Join Jaime, a certified mountain guide, on this 3-day trail running adventure in Ecuador! Discover amazing Andes sites and feel your heart skip a beat as you delve into the unique Ecuadorian wilderness.
Group
Andes
3 Days
Jan, Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug, Nov, Dec
Fit
Advanced
Have you ever wanted to run and trek in the Ecuadorian mountains? Then come join me on this 3-day trail run and trek to the Altar Volcano!
The Altar Volcano is one of many incredible natural sites in Ecuador. The volcano is located in the center of the country, close to the idyllic town of Baños, and over the course of 3 days, we will be able to trek there and explore the region.
After meeting everyone in Baños, we will begin our trek to Hacienda Releche – surrounded by beautiful landscapes in the mountainside – and then trek up to Capac Urcu Refuge, at a 900-meter elevation gain, which will serve as our main camp. The following day, we will go on an exhilarating run up to the Laguna Amarilla (Yellow Lake), at a 400-meter elevation gain, and enjoy the rich and diverse flora and fauna. On our final day, we head back to Hacienda Releche, then to Baños.
Some of the ascents on this trip are quite steep, so please keep this in mind when signing up. We encourage runners and trekkers to be in great physical shape to enjoy this trip!
Willing to discover el Altar in a different way? Then book your trip with me today!
We will take a private shuttle from Baños to Hacienda Releche, to start our trek. We will ascend approximately 11 kilometers to refuges Capac Urcu, which will be our base camp for the rest of the trek. This should take around 5 – 7 hours.
We will ascend from our camp in Capac Urcu to Laguna Amarilla. This path is very steep, so the ascent will take around 2 hours. We will spend some time at the lagoon, then descend back down to the camp.
We will descend to Hacienda Releche and then take a private shuttle back to Baños.
Certified IFMGA - ASEGUIM Mountain Guide, National guide, Rescue Team Member GRA & Lawyer.
As passionate mountaineer and with almost 20 years of guiding experience, I worked with clients from all over the world. Each tour is a unique experience and I will pleased to guide you to the marvellous summits of Ecuador and South America. My journeys have allowed me to guide and summit several mountains in Peru, like Alpamayo, Chopicalqui & Tocllaraju amongst others and to experience some mountain climbing in the Alps of Austria and Italy.
I’m based in Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador’s famous piece of heaven, where we run together with my Austrian girlfriend a small tour operator and a consulting office.
Continuous improvement and keeping up with the State of the Art is our mission:in 2017, I completed the IFMGA certification and, recently, in 2018, I received the National guide certification from the ministry of Tourism.
President of Baños Trail Running Club, I run every week with my team. My achievement of 2018 : Finishing 1st of my category for the 100km Ruco Ultra Trail.
I’m looking forward to exploring our beautiful mountains together with you.
Øystein Sagosen
5.00
July, 2022
The trip was great and our guide Jaime was very professional and got us safely to the peak and back again. Really was a great experience. The only thing that could have been better was the information before the trip. With so many platforms to communicate (email, explore-share chatting system, WhatsApp with several different agents) it was hard to keep track of where I should reply and who I should be asking questions. I also missed information on recommendations for acclimatisation before the trip. Luckily we read up on it ourselves and prepared accordingly.
Blake Eden
5.00
July, 2022
This was wonderful! Jaime did a great job and everything leading up to the trip (communication, etc.) was great. Thank you so much!
Omar Saade
5.00
May, 2022
It was an incredible experience. Jaime is an extremely professional and knowledgeable guide.
Justin Johns
5.00
April, 2022
Great guide and experience! Highly recommend!
Keith Cockrum
5.00
April, 2022
Jaime is experienced guide and went the extra mile to make sure I had all the right equipment to climb.
Andrew Brown
5.00
March, 2022
Jaime may be one of the most kind and capable human beings we’ve ever met. He let us know exactly what we needed to do to be safe on our summit, while also making it a fun and exciting experience. We were not as fit and experienced as we should have been, and Jaime made sure to not push us past any limits. We had an amazing time (even got engaged at the summit!). Coordination from Elisabeth beforehand was also clear and top-notch. An amazing trip that will forever be in our memories!
Mitchell Smith
5.00
February, 2022
Jaime was a fantastic guide and I had for both the Cotopaxi and Chimborazo expeditions. Very knowledgable and you never feel too out of it when you're with him. He was consistent on checking if I was doing okay which I really appreciated. Eliz, who I worked with for coordination, was also great. Super on top of it on making sure things ran smoothly. They both were quick to ensure I had the proper gear to take on these summits too. Highly recommend.
