A snow-capped cone of such perfect symmetry it looks drawn, rising to nearly 5,900 meters: one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. In its national park you ride horseback across the Andean plain, coast downhill on a bike from the refuge and hike toward the glacier with your heart pounding from the altitude. Cotopaxi dominates the skyline of the Ecuadorian Andes like a sleeping giant that everyone keeps an eye on.