16-Day Ecuador Climbing Tour with Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo

• We suggest arriving in Quito on a Friday. Your tour representative will meet you upon arrival and provide an initial orientation to the program.

Stay at Hotel Embassy.

• We drive north from Quito along the Pan-American Highway. On the way, you can admire the impressive landscapes of the Ecuadorian highlands, including colorful towns, agricultural fields, livestock, green valleys, snowcapped mountains, and much more.
• After a 2-hour journey, we pass the Mojanda Cajas knot and enter another province: Imbabura, also known as the Blue Province. This province has many lagoons, and the contrast between the water and the sky gives it this name.
• After about 2 hours and 30 minutes, we arrive in Otavalo to visit the largest indigenous market in South America. The Otavaleño people come down from small villages in the surrounding mountains to sell agricultural products and woven handicrafts.
• After a morning of exploring, photographing, and shopping for handicrafts, we hike up one of the hills above the town of Otavalo. After about a 1-hour hike to reach the small summit, we can see the large San Pablo Lagoon, one of the biggest lakes in Ecuador, along with beautiful views of the surrounding area. If weather conditions are good, we may also see the Mojanda massif and Imbabura volcano. We then hike down for about half an hour and return to our vehicle to stop for lunch at a typical restaurant, Cabañas del Lago, where we can enjoy typical Ecuadorian cuisine.
• After lunch, we drive back to Quito, stopping after about 1 hour at the Equatorial Monument or Equatorial Line (Kitsato) for photos on the latitude line. The guide will explain its history.
• After this short stop and picture time, we continue driving to Quito.

Stay at Hotel Embassy.

• We will acclimatize by ascending the 4800 m (13,773 ft) Guagua Pichincha or Ruco Pichincha volcano. To reach Guagua Pichincha, we drive for half an hour from Quito. For Ruco Pichincha, it is a 25-minute drive from the hotel to the cable car, which takes us to the Cruz Loma area at 3900 m (12,792 ft).
• After reaching the starting point, we begin our hike up the volcano. Quito is located on the slopes of this active mountain, and our main objective here is to help each team member acclimatize to the higher elevation and allow our bodies to adjust to the altitude. We hike from Cruz Loma through beautiful páramo vegetation, cross a sandy slope, and do some rock climbing. The entire journey takes around 4 hours to reach the summit, where we will have lunch, rest, and take photos. We then descend, taking about 2 hours to reach the parking lot. If the weather is clear, there will be many photographic opportunities over Quito and its beautiful scenic surroundings.
• After the summit, we hike down to the cable car and then drive back to the hotel.

Stay at Hotel Embassy.

• The city tour of Quito begins with a visit to the Basilica church, showcasing the contrast between Spanish colonial displays, contemporary arts, and Inca culture.
• We will walk into the colonial city and visit the Presidential House, Plaza San Francisco, and the church, providing a good introduction to Ecuador's history. During our visit, we will explore several parts of the city and see some of its most interesting colonial churches. We will also tour one of Quito's first streets, Calle La Ronda, built in 1546, where we can observe the process of making cocoa and chocolate. We will then visit El Panecillo, the bustling small hill in the middle of the city. From there, we can enjoy views of the northern and southern parts of Quito, the massive Pichincha mountain, and much more. After the 4-hour tour, we return to the hotel for a free afternoon.

Stay at Hotel Embassy.

• We depart from Quito and head directly to the Cayambe villages. Then we drive up the mountain and arrive at the Cayambe refuge by around 3:00 p.m. at 4700 m (15,416 ft). Lunch is included, probably at the same restaurant on the way.
• After another 1 hour and 30 minutes of driving, we should arrive at Cayambe volcano and the refuge by 3:00-4:00 p.m. The volcano is located north of Quito on the eastern ridge of the Andes. Cayambe is Ecuador's third-highest peak, standing at 5790 m (18,991 ft), with its summit just 3 km north of the Equator line. The glacier on this mountain is large and one of the most active equatorial ice flows. Its varied glacial terrain provides an excellent training ground for climbing skills and a rewarding summit climb.

Overnight at the hut.

• Please follow this schedule: wake up at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast. We will continue adjusting to the altitude and head to the glacier at 8:30 a.m. This day involves moderate glacier activities to familiarize ourselves with the climbing techniques and equipment needed for high peaks such as Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, and others. Our guide will provide training in glacier skills, rope handling, glacier travel, snow climbing, basic crevasse rescue skills, and safety techniques for approximately 6 hours.
• After the training, we return to the refuge for lunch and rest in the afternoon. We then prepare for the Cayambe summit push at midnight. Dinner is early, and bedtime is usually by 6:30 p.m. at the refuge.

• Wake up at midnight for breakfast and a final equipment check. We leave the refuge at 1:00 a.m. and climb with headlamps for the first four hours. There will be an easy glacier climb to a saddle, and then we continue onto steeper and more exciting terrain.
• We traverse around large crevasses and pass some spectacular seracs. We climb 40-degree slopes with occasional short, steeper sections. The final Cayambe summit is reached at about 9:00 a.m., offering views of photogenic ridgelines and spectacular mountains.
• We return to the refuge around 2:00 p.m. In the afternoon, we drive down to Guachala, a beautiful hacienda with colonial architecture. This is a good place to relax and recover your energy after the climb before continuing the adventure.

Stay at Hosteria Guachala.

• After breakfast, around 8:00-9:00 a.m., we can move to Papallacta Hot Springs. Today is a rest day at 3,300 m altitude. In the afternoon, we can completely relax in this area and enjoy the natural hot water, massage, swimming pool, and more.

Stay at Termas de Papallacta Resort.

