Staying at the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi, Ecuador

In this blog post you’ll find everything you need to know about staying at the Secret Garden Hostel in Cotopaxi National Park. It is one of the best accommodations to book during your visit to this part of Ecuador.

If you’re unsure whether a stay with them is really worth it or not, then this blog post will hopefully give you all the information you need to make a decision.

If you’d like to see a tour around the hostel, then check out our dedicated Cotopaxi video on our YouTube Channel. For more Ecuador videos check out our Ecuador Playlist.

About the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi

The Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi is located about 70 km (43 mi) to the south of Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. It sits around 3,800 m (12,500 ft) above sea level in Cotopaxi National Park, which is an extra 1,000 m (3,280 ft) higher than Quito itself.

Cotopaxi National Park is a 333.9 sq km (128.9 sq mi) nature reserve that extends into the provinces of Cotopaxi, Pichincha and Napo. The national park’s main attraction is without doubt Cotopaxi Volcano, the second highest peak in Ecuador at 5,897 m (19,347 ft).

What’s unique about Cotopaxi volcano is that it has a nearly symmetrical cone shape. Plus, it’s also one of the most active volcano’s in the country. There are also some dormant volcanoes near Cotopaxi, such as Ruminawi and Sincholagua, which form part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Rooms at the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi

There are some pretty cool accommodation options at the Secret Garden Hostel, which was initially the main selling point for us. You can stay in shared dorm rooms or in private bedrooms. If you’re a solo traveller or want to save some money, then we recommend booking the shared rooms.

If you’re coming with a friend or significant other and want to enjoy a private room, then you can either book the hobbit home or the birdhouse. These are definitely the most unique types of rooms the hostel offers. We stayed in one of the birdhouses and it was a fantastic experience, since our window gave us an undisturbed view of Cotopaxi volcano.

You can also book slightly more spacious accommodation, such as the Hill House or the Private Cabanas. These are great if you’re travelling with your family or with a small friend group and you’d like some extra privacy.

Most of the accommodations have shared bathrooms. If you’d like to have a private bathroom, then you’ll need to book either the Hill House or the Private Cabanas.

Cost of Staying at the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi

Now, let’s talk about the cost of a stay. The tour package the hostel offers is for a minimum 3 day / 2 night stay. The price of the package will increase depending on the type of accommodation you wish to book.

Of course, the shared dorm room is the most affordable option as it costs about $110 USD per person. If you’d like to book a private room in either the bird house or the hobbit home then it costs around $250 USD per couple. If you’d like to book a private accommodation with a private bathroom then it’ll be between $270-$320 USD per couple.

You can of course extend your stay by an extra night or two for an additional cost.

If you want to reserve a room, you can do it in person at the Secret Garden Quito hostel, which is a great place to stay before your trip. The hostel organises a few activities in Quito, plus it’s the pick up location for transport to their Cotopaxi location. Alternatively, you can always message them via their dedicated website too.

What’s Included in the Package

No matter which type of accommodation you book, your package will include all meals during your stay, plus hot drinks (coffee and tea) and snacks (banana bread) in between. Of course, alcoholic drinks and soft drinks won’t be included.

Your transport from Quito to the hostel will also be included. However, you’ll have to pay for your journey onward to your next destination.

You can also enjoy the heated jacuzzi and sun room; you’ll just need to book a slot in advance.

The best part of your visit to the Secret Garden Hostel in Cotopaxi is that it also includes two free guided activities. One is to a beautiful waterfall and the other is climbing one of the nearby volcano’s. Of course, there are other guided tours that you can do for an additional cost.

How to Get to the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi

If you’re visiting from Quito, then getting there will be easy as it’s included in your tour. You’ll get picked up in front of the Secret Garden Hostel Quito around 10 AM.

You’ll then have an approximately 2-hour long minivan journey to the hostel. The shuttle passes through Machachi around 11 AM, so if you’re coming from other parts of Ecuador such as Baños, you could get picked up in Machachi too.

The hostel also offers to pick you up with private transport from other parts of Ecuador for an additional cost.

Top Tip. For the most part you’ll be travelling on the Panamerican Highway. However, from Machachi, the road will become a bit more windy and the last few kilometres will be unpaved and rather bumpy. If you get motion sick easily, then we recommend taking some medication before your journey.

Transport to Your Next Destination from the Hostel

After your stay, you can either head back to Quito or arrange a transport to other parts of Ecuador.

It’s worth noting that transport to your next destination isn’t included in the package. However, it’s very easy to arrange a ride to most places with them. Everyone gets transported to Machachi which costs around $15 USD per shuttle, so you would pay around $1 or $2 USD for that ride.

From there, most people go back to Quito which costs around $10 USD per person. You can also get a direct ride to either Latacunga or Baños (for $10 USD and $20 USD per person respectively).

