ECUADOR VOLCANO CHALLENGE
ITINERARY
TREKKING
ALTITUDE
PRICE FROM
Challenge yourself on this 11-day adventure to Ecuador’s “avenue of the volcanoes”, a breathtaking valley running south from Quito , that is home to some of the world’s tallest active volcanoes. You will summit 5 volcanic peaks, including 2 active ones, on this varied and exciting itinerary. Cold weather, steep glacial ascents and the thin air all of high altitude all add to the challenge!
We fly to Quito, Ecuador and enjoy a meal in the evening. Depending on flight schedules, we may take an overnight flight, arriving in Quito on Day 2.
We take this day to acclimatise to the rarefied atmosphere. We explore Quito’s famous Colonial Quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with churches, lively plazas and museums. During the tour you will learn a lot about the turbulent history of the city and get to know the daily life of the “Quiteños”. After lunch we will drive to the town of Chugchilan (3hr30), located in the area of our next destination: The Quilotoa Lagoon.
Quilotoa is a volcanic crater filled with crystal clear blue water, which is growing in popularity, and is therefore a must go on your journey through Ecuador. The drive to the Laguna Quilotoa offers a fantastic view of the Andes and leads past the old Toachi gorge as well as many indigenous communities and agricultural areas. You will also have the opportunity to visit an indigenous home and interact with the local population. Once in Quilotoa, we have a fantastic view of the famous Quilotoa Lagoon – an emerald crater lake of a volcano at an altitude of 3,800m. This day we will trek around the crater that takes around 4h.
The extinct volcano Pasochoa (4,199m) is one of the best places to see the famous Andean condor. The climb offers an excellent view of the mighty Cotopaxi and the surrounding volcanoes. You can also see the last remnants of the primary Andean forest in the crater. The hike takes about 3 – 5 hours to reach a height of 4,199m and to return. It is important that you are prepared for this type of altitude, we recommend that you spend at least one day in 3,000 m for acclimatization. This is a perfect first walk for those who are starting to move at this altitude or those who are embarking on an acclimatization program.
Rumiñahui is a long-extinct volcano in Cotopaxi National Park, south of Quito. Overall, Rumiñahui has 3 peaks. These are not considered as separate mountains, unlike the Illinizas. This climb is perfect for anyone looking for an exciting tour with breath-taking views of the peaks of El Corazón, Illinizas and the majestic Cotopaxi. Our trek will take around 6hrs reaching a height of 4,720m.
Today we have a very short transfer to the start of our trek on Mt. Corazon (Heart!). Trekking along a winding track for about an hour and then another 90 minutes takes us up to the high ridge. From here we start our ridge trek with incredible 360 degree views and although short, its an exhilarating walk to the last section for which we rope up into small teams, for a slow and steady scramble of about an hour. This is steep with some hard sections but well worth the views at the top. We descend once again to our lodge where we have time to relax and recover.
Today we have a contingency day to manage any weather issues that we might experience and of course to continue our acclimatisation. If all goes to plan then there is plenty to do at our base to enjoy this incredible location.
Today we transfer to this iconic mountain and have a training day on snow and testing equipment and mountaineering techniques. It’s a long walk to the hut, carrying our gear, but once there was have time for a warm drink before heading further up the mountain to the glacier line. Here we have a fun & informative session learning self-arrest techniques, working as a rope team and walking with crampons.
We then make our way to the refuge and stay overnight on the mountain.
We are off by midnight and we climb the tough steep paths firstly on volcanic sand, then snow and finally glaciers that lead to the beautiful summit cone of Cotopaxi. After 6-8 hours we should reach the summit in time to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic and the incomparable views to the north to Quito, as well as the mighty Chimborazo to the south. From the top of the mountain we can also see into the snow-covered crater. We are supported all the way by our professional local mountain guides. When we are ready to descent we take just two hours to get to the refuge and then onwards to our waiting support vehicle. We then make our way to our Hacienda to sort ourselves out and then on to Quito and our central hotel. Here we can finally relax and recover from an exhausting challenge and after some time to recover we are back together again and ready to celebrate to mark the end of an incredible challenge.
We will check out from the hotel and transfer to the airport for the flight home. Depending on departure time, there may be time for some souvenir shopping in local markets. Please note that subject to flight schedules, your return flight may land in the UK the same day.
Enquire with us below or if you want to speak to one of the team call on +44 (0)207 609 6695
