Guided expedition across the Ecuadorian Volcanoes

Our meeting point will be at 09:00 in the morning for an introductory briefing about the program.

As this will be your first day at an altitude of 2,800 m ( 9,184 ft), we’ll do some easy walking and see some of the main colonial churches in the old part of Quito such as Santo Domingo Basilica and the famous San Francisco church, which was the first religious building constructed in South America by the Spanish, in 1538.

Then we’ll drive up to the hill of El Panecillo where an impressive statue of the Virgin looks after the city, and offers one of the greatest views of Quito. Exploring the city is a good way to begin your acclimatization process!

Finally, we will sleep at Casa Hebling.

We’ll go for the first summit of a volcano!

After a short drive we will hike out into the countryside towards Pasochoa. This mountain is an ancient and heavily eroded volcano that has been inactive since the last Ice Age. Perhaps one of the best things about this excursion is that Pasochoa is one of the few volcanoes where we may see condors!

In the evening, we will return for the night in Quito.

Using the cable car we go as high as 4.000m / 13,200ft in a few minutes from where we start today´s hike. Pichincha is an excellent second acclimatization hike.

Rucu (Quichua for “Old”) is one of the three major peaks that make up the Pichincha massive. Quito is actually built on a shelf on the eastern side of this massif.
The hike is again straightforward and will take 4 to 5 hours (round trip).

After this hike we return to Quito for the night.

We leave Quito at 08:30 am and drive towards the mountain. Cayambe is a massive glaciated extinct volcano. It is located about 68 km North East of Quito and is the highest point on the surface of the earth through which the Equator directly passes. Cayambe is the third highest mountain in Ecuador. It is characterized by good climbing opportunities and interesting glaciers. With easy access from a comfortable hut, the glaciers of Cayambe offer an outstanding venue for our glacier school review. Huge crevasses, complex icefalls and seracs provide the ideal setting for learning ice climbing, crevasse rescue, and a variety of other basic skills.

During the glacier training on Cayambe on day 5 we cover the following subjects:

• Snow climbing, ice axe positioning, and moving in balance

• Self arrest techniques

• Ice climbing (with top rope) and crampon techniques

• Prussiking

• Roped glacier travel

• Discussions on high altitude physiology and other related expeditionary topics

After the session we will return to the refuge for a hearty meal.

Additionally, on day 6 there will be a chance to attempt the summit of Cayambe. The route to the summit follows diverse glacier terrain to near the summit crater. A gaping bergschrund presents a challenge in route finding and an exciting extra obstacle. The ascent normally takes seven hours and the descent three hours.

Finally, after our summit day on Cayambe we descent to Hacienda Guachala for the night.

This is a rest day from mountain climbing used as a driving day to get to Cotopaxi National Park. We will stop for lunch in a restaurant along the way. Then, we will spend the night at Tambopaxi lodge, which is a great place with nice views of Cotopaxi

First, we will drive to 4.600 m. Then we will walk to the hut at (4.800 m / 15,700ft ft).

We will arrive to the hut by lunchtime and rest in the afternoon and evening, preparing for a night time climb. Cotopaxi is one of the most beautiful mountains of the Ecuadorian Andes. The whole national park is known for its rich wildlife and remoteness. Without a doubt Cotopaxi has the largest number of clear days amongst the high peaks of Ecuador.

We will leave the hut at around 1am in the morning. First we will walk for 1 hour to the start of the glacier where we put our crampons on and use the rope. A large featureless glacier is then followed, weaving between large, obvious crevasses. The final section is a bit steeper. The summit gets us above the crater.

During the climb we will use ropes to protect the team from crevasses and also to provide protection on the steeper sections. The ascent normally takes between six to seven hours up and two hours for the descent.

Night at Chuquiragua Lodge.

We will travel further down the “Valley of Volcanoes” and then move up onto the western flanks of Chimborazo where we will spend an evening in a Lodge. This lodge sits in grassy plains below Chimborazo and allows us to rest. Furthermore,  we will be able to enjoy views of the Chimborazo altiplano  and Carihuarirazo (also known as “Chimborazo’s Wife”). Finally, we will spend the night at a Lodge.

First, we will travel by jeep or van to the Plaza Roja (4,852m / 15,914 ft), located very close to the Carrel hut.

From there, it’ll take us about two hours to walk to the Stübel Camp (5,050m/16,564ft ), where we’ll spend the afternoon preparing for our next day climb. You’ll be carrying equipment to the camp. Porters will help carrying the tents and water.

We will start the climb at about midnight following the Stübel glacier until it joins the Castle Ridge (5,450m / 17,876 ft.).

This variant of the normal Castle route, free from rock fall, makes it a much safer line to the top.

From the Camp it normally takes eight hours to get to the main Whymper summit, from where you will enjoy beautiful views of Ecuador. The descent to the Stübel Camp takes from two to three hours.

Finally, after we return to the camp, we’ll rest and descend to Plaza Roja.

In case of bad weather, the climb can be delayed one more day.