The most fabulous place I have seen so far on this trip are the Lagunas de Moyanda. located at an elevation of 3700 m. , about 1/2 hour from Otavalo. first I took a taxi to the first lagoon, called Caricocha, and had the driver wait for me 1/2 an hour to walk a bit along the lake. The region is so beautiful, that I decided to hire a guide and make a trek around large part of the first and biggest lake and to the other lakes too. The scenery is breathtaking.
this lake is a crater lake that originated as the volcano erupted about 3000 years ago. There is a possibility to walk around the lake. The way goes up and down, from 3700 to about 3800-3900 m. , ascending and descending, which is not so easy at this altitude. We made a trek of about 12 kilometers. My indigenous guide Claudio, a very nice person, and Jim, an American who has been traveling for about 4 months through Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. We were very lucky as the weather in the morning was good and we had great views of the volcano Fuya- Fuya (which in Quechua means cloud-cloud, probably because it is mostly covered with clouds. There is also a track leading up Fuya-Fuya but you have to ascend from 3700 to about 4200 and I did not dare do that. I was more than happy to make the 12 kilometer track to the lakes. On the picture below you can see the peak of Fuya-Fuya.
On my first trip up with the taxi I just walked along the shore
On our wonderful track the day after, we got beautiful views of th lake and the mountains from different angles.
The vegetation up there is fascinating. At an elevation of almost 4000 m. there are so many beautiful plants growing. this one below is called Arbol de papel- paper tree, as you can peel of its bark and write on it like on paper.
there are wild mountain Lupines, small and delicate.
and all kinds of beautiful flowers .
This plant usually grows above 4000 m. It is called rabbits ears because , as you can see on the one at the right, it splits at the top into 2 flowers that really look like rabbits ears.
I was so impressed by the many different kinds of plants growing at this height. There are lots of rabbits living there. One just disappeared into its hole. Isn't the entrance of this rabbit villa beautiful? Looks so cosy, I wish I could see it from inside.
As we walked along the trail the scenery kept changing, becoming even more beautiful.
here an attempt at a panorama view.
until we reached the second lake. It is much smaller, with lots of totra reeds growing inside.
and here in a panoramic view. See the lake at the right?
It is otherworldly.
At the beginning, when the sun was shining, it was really hot and we walked in t-shirts. The moment the sun was gone we needed a sweater and jacket. Temperatures can change within minutes from real hot to freezing cold.
and this is our guide Claudio and me.
We walked down to the second lake along a beautiful path.
Where I caught reflections of the mountains in the ponds remaining from the last rain.
That's as close as we could get to the lake.
and here the Totora reeds growing inside.
I could hardly believe it, when I noticed the ice inside the plants.
I am so much in love with that place!
On our way to the third lagoon the fog descended upon us, it started raining and even hailing. We gave up getting to the third lagoon, as we already heard thunders and Claudio said that a thunderstorm was quite dangerous in this area.
We made it back after about 5 hours, but there was no car waiting for us, as there should have been. Claudio said he must have been there earlier and as we did not come, just gone. The company hires someone to take us up and pick us up later. Luckily I had my satellite phone with me, as cellulars don't work there, so Claudio was able to call the company to send a car to pick us up. In the meantime we had our lunch. That's frozen Jim and me, hiding from the rain under this little roof and enjoying a delicious sandwich. After about 1/2 hour we were picked up and could warm up in the car. It was a really wonderful day.
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