Nearby Otavalo is Laguna Cuicocha (Guinea Pig Lake) and Cotacachi Volcano. Apparently, the islands in the middle of the volcanic crater lake are considered to look like guinea pigs. I would consider this a must see place to visit if you are in Otavalo.
I started the day with a power outage in the neighborhood where I am staying. So, I decided to just put on clothes and head towards Cuicocha. I met a nice French couple heading the same direction. This turned out to be good for several reasons. First, we shared the taxi out to the lake. Second, since they wanted to hike the circumference, we talked to our taxi driver who suggested a different starting spot. I am not sure if I would have hiked this on my own. I would have probably gone out a mile or two and turned around. As it was, this turned into great hike with lots of great views of the lake as well as very good views of the top of Cotacachi Volcano.
Apparently, the volcano underneath is minorly active as bubbles of sulfur gas can be seen bubbling to the surface. I saw very little animal life; a few birds, insects, and a couple cows. There is enough sulfur in the lake the fish do not live there. This may be why there are not so many birds. Interestingly enough, there was a tall grass that was growing out of the water. So, the sulfur concentration must not be too strong.
Different Views of the Lake:
A look at some of the vegetation, although it varied as we hiked:
Notice the edges have a tall grass that grows from the water:
Different Views of the top Volcano Cotacachi:
A cow. I thought this was a good survival strategy if you are a cow: wonder off into national park where the rancher won't find you when it is time.
Can you tell that it is exactly 12:26PM?
This was an offering site. Unfortunately, I did not have any goats or virgins, so I was unable to perform an offering. Maybe next time.
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