Sucos Lagoon Trail
Description
Sucos is a beautiful lagoon at the “Virgen de Papallacta” zone, less than 1 hour from Quito and almost 4000 meters high. A short hike allows us to enjoy the beauty of this paramo in the middle of the Cayambe Coca National Park. On the lagoon surroundings, it's very common to find the leafless “achupallas”, which indicates that the spectacled andean bears were feeding on them; although these animals are very shy and rarely observed.
Data Table
| Place | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Old Refuge | 3980m |
| Sucos Lagoon | 3903m |
National Park
Photos
Sucos Lagoon
Antisana from the Sucos Lagoon
Sucos Lagoon
Climbing and Hiking
- Sendero del Oso: from the “Old Refuge” through Sucos Lagoon, Mentala Lagoon, to the Baños Lagoon and the Cayambe Coca National Park Visitor Center.
- Hike around the Sucos Lagoon: the trail disappears in many sections.
- Visit to the Inca Trail: the old route of the spanish conquerors to the Amazon (it's a section of the hike around the lagoon).
Flora
Achupalla
Senecio formosoides
Diplostephium sp.
Galium hypocarpium
Flora Gallery
- How to get
- Distances
- Recommendations
How to get
Eastern Cordillera; 39 kilometers in a straight line to the east from Quito.
- Normal Approach “Old Refuge”: Take the Pifo - Papallacta (E20) highway to the east; Already at the highest paramo just passing the Virgin of Papallacta you will be able to see an old refuge on the right (nowadays it no longer serves), it's there where the hike to the lagoon begins.
- Sucos “Dam” Approach: Passing “La Virgen” for approximately 6 km, you must take a barely visible road to the left. This path heads north until it ends on the southern lagoon shore. it's possible to get to the “lagoon viewpoint” by 4 × 4 vehicles, and the last descent is practically impassable.
