Cuicocha ( kichwa: Kuykucha, " 34 Guinea Pigs lagoon; or Kuychikucha, " 34 Rainbow lagoon; ) 1 is a lagoon located 120 Km, North of Quito, at an altitude of 3068 m.a.s.l.; It is a volcanic caldera, volcanic crater, at the foot of Cotacachi volcano in the cordillera Occidental of the Ecuadorian Andes.View of Lake Cuicocha and Yerovi and Teodoro Wolf Islands a clear day.The caldera was formed by a massive phreatic eruption 3,100 years ago generating 5 cubic miles of streams piroplasticos and covering the surrounding area with a layer of volcanic ash of 20 cm.The volcano has remained inactive since then. Eruptions of the Cotacachi, Imbabura, Mojanda and Cayambe have generated a fertile soil in the Valley of the lagoon of Cuicocha Otavalo.Dentro there are four lava domes dacitic forming two islands steep forest-covered: the smallest named Yerovi, and the largest Teodoro Wolf, in honor to the wise German and discoverer.Their access is prohibited on both. The islets are separated by a channel called "Canal dreams ". It is part of the Northern cliff, a dome of lava of the oldest Cretaceous of the Pleistocene.The rim of the caldera is extremely outstanding in such a way that the accumulation of sediment is insufficient for the development of abundant aquatic vegetation. However the Islands inside the boiler, have a vegetation with more than 400 species, which highlights; medicinal, utilitarian and decorative plants which form the habitat of mammals and especially Andean birds, although little is known about these species.Cuicocha is located at the southern end of the Cotacachi-Cayapas ecological reserve. On the second day of Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun ) every summer solstice, the shamans use Cuicocha for ritual baths and purification. Cuicocha name is due to the large number of Guinea pigs that inhabit the islands of the lagoon. To preserve it is necessary not to pollute the environment and do not spend water. Do not leave people visiting it to throw garbage in the area of the ecological reserve.