The spectacular Andes mountain range cross the country from north to south. The famous “Avenue of the Volcanoes” offers many climbing possibilities, from relatively easy day-trips to great goals for mountaineers from all over the world, like Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador, and the majestic snow-capped Cotopaxi volcano.

Astounding biodiversity

Ecuador boasts one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world, with different ecosystems, and an amazing variety of bird species (more than 1600!) and wildlife. In less than 3 hours you can drive from the beach to the arctic tundra, or from a pine forest to a tropical wet jungle or to a desert landscape.The Cotopaxi National Park is the largest nature reserve and a great hiking spot.

The Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos are unlike anywhere else on Earth and they are home to some of the most unique wildlife you will see and interact with, from giant sea tortoises to marine iguanas or playful sea lions. This archipelago has one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world, and this was the inspiration for Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, when he visited the islands in 1835.

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Tucked into South America’s Pacific coast, between Colombia and Peru, Ecuador is a small country, home to beautifully preserved historic cities and a superb destination for outdoor enthusiasts. In Ecuador you can go hiking, kayaking, surfing, diving, mountain biking, climbing or horse riding, and so much more! This country has a wide variety of landscapes and regions, including the lush Amazonian jungle, the Andean highlands and some great laid-back beaches. The ecological diversity together with vibrant indigenous cultures and beautiful colonial cities make this country a great destination for all type of travelers.

Good to Know

What’s the weather like?

The weather and temperatures generally vary according to region and altitude.. Quito’s climate is spring-like year round. It’s sunny and quite hot during the day, but it may be cold at night. You will need cold weather gear for high altitude hiking and mountain climbing. In the coast and in the rainforest, temperatures are warmer. Generally, the country has two main seasons: the dry season (May to December) and the rainy season (late December through April).

Getting There:

Quito and Guayaquil international airports receive direct flights from a relatively small number of destinations outside of Latin America. From the USA, flights leave from Miami, Atlanta and Houston. If you are coming from Europe, they leave from Madrid and Amsterdam.

Language:

Spanish

Country Code:

+81

Currency:

United States dollar (USD)

Best time to visit:

December and January are considered the best months to climb, followed by June and August, the dry summer months. However, many mountains, like Cotopaxi, are quite climbable all year long. You should note in Ecuador snow and glacier conditions are highly variable, therefore technical difficulty may change from day to day. The best time to visit the Galapagos Island is from April to June.If you are planning a visit to the beach, you should go from December to April, during the rainy season, when it is much warmer and sunny.

Activities in Ecuador

What People Say

30 reviews

Edgar was an excellent guide. I have little climbing experience and Edgar was very knowledgeable and instructive. He is a

life long climber and he has tons of experience and passion climbing through out the world. He was pleasant and a very nice guy. Unfortunately, the weather was very bad while I was in Ecuador so Edgar came up with a great alternative climb to Cayambe, which was not in good condition due to storms. He knows the mountains like the back of his hand and can relay tons of information, which makes the trip that much more enjoyable. His 4×4 transport and climbing equipment were all top notch. He understood safety and made sure to avoid unnecessary risks. I will climb with Edgar again.

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Steven MISHOE for Cayambe, Chimborazo 5 Day Guided Climb

Amazing experience. Wonderful guide Diego. Can’t wait to get back and summit another volcano.

Devin for 2-day guided climb to Cotopaxi summit

Fernando is an excellent and knowledgeable guide, and the itinerary is a nice balance of climbs and recovery time, including

time to explore a couple of cities. He also made sure we were well-equipped for the climbs. The guides are geared more toward getting you up and down than toward building any technique. It’s not billed as an instructional course, so that’s not a complaint — just pointing it out for those who like to use one experience to build to another rather than just reach the summit.

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The Reality Twister for Chimborazo climb with preparation in Cayambe and Illiniza

Chase Taylor for Chimborazo climb with preparation in Cayambe and Illiniza

Edgar is an amazing guide. He is incredibly knowledgeable and encouraging. The combination makes you feel confident in the things

that he teaches you and in your ability to reach the summit.

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John Stansfield for Three-day mountaineering tour to Cotopaxi summit

Edgar Parra is a great guide: thoroughly professional, safety conscious, always on time and with an engaging personality. He came

highly recommended and I can only heap additional praise. He guided my son and I up Cotopaxi to a successful summit and made it a trip of a lifetime. In so far as putting my money where my mouth is, I plan to hire him in the future (2020) with my entire family for a trip to Machu Picchu. No better praise than a repeat customer.

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John Stansfield for Three-day mountaineering tour to Cotopaxi summit

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!

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Piotr for 2-day guided climb to Cotopaxi summit

Tyler Long for 2-day guided climb to Cotopaxi summit

Even though we turned around at 5900m due to avalanche danger I really enjoyed the climb and Segundo was a

great guide – professional and friendly.

