A secret garden in Cotopaxi
The problem with a good secret is that it doesn’t stay secret for very long. So keep this one to yourself.
Ecuador is littered with volcanoes. One of the most impressive is Cotopaxi, a 2 hour drive from Quito. This near-perfect volcano is super-dooper photogenic. It rises 5,897m before you from the mountainous green surrounds and pokes its snow-capped crater towards the sky.
Cotopaxi Volcano in all her sunset glory
Fresh off the boat from the Galapagos Islands, Mum, Dad and I had the pleasure of admiring this natural landmark from the Secret Garden Hostel. This unmissable home-away-from-home goes out of its way to create a social, wifi-free environment, a perfect place to meet new friends and appreciate the beautiful surrounds. Upon pulling up, a colourful garden sprawls out before you and welcome committee comprised of 5 four-legged furry friends lovingly lick you to make you feel at home.
In this remote garden paradise there’s a plethora of activities: hike to the waterfalls, play in the garden, sink deep into the jacuzzi, chill out in the giant hammock or tuck into the endless magic box of home-made banana bread.
@farmerjob and I having a serious hammock and vino session
The three stand-out activities for me were:
A 5 hour hike from 3,500m to 4,200m with my parents in tow (who smashed it)
Drinking red wine with my new friend Jo (get your ass to Sydney)
Playing a deliciously inappropriate game called Taboo which is similar to charades. Because our crew was made up of English, Yanks, French, Belgium, Swiss and Dutch language barriers took this game to the next level with hilarious outcomes.
Our high-altitude hike
Gumboot hikes
The brilliant @farmerjob casually jumping over the waterfall
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at an inviting communal table where we spent time with wonderful people - now dear friends. The wonderful thing about not offering wifi is that people have to talk to each other - quite a novel concept these days.
Booking my parents into a 'hostel' was a risky move. How were they going to cope with shared bathrooms, potential lack of hot water and hanging with backpackers? I’d taken the liberty of booking them into a cute hobbit hole which they loved despite them having to use shared bathrooms - something they coped on the chin like champs. Welcome to backpacking life parentals! I’m proud to report that they thrived - so much so that when we were all saying goodbye, many of our new friends said my parents had “made their trip" #prouddaughter
This is the pretty prison I kept mum and dad in :-)
After the culture hit we'd had in Quito, Cotopaxi was a welcome oasis to chill out and absorb the beautiful and dramatic environment the Ecuadorean Andes has to offer.
DO IT
Secret Garden Cotopaxi is 2 bumpy hours from Quito but worth every lurch and jerk. Accommodation, all food and a few hikes are included so you’ll never touch your purse. If you're lucky enough to be there when Hayley is working, you'll have a friendly face and team member who will go above and beyond to make you feel at home. As I experienced, the Secret Garden Cotopaxi is parent friendly (if you have young-at-heart oldies like mine). The people you’ll meet and the memories you make will stay with you forever.
Instagram: @thelisaphillips #somedaysherpa
