Mount Fuya Fuya is a volcano located just outside Otavalo and is a must see if you’re in the region. Climbing up it to take in the incredible view is an incredible thing to do but be warned – the climb isn’t easy! Here’s a post on how we did it and what you need to know.

The first thing you need to know is you get to the volcano by taxi – the ride will cost about $12,50 (for the whole taxi so the more people – the cheaper it gets) depending on your bargaining skills and the driver will take you right to the beginning of the climb.

Make sure you tell your driver to come and pick you up once you’re done as there aren’t any taxi’s waiting around and it’s a long walk back to town.

There are 2 trails to the top. This is the start of one of them and it’s a difficult climb to the crest of the hill. From there, you continue upwards for another hour and a half.

You’ll feel the altitude here so take it easy and don’t push yourself too hard. The peak is 4,263m above sea level and you’ll definitely feel some shortness of breath.

An extract from Maps.me of the 2 routes. We climbed trail 1 and descended trail 2. Trail 1 is much more difficult than 2 as a result of the absence of a well-trodden path. This being said, if you want a challenge or a direct ascent, choose trail 1.

The nice thing about the altitude is that it will give you plenty of opportunities to stop and take some photos. The climb up will take you about 2 hours and the decent takes about 1 hour so if you’re like me, you’ll take hundred of photos!

It gets a bit cold the higher you climb. The grass reminds me a lot of the Drakensberg in South Africa!

The crater lake.

Not the top. There are times on the trail (especially trail 1) when you’ll doubt whether or not you’ve taken a wrong turn. Fortunately, seeing this sign allayed my fears. There is still a peak or 2 to get through from this point, however.

Looking up the mountain on my descent – it really is something incredible to see and makes the tough climb worth it.