volcano erupted and Quito, itself, was covered in ash 3cms deep, in 1999, when Cotopaxi blew. Angello said the city was closed completely for 1 and a half months.

Mindo is an ecological reserve town with many rainforest lodges offering the chance to see exotic flora and fauna. Angello believes through conservation projects the forest will escape being chopped down. He invites us to try zip-lining through the treetops. We are harnassed up and clipped on to the first of many zip lines crisscrossing the forest canopy 100s of metres above the forest floor. A Quitorian family of excited girls and their dad join us and we successfully communicate through a series of miming, laughing and pointing and screeching at each other as we swing across the sky. The zip line guides offer a ‘superman’ or ‘butterfly’ optional extra which means leaning forward with hands splayed and flying upside down and back to front respectively and, of course, it would be rude not to accept!

Once back on firm ground, Angello does his jungle guide bit and takes us on a trek through the cloud forest to secluded waterfalls. The path is precarious in places as we descend down the mountainside to the river bed. The waterfall splash pool is used for bathing as the water is so clear, but alas we haven’t our swim gear. Greg does get his feet wet though, risking life and limb for that perfect waterfall shot.