Ecuadorian volcanoes 11-day mountaineering trip: Chimborazo + 4 peaks

Pick up at the airport and transfer to your hotel in Quito. If you arrive early in the morning, you will have the afternoon free to explore Quito.

We will leave from Quito (9,186ft/2.800m) early in the morning and drive southeast for about 2 hours through the Andean highlands until we get to the trailhead (10,827ft/3.300m). The hike leads through an amazing primary Andean forest, great for bird watching. We will arrive at the summit (13,878ft/4.230m), and if the weather allows, we will be able to see the surrounding snow-capped mountains such as Antisana, Cayambe, Illinizas, Cotopaxi and even Chimborazo far away to the south on clear days. The round-trip will take us about 6 hours. Transfer to the Hotel in Machachi town by late afternoon. Overnight in the hotel.

We will leave from Machachi (10,170ft/3.100m) early in the morning and drive south through the Avenue of the Volcanoes to the Cotopaxi National Park entrance. From this point it will take us around 30 more minutes to get to the place called “Limpiopungo” (12,139ft/3.700m). It is a beautiful lake in the heart of the national park with gorgeous views of surrounding peaks, including Cotopaxi. The first section is a hike starting along the lake up through small Andean grass. Then we will get on a sandy section, which leads to the last section, which involves some short and technical walls, much scrambling, and loose rocks. We will reach the summit of Rumiñahui (15,193ft/4.634m) after 4 hours of hiking and a bit of climbing; on the descent, we will scramble down, and for the rest of the trail we will just walk down to the parking place. It will take us about 6 hours for the round trip. We will drive by late afternoon to Machachi

We will leave from Machachi in the morning and drive through the Avenue of the Volcanoes until we get to the village of El Chaupi. We will continue driving up until we get to “La Virgen parking lot” (12,795ft/3.900m). Once there, we will start a 3-hour hike up to the “Nuevos Horizontes Refuge” (15,583ft/4.750m). We will relax for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner will be served by late afternoon

Our climbing day starts early in the morning. We will have a light breakfast, pack our climbing equipment and leave the refuge an hour later. We will continue hiking up towards the saddle formed between two peaks and then further on to Illiniza Norte summit (16,818ft/5.126m). The approach to the top involves an easy 3-hour scramble. Once at the summit, we will enjoy and admire the beautiful surroundings. It will take us around 7 hours for the round trip. Overnight in the Hotel.

We will leave from Machachi (10,170ft/3.100m) in the morning and drive south through the Avenue of the Volcanoes until we get to the Cotopaxi National Park entrance. From here we will drive east to the Cotopaxi parking lot (14,764ft/4.500m). We get our gear ready and hike up for an hour to the José Rivas Refuge (15,958ft/4.864m). In the afternoon, we will have time to rest, and the end of the day we will have dinner and rest time.

We will wake up at midnight and depart for the top (19,347ft/5.897m) around 1 am after a light breakfast. The climb will take us about 6 to 8 hours. The first part is about an hour hike to the glacier, where we put the crampons on and start the glacier ascent. Once at the summit, we will take our time for pictures of the crater and surroundings, and then we will head back to the refuge in 2 to 3 hours. At the refuge, we will rest, pack our belongings, have something to eat, drink and go down to the parking lot, from where we return back to Machachi.

Today we rest in the charming town of Machachi; there is an optional tour to the Tesalia Water Springs. On Sundays we like to visit the local indigenous market (animals, fruit, handicraft, etc.). There are many other options for you to choose from, like horseback riding, cow milking, or sampling a local delicatessen, guinea pig. We will spend a restful night in a hotel in town.

We will drive from Machachi southern trough the Avenue of the Volcanoes for about 3 hours to the Chimborazo reserve, until getting Hermanos Carrel refuge (15,744ft/4.800m), and then we will check all the needed camping and climbing equipment for the next 2 days. Once we have everything ready, we will start hiking for about 3 hours to the High Camp (17,552ft/5.350m), once here, we will accommodate in our tents. In the afternoon, we will prepare and double check all the gear for the climb. We will have a light dinner and go to sleep.

Around 1:00 am, we will start our climb to the Ecuadorian highest mountain, Chimborazo, which will take us around 8 hours. We will get to the summit (20,702ft/6.310m) in the early hours. The summit is a perfect spot for resting and to take pictures of the beautiful surroundings. Then we’ll start our descent to the High Camp, which will take us from 3 to 4 hours. Once in the High Camp, we will pack our belongings, and then we will still need to go down for 2 hours to the parking lot, where our transportation will be ready to drive us down to Quito.

Transfer from the hotel to the airport.