CALDERAS IN ECUADOR - special types of volcano crater

Calderas are originally volcanoes. But – and this is the clue about them – they are not anymore. Nowadays, people go by boats through the craters of the volcanoes or hike along the edge of the crater. But how is this possible? What happened to the volcano that there is no lava anymore threatening the visitors?

Volcanoes let lava and ash erupting from a magma chamber. The volcanoes count as active as long this chamber is filled up with magma. When it comes to a very explosive eruption, the chamber can be emptied at a single blow. When this happens, it is very probable that the magma chamber is collapsing. This means that a Caldera is a type of a volcanic crater, but much bigger than usual ones. Caldera can be as big of one to several dozen miles in diameter. Probably the most famous Crater Lake is Lake Toba as part of the Yellowstone Caldera in the United States.

One of these explosive eruptions happened also in Ecuador a couple of times, but many years ago. About 3,100 years ago the volcano Cotocachi erupted for the last time and a caldera was formed. This is today the Crater Lake Cuicocha, about two hours north of Quito. The caldera is about 1.8 miles wide and filled up with water. It is an amazing experience going by a little boat on the lake in the middle of a dormant volcano. It is also possible to hike around the caldera. It takes you several hours to circle the crater.

Another worth-a-trip caldera in Ecuador is Quilotoa. It is situated around three hours south of Quito and similar to the Cuicocha absolutely worth to be visited. The slope of the crater is a little bit less cliffy than at the Cuicocha, so you can descend from the edge to the lake. You will be able to enjoy amazing views in a breathtaking environment and can see for yourself that volcanoes can also be pretty picturesque in the inside.