El Chalupas

El Chalupas is a supervolcano in Cotopaxi province with an enormous elliptical caldera rising to about 4,000 meters elevation. The crater landscape is striking with gentle slopes and open valleys spreading across the Andean highlands.

The caldera formed roughly 216,000 years ago from a powerful eruption that spread rhyolitic magma across the region. This event reshaped the landscape and created the geological structure visible today.

Two haciendas within the caldera, Yanahurco and El Tambo, link this place to ancient Inka rest stations. They allow visitors to experience how people have used this volcanic landscape over centuries.

The drive from Quito takes about five hours through remote terrain with no mobile or internet coverage. Visitors should plan for this isolation and allow plenty of time for the journey.

Volcanic deposits from the ancient eruption created thick layers of ignimbrite across the landscape. These dense rock formations are a rare feature showing the tremendous force of that distant event.

GPS coordinates: -0.84408,-78.34373

Latest update: December 8, 2025 13:42