Mitchell Smith
5.00
February, 2022
Jaime was a fantastic guide and I had for both the Cotopaxi and Chimborazo expeditions. Very knowledgable and you never feel too out of it when you're with him. He was consistent on checking if I was doing okay which I really appreciated. Eliz, who I worked with for coordination, was also great. Super on top of it on making sure things ran smoothly. They both were quick to ensure I had the proper gear to take on these summits too. Highly recommend.
Richard Steiner
5.00
February, 2022
Fantastic climbs, fantastic guide (Jaime Vargas), and fantadtic crew at Andean Summit Adventures!
Alexey Volegov
5.00
November, 2021
It was amazing trip, Jaime is professional climber and the person who safety guide us to the top of Cotopaxi and back.
Matthew Fleischman
5.00
March, 2021
Super fun! Jamie is awesome. The experience was way more than I expected.
Paul Ludgate
5.00
December, 2020
Fantastic people ! They were all friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable . I recommend them without reservation
Maxwell Gregory
5.00
December, 2020
Jaime was an awesome guide! Everything was taken care of, he was very aware about going at the best pace for me, and did everything possible to ensure a successful and safe summit.
Sarah Hill
5.00
November, 2020
We summited Cotopaxi with Jamie Vargas as our guide. It was an unbelievable and perfect experience. Jamie was very knowledgeable, skilled, and personable. He shared just enough information with us for each part of the trip for us to be prepared but not too overwhelmed. It was very easy to communicate with our guide and the company before the trip. The food was really nice and the whole experience staying at the refuge and meeting other climbers and guides. We were very confident in Jamie’s skills and ability to keep us safe. His saying “never give up!” was very motivating for our successful summit. The gear was all very nice and up to date, we were given every tool we needed. I felt every emotion during this day from excitement, to fear, to fatigue, to gratitude, I cried very much at the summit because it was so beautiful and it was such a big accomplishment for myself and my husband. Overall this experience was our favorite for our time in Ecuador and even one of my favorites of my whole life! Highly recommend Jamie with Andean summit adventure. Worth every dollar as an investment for an experience of a lifetime!
Philippe Coopmans
3.00
December, 2019
I found it pretty expensive to have a private guide. The climb was only 8 hours in total and costs me €570,-. Well, that’s the only complain i have. The service all over was great. Jaime was not my guide so i can rate him, it was Juan of course. He was an ok guide, sometimes a bit hurry up. And next time it would be good to get some more explanations about the dangers of the glacier. I’ve spoken to some real mountaineers and found out there were far more dangers then i realized when climbing the cotopaxi. Maybe something for you guys to consider next time. Best regards, philippe coopmans
Nora Hertig
5.00
November, 2019
The traveller did not leave a comment.
Devin
5.00
May, 2019
Amazing experience. Wonderful guide Diego. Can’t wait to get back and summit another volcano.
jw and sharlene
5.00
May, 2019
we had a great time with the guide, knows his buissnis , he took wonderfull shots from us at tungurahua during the climb. im sure he would have made great pics aswell during the cotopaxi climb, very experienced guide indeed, and a friendly man with nice girlfriend elisabeth who went with us to tungurahua refugio, and he can cook
Piotr
5.00
January, 2019
Jaime was absolutely amazing. He always made sure that safety is the priority, even when I was tired and had problems with altitude. I'd climb any mountain with him!
Tyler Long
5.00
January, 2019
The traveller did not leave a comment.
Marcel Welte
5.00
November, 2018
I climbed Tungurahua together with Jaime in November as a preparation for successful attempts to climb both Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. The trip was perfectly organized by Elisabeth and Jaime did a great job as a guide. I would absolutely recommend Andean Summit Adventure and I hope that I can do some further tours in Ecuador in the future with them!
Tim Edinger
5.00
June, 2018
I had an excellent experience with Andean Summit Adventure during my recent climb of Volcano Cotopaxi. Elisabeth did a tremendous job coordinating all of the logistics details for my trip while I was still in the United States. Jaime Vargas, my guide, provided a first-rate, safe, and excellent experience during the climb itself. I was completely happy with the support that Andean Summit Adventure provided me and I highly recommend them as a tour/guide service for outings in South America.
Group of 1 | USD 1289 Each |
Group of 2 | USD 722 Each |
Group of 3 | USD 537 Each |
Want a different number of travellers?
- Guiding fee
- Accommodation included
- Transport during the trip
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Pick up on the first day and drop off on the last day can be arranged according to your accommodation.
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