Sweet Peaks: The Ecuadorian Andes
Yanking on a pair of gumboots, I scramble to catch up with everyone. There’s no need to hurry, though — they’re on South American time. Our travel-loving Scottish guide, Johnny, has the whole group captivated by two fluffy llamas mooching about. They graze alongside well-fed cattle, with verdant pastures and pincushion hills rolling in the distance. I quietly salute the Ecuadorian Andes in all its glory.
Sure, the llamas are cute, but in this picture-perfect view there’s another stand-out. Looming large — albeit shy given she’s partly shrouded in mist — is the mammoth 5,987-metre Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in Ecuador. While she looks all mystical with her snow-capped top, there’s a very real sense that she’s not as sweet as she seems; in fact, as recently as August 2015, volcanic activity reached a peak and Cotopaxi spewed ash and smoke for hours.
The national park itself was closed for a few months as a result, but the surrounding areas were declared safe by authorities — thankfully so for the sheep herders, cowboys and adventure-seeking tourists like me who travel to Cotopaxi in search of something out of the ordinary.
After ogling at our new furry friends, we begin a two-hour round trip and
very muddy walk (hence the gumboots) to a nearby waterfall. I trudge through knee-deep creeks, do the limbo under several low-hung tree branches, and hold on for dear life as I climb around moss-laden rock faces.
I stop every so often to drink in the view of Cotopaxi, and when we finally arrive at the waterfall cascading into crystal waters below, with sunshine peeking through, it’s like a scene from Blue Lagoon. All this on my first afternoon at The Secret Garden Cotopaxi eco-lodge.
Back down at the lodge, my partner and I discover our room is ready. Or rather, our ‘Hobbit home’. As the name suggests, these miniature mud-brick houses are like something fresh out of Lord of the Rings. Built into the side of a hill on the two-hectare property, an otherwordly archway made of sticks leads up to a brightly painted yellow door.
Inside, the hobbit-hole vibe continues: the wood of the bed frame and bedside tables has been carved into remarkable shapes; there’s an age-old chest of drawers; and the cosy bed is topped with lovely, warm covers. It’s small, snug and perfect for getting back to basics.
Besides the activities on offer, The Secret Garden’s chilled-out, unrefined atmosphere is what lures visitors the
world over.
The Hobbit homes were built almost two years ago by owners Tarquin Hill — a fellow Australian who hails from the Sunshine Coast — and wife Katherine. What started as a leap of faith for the couple and their two young boys fast turned into one of Ecuador’s best-kept secrets by adventure seekers in the know. Now, with plans to build more Hobbit homes, the secret’s getting out.
Besides the activities on offer, from biking and hiking to trout fishing, The Secret Garden’s chilled-out, unrefined atmosphere is what lures visitors the world over. Accommodating up to 34 guests at any one time, dinner time is a cultural and communal affair. Young families sit by the roaring open fire, couples share travel stories while sipping red wine, and new friends vie for a cuddle with the lodge’s super-cute dachshunds, Daisy and Mash.
I take a seat on the large, shared table next to Jennie from New York, a 30-something solo holidaymaker who’s visiting Ecuador for two weeks, and is fluent in Spanish. It’s pizza night tonight and the food — and conversation — doesn’t stop flowing.
We head off to bed at a reasonable hour and discover our heater has been kindly turned on to warm up our room. It’s the middle of winter in the Andes, after all, so it’s pretty chilly outside. We drift off into a deep sleep dreaming of the intoxicating country and tomorrow’s adventure.
There’s not a lot of time to linger in the morning before our four-hour horse ride through the Andes highlands begins. A tired-looking four-wheel-drive takes us on a bumpy ride through the country and delivers us to Omar, a local Ecuadorian cowboy who owns 15 horses in the region. We saddle up and set off on horseback through the stunning surrounds.
Choco, my beautiful chocolate-brown horse, is lovingly described by Omar as "muy tranquillo", so I believe him. Yet when we reach a rampant river crossing, and I’m required to cross it on my steed, I naturally freak out.
It’s such a humbling experience: being up here with these elegant creatures, deep in the Andes, enjoying a cup of tea with a snow-capped volcano as our backdrop.
Before I know it, we’re doing it — jeans dripping and me screeching. It’s so exhilarating, and I sense Choco has found more confidence in me. The temperature fast drops as we start to wind up and around the steep mountain sides. Atop the mountain, despite it sleeting from Cotopaxi, we stop for some warm tea and freshly made banana bread, courtesy of the lodge. It’s such a humbling experience: being up here with these elegant creatures, deep in the Andes, enjoying a cup of tea with a majestic snow-capped volcano as our backdrop.
Back at the lodge, we hit the steamy-hot Jacuzzi just in time for sunset. With
its glass windows offering star-gazing opportunities and even more ways to take in Cotopaxi’s beauty, this is the place to hang out. My partner and I don’t last long, however, as dinner’s on our mind. We dry off and head to the communal area where we discover pad Thai is on the menu. We eat, laugh and sip warm mulled wine; then, with full bellies, happily retire to bed.
We rise early for our final adventure and set off on a 13-kilometre hike up to the 4,200-metre extinct Pasochoa volcano. The Secret Garden has unlimited access
to the 1,000-hectare private ecological reserve that extends from the property’s back fence to the summit of Pasochoa — also known as ‘the lonely widow’ in the local indigenous language.
The hike starts off relatively easy and I think I’m nailing it. That is until the altitude kicks in and the air starts to get thinner. A lot thinner. I can taste it, in fact: that feeling when the back of your throat is so dry — and you’re so parched — you literally can’t breathe.
Luckily, we pause regularly to catch our breath while crossing over craggy valleys, hiking up steep inclines with dense shrubbery, and winding our way through a mist-shrouded forest. The final push to the top is unrelenting, and when we finally reach the summit it starts to rain. I embrace it; snuggled under my waterproof jacket, I’m buzzing with this sense of fulfilment and literally on top of the world.
Hiking back down the mountain, something hilarious happens. One of the sweet Dutch girls in our group unknowingly steps into a camouflaged mud hole and loses her entire right leg to the thick, deep, muddy substance.
Amid fits of laughter, it’s our duty to pull her out. The group rallies together behind a long, solid stick and we tug tightly to yank her up. It’s the icing on the cake during our stay at The Secret Garden Cotopaxi.
For not only is this place a hidden adventure paradise for outdoor-lovers, but it’s a place to create new friendships, laugh a whole lot, and experience new challenges alongside complete strangers with an underlying sense of camaraderie
at the fore.