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Aletherby for Chimborazo Volcano 2 Day Guided Ascent

I am writing in regards to the tour my husband and I took to Chimborazo November 3-4,2018. We had a very

great time and were lucky enough to make the hike to the summit. The guide who picked us up from Hotel San Francisco was very nice and on time as expected, his name was Jaun Carlos. Once we arrived for dinner Jaun Carlos introduced us to our guide who we’d be hiking with the next day, his name is Fausto. Both guides were professional and very helpful. Once we all made it to the summit our camera died and we were unable to take any photos. Thankfully Fausto had his phone available and was able to capture several pictures and a couple videos.

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Heather Unger for Chimborazo Volcano 2 Day Guided Ascent

The hole day was a great experience. The drive up was beautiful and fun. The walk and views were amazing

it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. My guide Segundo was brilliant very knowledgeable and very caring making sure I was ok every step of the way. I would highly recommend this to anyone coming to Quito

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Dsheard for Pasochoa Hiking tour in Ecuador

A fantastic trip! Segundo was a wonderful guide and made the trip a lot of fun. Even during difficult weather

and when things didn’t go as expected, he kept a positive attitude and continued to motivate me when I was beginning to lose momentum. I would absolutely recommend this trip and Lonely Summits to anyone looking to visit the beautiful country of Ecuador – whether you’re an experienced climber or not, the services provided by Lonely Summits are fantastic for any skill level or price point.

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Michael Langone for Cayambe, Chimborazo 5 Day Guided Climb

Gareth Treharne for Chimborazo climb with preparation in Cayambe and Illiniza

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.

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Tim Edinger for 2-day guided climb to Cotopaxi summit

Fernando is an incredible guide. He is very experienced and has extensive knowledge of the area. He will

always make sure you are safe and comfortable. I highly recommend Fernando to anyone wishing to explore/hike/live/breathe the area. What an incredible experience!

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Lara Pedrini for Full day trek in Cotopaxi National Park

This was a fantastic mountaineering trip to Ecuador. The altitude was a bit of a challenge, but Ramiro did a

great job with the acclimatization schedule leading up to the taller mountains. Overall, this was a challenging experience given the altitude of the climbs as well as the back-to-back climbing of four mountains. I would highly recommend this excursion for anyone who wants to experience a fantastic country/culture as well as someone who wants to gain some nice experience mountaineering!

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Chase Merriam for Climbing in Ecuador: Volcano trip

Fredy Tipan is like a superhero of the outdoor world. He knows absolutely everyone, has climbed and guided in the

most epic of locations all around the world, knows the mountains like old friends, and really loves what he does and who he does it for. Our trip was completely messed up after an issue with our airline tickets. We weren’t going to be able to leave until a week after our planned departure which jeopardized our entire trek with Fredy. We didn’t expect him to take any sort of responsibility in replanning as it was our mistake that caused the airline issue but he absolutely did. Within days he rearranged the entire trek so that we would be able to summit all our desired peaks without cutting the days down and without changing the cost. He is a class act and an incredible guide and I’d say my husband and I both consider him a friend as well. We will definitely be booking another trip with Fredy Tipan and recommend him to anyone looking for the real deal in outdoor Guides. Thank you, Fredy!

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Kally Chamberlin for Ecuadorian Andes 12-day Guided Climb

Amazing short but exciting climb to a summit with outstanding views. Perfect acclimatization peak for the bigger Ecuadorian volcanoes, with

a cozy hut and a nice approach walk. Fredy was fantastic, thank you so much for this unforgettable experience!

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for Ascent to Illinza Sur volcano in Ecuador

It was a great experience. Everything was very well arranged and taken care of. The guide (Fernando Iza) was extremely

professional, safe, and friendly. I was very happy about everything, and would recommend booking with Fernando Iza for any hiking trip on Ecuador.

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Luis E Valdes for Chimborazo climb with preparation in Cayambe and Illiniza

I have travelled for several years to climb and hike mountains all over the world. I’ve had numerous guides,

many of which were wonderful. However, I have to say, Edgar Parra has been the best climbing guide I’ve ever had. He was extremely professional, on time, motivated, encouraging, explained everything and translated for me (due to my lack of Spanish), adjusted our schedule when we had bad weather to ensure we were safe and yet still has a good experience climbing, and has a passion for mountains and climbing like nobody I’ve ever met before. I will most certainly come back to Ecudor specifically because of Edgar and his positive outlook on life and passion for mountain climbing. I would recommend him to anyone wanting to climb the mountains in Ecuador many of the other other countries he climbs in (Peru, Bolivia, and Russion to name a few more).

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Angela deJong for Cayambe, Chimborazo 5 Day Guided Climb