A snow-capped volcano on the Avenue of the Volcanoes
Cotopaxi rises to about 5,900 metres south of Quito, its symmetrical cone capped with glaciers, and it is the centrepiece of Ecuador's Avenue of the Volcanoes. The national park around it is páramo, high grassland with wild horses, llamas and Andean condors. Day trips drive up to the car park at around 4,500 metres, then walk to the José Rivas refuge and the edge of the glacier. The Limpiopungo lagoon is good for gentle walks. Nearby, the crater lake of Quilotoa is a spectacular green-blue.