Secret Garden

Day 1: Arrival and Waterfall Hike

Oh my, where to begin with Secret Garden Cotopaxi? This place is a little slice of paradise and by far one of the most amazing places we have ever stayed in! It felt like every minute and around every corner there was something that made us say WOW. So much so that within an hour of us arriving we booked an extra night! With picturesque grounds, amazing food, stunning scenery, fantastic excursions, and no internet, it was easy to fall in love with this place!

As we drove down the bumpy dirt road we got our first glimpse of Secret Garden. It was perched on a hill overlooking cattle farms. Upon arrival we were greeted and given a tour of the place. We walked past a vegetable garden (which they used everyday for our meals), a compost toilet with hands down the best view!, a giant hammock like netting structure with views of Volcano Cotopaxi, and the main house which consisted of a front room with hammocks, a fireplace, and pizza oven, and then a large dining room area where they served family style meals.

After dropping off our bags in our dorm room and a delicious lunch of veggie soup, we headed out on our first hike, although more like an adventure walk. We walked in and along a creek, climbed on the bank while hanging onto tree roots, scampered over rocks and arrived at a FREEZING cold waterfall. Tobias was brave enough to dive in, Tiffany stayed on the banks enjoying the view without having to shiver.

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the scenery, reading, and delicious pizza dinner. When we got back to our room the staff had lit. a fire and we fell asleep to the crackling logs.

Day 2: Cotopaxi Glacier

We woke early for a delicious pancake breakfast and headed to Cotopaxi. After doing some research we decided we wouldn’t be able to summit and settled for hiking to the glacier. After the hike, Tobias dreams of returning to summit the volcano, but Tiffany will stay in the lodge and read a book. That’s being said we had very different views on the same hike.

Ask each of us to sum the hike in three words and this is what you get:

Tiffany: cold, sandy, altitude

Tobias: clouds, exhilarating, barren but beautiful

The first part of the hike was a zigzagging trail.

Tiffany: The wind blasts your face as you trudge through sand. Cloud droplets and dust mean your face is complete covered making it harder to breath in the already high altitude.. 1 step forward, slide half a step back. I looked down the whole time so wouldn’t lose my footing and plummet to my death, nose running, at the delicate black rocky sand. Whenever I took a break (lots of them) I looked up at the “view. By view I mean clouds. Not happy, let’s take a picnic clouds. Gray clouds above, gray clouds below. It was only an hour but it seemed as it would never end.

Tobias: I could not wait to get out of the van and set foot onto the ACTUAL Cotopaxi volcano! From the moment the door opened I was ready to race up, but I stopped myself and told myself to savor the moment and enjoy this experience! We took the slightly longer zigzag path up, which was going to give us the better views. As we meandering our way back and forth up the rocky terrain we would get glimpses of the valley below as the clouds glided by us. Even as my face was getting pelted with icy rain I could not help but smile and think to myself, holy $#!t I am on an active volcano! As we continued to climb closer and closer to the refuge a sense of excitement and sadness grew, because I knew I was not going to be summiting, yet I was still able to experience this barren yet somehow beautiful environment.

We stopped at the refuge to use the bathroom then it was another 45min to the glacier.

Tiffany: Along with the wind it was the highest altitude i had ever been. This is where symptoms of altitude sickness really kicked in. It’s different for everyone and the altitude doesn’t care what kind of shape your in. I don’t claim to be the fittest girl on the mountain but I’m definitely up for a challenge. This was not a challenge. This was breathing through a straw while wearing lead boots. Every step came with a swear word and the thought “Is this worth it?”

Tobias: As we hiked up from the refuge towards the glacier you could start to feel the air get colder, the wind pick up and the terrain become more sandy. As we climbed I was torn between looking around me at the clouds and hoping to catch a glimpse of the peak and watching the ground change from grey, to brown, to a burnt orange!

We made it to the glacier. 5000meters / 16,405 ft

Tiffany: My first thought was the answer to my question, no this was not worth it. First of all the glacier was another 100 meters up and we didn’t have the permit to go. (Thanks a lot global warming, the glacier used to touch where we standing) Clouds above meant we couldn’t see the peak and clouds below meant we couldn’t see the valley. This sucks.

However, after catching my breath and sucking on a cocoa candy the clouds parted and we got amazing views. Was it still worth it? Maybe. Would I do it again? Hard no. Am I proud of myself for not giving up? Absolutely. Will I sign up for hard hikes in the future? Of course!

Tobias: I must admit that as we rounded the final corner I was a little disappointed to see clouds covering the peak and the glacier well out of our reach. Then I stopped and turned to watch Tiffany and the others make there way up the dusty path through the clouds l, suddenly I thought wow! Is so cool! We are in the clouds! Let me let you a lost my shit when the clouds broke and the peak appeared above the glacier!

I will definitely be back again to try and summit!

Day 3: Hike to Pasochoa Volcano

Today we did the hike included with our stay to Pasochoa Volcano. The hike lead us through a cloud forest, open fields, and finally to a peak with views of Quito, and other mountain peaks. It was stunning! This was a hike we both agreed on. Challenging enough to make you feel accomplished and diverse enough to be fun.

Day 4: Horseback Riding in Cotopaxi National Park

A horseback ride through Cotopaxi national park. 3 hours on a horse in the middle of nowhere with fantastic views. Again we had very different experiences but this time it was because of our horses. Tiffany had the eager beaver of horses who demanded a place near the front and who would often step off the path just enough to assert its independence while remaining with the group. Tobias’s horse on the other hand couldn’t care less that we were one a trip, there was someone riding him, and it was supposed to follow the group. Lagging behind the group his horse stopped to take in the views and drink water at every stream we passed.

When it came time to trot Tiffany’s horse took off in a full blown sprint eager to return to stables for lunch. Tobias’s horse on the other hand turned and gave him a look of don’t even think about it when he tried to urge him to trot. Having said that Tobias did get to take his time and at one point it was like he was the only person in the entire park!

Over the course of the ride we passed through streams, forests, had glimpses of Cotopaxi volcano and even saw wild horses!

Each of the days after we finished the main activity, we spent time relaxing at the lodge, reading , playing games, talking to other travelers and enjoying stunning views! Secret Garden Cotopaxi was the perfect place to finish up our time in Ecuador!