We decided to go camping at a small gorge in town we found a few years ago. Living in Cotacachi gives us the opportunity to discover places that as a tourist can be hard to find. This one is only a 40 min walk from the hostel with great views and landscapes of the valley and river. This trail is truly a hidden gem for a long beautiful walk and an opportunity to let dogs off leash right in Cotacachi.
How we discovered a small gorge!
We discovered this route about a year into living here in Cotacachi when Malena would go for runs down the road leading to the Panamericana highway and rest at the roadside shrine. One day she noticed a runner who was running the same way but instead of turning back up the highway, they ran up the hill just behind the shrine and disappeared into the distance.
The following week we both decided to run in the same direction and once we got to the top of the hill we were able to see the valley and the other side of the river. On clear sunny days the views of the Imbabura Volcano while standing at the edges above the valley are breathtaking. We fell in love with the route and we’ve taken the dogs there for long walks ever since!
This route was a spectacular find as we ran and kept following the road up to see where it would lead too. The farmlands on the way are sometimes empty, or sometimes have horses, turkeys, chickens or dogs running out to say hi! Eventually it crosses with Quiroga road. So we’ve entered towards the gorge this way ever since.
Once you go down towards the river there is a beautiful rock to stand on and take in the air and see the river. Some days it can get really windy so we would recommend not wearing loose hats since one time Malena’s sombrero blew out and almost fell into the river.
Let’s go camping with the dogs!
So one weekend we decided to go camping there since it’s so close and it would be an opportunity for us to bring the dogs. One night didn’t seem like a big deal so we thought we would just hike the route with the dogs and our bags. Obviously the dogs would carry their own food in their own backpacks.
People would stare at us as we walked by, presumably because it’s the middle of a pandemic and seeing travelers (or dogs with backpacks!) is not common at the moment.
The walk itself was quite draining especially since we hadn’t done this in a while. Walking in hot weather wearing a mask and carrying heavy backpacks (mainly water) made us feel so glad to finally find our spot.
We packed enough treats, to spoil ourselves. This included good quality cheese, olives and some wine as well as some beer, chips and candy. We also bought some marshmallows which sums up what camping is for Malena. It’s all about the melted marshmallows. For the dogs it was all about running around and finding large sticks to chew on.
We chose to camp near the forest to avoid being too close to the river. The river tide can be quite strong and we didn’t want the dogs to accidentally get swept away if they decided to be idiots and jump in. (They are)
So we found a flat grassy spot to pitch our tent and the dogs tent (which they don’t use). We forgot to bring a tarp for the bottom of our tents, which would bite us in the butt at the end of the night when it started pouring rain!
There was also a fire spot that had been used previously, with some large stones and pieces of wood left behind, so we just added to the pile and made a fire as soon as we got set up. Malena was lying on the grass feeling cozy when a herd of cows appeared through the forest and walked right past us.
The dogs absolutely loved it and could not stop smiling! So much space to jut run around!
And of coarse Gandalf could not be happier to block our views as we just try to lie there and rest while looking up at the sky.
As it got darker and colder the fire was nice and cozy but not enough to keep us dry during a heavy rainstorm! It seems we always pick a wet day to go on an adventure! Even so, it was nice to be able to sleep under the stars outside in a forest with the dogs constantly squeezing against our tent in desperate attempts to get in. Camping with dogs will always be an adventure!
