Leaving Cotacachi and traveling west about 12 kilometers toward the Intag and through the village of Quiroga, you will find yourself on the edge of an ancient crater that contains a deep and mystical lake known as Laguna de Cuicocha.  The lake affords the perfect combination of outer beauty and inner serenity that easily encourages hours of quiet contemplation and relaxation in an idyllic natural environment.

There are two restaurants near the lake, overnight accommodations and boat rides around the lake and its central islands.  The owner of the small restaurant and bungalow establishment at the top of the lake is a knowledgeable naturalist.  He will escort you on a four-hour walk around the lake’s edge, pointing out the area’s healing plants along the way. 

Once Gary and I were there when Gary had a bad head cold.  The owner took him out to the driveway, picked the leaves of half a dozen different plants and told him how to use them to alleviate his cold.  It worked!

Continuing past Laguna de Cuicocha you enter the Intag, an area that covers approximately 2,200 square kilometers in northwestern portion of the Ecuadorian Andes.  Roads are winding and rutted.  Progress is slow. The Intag is one of the most biologically diverse as well as one of the most threatened, regions on earth.

It is well known for strong community endeavors to resist the mining that is destroying the environment and the quality of life there.