• Today, we can make an easy morning tour through the high-altitude valley between the two mountains, Sincholagua and Cotopaxi.
• After breakfast, we visit the Inca ruins of El Salitre and El Manantial. Here, we will explore the spring water source, which is actually a river of pure mineral water that is safe to drink. After hiking for 3-4 hours, we can have lunch.
• After reaching Cotopaxi National Park, our drive ends at the Cotopaxi car park, situated at 4550 m (14,927 ft). From there, we take a 45-minute hike with full backpacks up to the Jose Rivas Refuge on the north flank of Cotopaxi at 4800 m (15,748 ft). The group then prepares mountain gear for the midnight departure on Cotopaxi summit day.

Early dinner and early bedtime, usually by 6:30 p.m. at the refuge.

• Wake up at midnight for breakfast and an equipment check. We leave the refuge at 1:00 a.m. Our route takes us through a group of uniform slopes and ice ramps of 30 and 35 degrees before reaching a glacier platform. From this point, we enjoy a spectacular display of color in the Andes and witness sunrise with incredible colors over the valley below.
• Our route passes under a 400-foot-wide rock base called Yanasacha, also known as "the route of the moon" in Quichua. We then begin climbing glacier slopes of 35 and 45 degrees, and after 1 hour and 30 minutes of climbing, we will be near the top. From there, it takes only about 15 more minutes to reach the main summit climb, where we emerge onto Ecuador's second-highest summit: Volcán Cotopaxi at 5897 m (19,427 ft). If weather conditions are good, you will be able to see the amazing nature around you. The approximate climbing time is 7 hours, and we return to the refuge around 9:00 or 10:00 a.m.
• After resting, we hike back down to the 4x4 and then return to Tambopaxi to collect our belongings before driving to La Cienega Hosteria for a restful night ahead of the Chimborazo adventure the next day.
• Stay at Cienega Hosteria.

• We depart from Tambopaxi at 10:00 a.m. and head from east to west. Quilotoa is a water-filled caldera and the westernmost volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. The 3 km (2 mi) wide caldera was formed by the collapse of this dacite volcano following a catastrophic VEI-6 eruption about 800 years ago. This eruption produced pyroclastic flows and lahars that reached the Pacific Ocean and spread volcanic ash throughout the northern Andes. The caldera has since accumulated a 250 m (820 ft) deep crater lake, which has a greenish color due to dissolved minerals. Fumaroles are found on the lake floor, and hot springs occur on the eastern flank of the volcano.
• Quilotoa is a tourist site that is becoming increasingly popular. From the small town of Quilotoa, you can see that the lagoon is a perfect example of one of the various extinct volcanoes that are now volcanic lagoons. The crater rim is about 9 km in diameter, and there is approximately a 400 m vertical drop from the rim to the lagoon edge. It is easy to hike down but hard to hike back up. It is possible to rent a mule for 5 dollars to return to the rim on an easier ascent. The water is turquoise and green in color.

Stay at Hostal Mama Hilda.

• Depart from Mama Hilda Hostal at 10:00 a.m. From Chugchilán, we drive east toward Cotopaxi mountain in the province of the same name. Along the way, we pass through agricultural and Andean towns such as Sigchos and Toacaso. The terrain offers beautiful views of the landscape, including the stunning Toachi Canyon, where a large river flows from the west side of the Andes of Ecuador.
• After about two hours of driving, we reach Latacunga city, where we can stop to buy food before continuing on to Ambato city. Throughout the drive, we cross agricultural and indigenous areas, with plenty of picturesque spots to capture.
• After about 5 hours of driving, we arrive at the lower refuge of Chimborazo at 4800 m (14,545 ft). We then organize our backpacks and start a 2-hour hike up Chimborazo's west flank to reach the high camp at 5300 m.

Early dinner and early bedtime, usually by 6:30 p.m. at the high camp.

• Chimborazo is Ecuador's highest peak and a massive glaciated volcano with five summits. Rise at midnight for breakfast and an equipment check.
• Leave the hut at 1:00 a.m. We move immediately to the massive glacier on Chimborazo's southwest face, where we first traverse moderately angled ice slopes, climb through a series of icefalls, and continue up steep ice ramps. We climb simultaneously on moderate ground and belay up the steeper pitches. Our team ropes together to cross crevasses and finally reach the summit. This is the highest point of the Andes, and from here we have a magnificent view of the volcanoes that form the eastern and western Cordillera. These volcanoes seem to emerge from the clouds below our feet. Our approximate climbing time is 8 to 9 hours.
• Return to the refuge around noon. Lunch and travel to Baños at 6:00 p.m.

Stay at Hosteria Monte Selva.

• The lush vegetation here is home to an unusual variety of orchids, mountains, mild temperatures, flowers, birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds, among many other species to observe. We have a full day of activities planned, including a visit to some beautiful waterfalls on the way to the jungle. It is also possible to ride a bicycle along this road to enjoy the stunning natural scenery. We will spend time at the awesome waterfalls and then take a 2-hour walk to the Pailon del Diablo waterfall to explore the jungle forest.
• We will also visit the Inez Maria waterfall on the Pastaza River and, of course, end the day with a visit to the zoo. Throughout the day, we will enjoy nature, with about 4 hours of travel by car to return to town. You may also choose to hike to the famous Catholic church.

Stay at Hosteria Monte Selva.

• Depart from Baños at 10:00 a.m. and arrive at your hotel around 2:00 p.m. Enjoy a free afternoon. In the evening, we have a farewell dinner for the group.

Stay at Hotel Embassy.

• Transfer to the airport for your international departure flight.