If you want to save some pennies, then you can also just hop on a bus from Machachi to any of those destinations. Bus tickets only cost a few dollars per person.

Activities at the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi

It’s good to note that the hostel offers both free and paid activities. The free activities are as follows:

• Enchanted Forest and Waterfall Trek
• Pasachoa Volcano Hike
• Feeding llamas at the farm
• Playing with the hostel’s cute dogs
• Chatting with fellow travellers
• Game nights
• Relaxing in the hot tub
• Reading and recharging
• Star gazing at night

Other popular activities in Cotopaxi National Park that the Secret Garden Hostel offers for an additional cost are:

• Cotopaxi Glacier hike ($38 USD per person)
• Mountain biking down Cotopaxi ($10 USD per bike)
• Horse Riding in Cotopaxi National Park ($40 USD per person)
• Rumiñahui Volcano Trek ($35-40 USD per person)
• Summit Cotopaxi Volcano ($300 USD per Person)

Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi Itinerary

Below we’ve detailed what a typical itinerary looks like at the hostel.

Day 1 – Leave Quito around 10AM, and arrive at the hostel around 12PM. You’ll quickly check into your room, have lunch, then go on a 2 hour waterfall hike. After the hike, you can get more settled, have a snack and explore the hostel before dinner. During this time, you can also plan what activities you want to do the next day. After dinner you can socialise or do your own thing, such as star gaze, read or have an early night.

Day 2 – After breakfast you can choose to go on either the free Pasachoa Volcano Hike or one of the other activities such as horseback riding or the Cotopaxi glacier hike. You’ll get back to the hostel just in time for lunch and can enjoy a free afternoon and evening.

Day 3 – You start your day with breakfast, after which you’ll need to check out of your room. You can leave your luggage at the hostel before going on another activity. You’ll always be back around lunch time no matter which activity you decide to do. Lunch on the last day is still included in your package. After lunch you’ll leave the hostel around 2:30PM.

Note. If you’re planning on summiting Cotopaxi volcano, then you won’t be doing much during the day. Later in the day, you’ll get transported to the refuge at the start of the hike from where, after a few hours of rest, you’ll start your hike up to the summit of Cotopaxi in the early hours of the morning.

Facilities at the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi

If you book either a shared dorm room, the hobbit homes or the birdhouse, then you’ll have shared bathroom facilities. The toilets actually overlook Cotopaxi Volcano, which is a very thoughtful design in our opinion. The showers are also spacious and, most importantly, they have hot water!

As mentioned above, the hostel also has a heated jacuzzi and sun room, where you can relax your muscles after a day of hiking activities. They also have a llama farm, and you can feed the always hungry llamas with some banana peels at any time during the day.

Some of our favourite features of the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi were the swing and huge mesh hammock overlooking the volcano. The hammock is also a fantastic spot for star gazing at night.

Food at the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi

As previously mentioned, you’ll get all meals included in your package. The first meal is lunch upon arrival on the first day, so you’ll only have to think about your breakfast. You can also enjoy a proper sit down lunch just before you leave the hostel on your last day.

Meals are always eaten together with everybody else at the hostel, so you’ll always have the chance to chat with fellow travellers. Between meals, you can always grab a tea and coffee. The best part is that the hostel provides you with unlimited banana bread! Or you can go with the healthy option and eat a banana in between activities. In the evenings, you can also purchase mulled wine or hot chocolate.

We loved the fact that they cater for vegetarian and vegan diets too. However, if you have any allergies, we recommend contacting them before your trip.

Internet and Phone Signal at the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi

In terms of internet and phone signal, there won’t be any. The staff probably have internet access and if you have any queries they will help you.

However, a few days of completely unplugging from the digital world is refreshing. You can be fully present and enjoy the great outdoors, whilst having some meaningful chats with other travellers instead of just scrolling on your phone.

Even if you don’t want to socialise too much, you can always find a quiet spot to read, meditate or just enjoy the views of the surrounding volcanoes.

Final Thoughts About Staying at the Secret Garden Hostel Cotopaxi

As far as hostels go, the Secret Garden Hostel in Cotopaxi ticked all the boxes for us. It’s cosy, it’s scenic and it’s got fantastic communal areas if you want to be social. You can always find a secluded spot to enjoy some peace and quiet if needed though. We loved that the hostel’s accommodation caters for all types of travellers, not to mention that their rooms are pretty unique. Waking up to a view of the majestic Cotopaxi Volcano and watching it whilst having our morning coffee will be an experience we’ll never forget.

As far as package tours go, it’s great value for money considering all the free tours they include on top of the hearty home cooked meals and facilities. Not to mention the unlimited banana bread!

Have you ever been to the Secret Garden Hostel in Cotopaxi before? If so, what was your experience? If not, would you want to book this hostel when visiting Cotopaxi National Park? Let us know in the comments below.