Pululahua Crater, located just north of Quito, Ecuador, is one of the only inhabited volcanic craters in the world. This massive caldera—formed by a volcanic eruption over 2,500 years ago—has since become home to a small, self-sustaining rural community. The floor of the crater sits at about 2,300 meters (7,500 feet) above sea level and is unusually fertile thanks to its volcanic soil, making it ideal for agriculture. Locals cultivate crops like maize, potatoes, and beans on small family-owned plots surrounded by steep crater walls that help trap moisture and create a cool, misty microclimate.

While Pululahua is technically a geological feature, it does support a small, dispersed settlement within the crater. There isn’t a town in the traditional sense with centralized infrastructure, but rather a scattered rural population living in homesteads and farms. Visitors come to hike the crater’s trails, take in panoramic views from the nearby Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve, and experience the peaceful, remote lifestyle of one of the few communities in the world that lives inside an active (though dormant) volcanic caldera.