Climbing Volcanoes in Ecuador

DAY 1 - Arrive in Quito, Meet and greet dinner in Quito before turning into the hotel.

DAY 2 - City tour - After breakfast, our vehicle will pick us up to visit the Basilica Church and walk through the colonial part of Quito, then we will travel to the IntiNan museum where we will experience and learn about the culture and forces of the equator. Night in Quito

DAY 3 – Pasochoa 4200m /13800 ft.- This is a great acclimatization hike where hydration and pacing ourselves slow and steady through altitude will be the main keys to helping our bodies acclimatize. This day hike begins after our filling breakfast and a 1h30 min drive that will take us to 3400 m/ 11100 ft, where the trail begins. The 4-hour round trip hike takes place along the backside of an ancient extinct volcano located in the central range of the Ecuadorian Andes along farmlands, cultivated fields, and paramo grasslands. The rim leading us to the highest point offers amazing views of the endemic forest inside the crater. Night in Quito
Elevation gain 800m/2700ft
Start hike at 3400m/ 11100ft - summit 4200m/13800ft

DAY 4 - Pick up and transfer to Cable Car to hike Rucu Pichincha- 4800 m /15800 ft. Our day starts with an interesting view west of the Andean Range where our 3 to 4-hour hike takes place through amazing scenery following the southwest ridge towards the summit, offering great views of the mountain, city, and cloud forest of the coastal lowlands. Our descent will be along the same trail where our support vehicle will take us back to the hotel in Quito. In the evening we will check our climbing gear and if necessary rent equipment.
Elevation gain 700m/2300ft
Start hike at 4000m/ 13120ft - summit 4700m/15420ft

DAY 5 -Cayambe Glacier Day - After breakfast, we drive approx. 2 hours and then an acclimatization hike to the Cayambe refuge located at 4600m /15200 ft. Our support vehicle will take all our gear while we gain altitude on the Cayambe foothills. Cayambe is the only place in the world where the Equator line crosses below the summit of a glacier volcano where its latitude and temperature are zero. Once we arrive at the refuge we will review basic rope techniques, self-rescue, and prepare our personal climbing gear for the training. During the morning we will hike to the glacier to practice climbing skills; snow and ice crampon techniques as well as rope glacier traveling, self-arrest, different belaying systems, and some rescue crevasse techniques, which will be used for our safe summit attempts on the normal routes of our main peak. Transfer to a hotel in Otavalo.
Elevation gain 700m/2300ft
Start hike at 4300m/ 14100ft - glacier 5000m/16400ft

DAY 6 - Rest day - Otavalo- 2532m/ 8307ft - free day visiting the market and shopping for souvenirs or just a relaxing day. Night in Otavalo

Day 7 -Cotopaxi Climb 5897m / 19400ft – Our day begins with a 3-hour drive to the car park located at 4500m/ 14800ft from here we will hike for approx an hour to the refuge following an easy switchback trail that will take us to the refuge at 4800m / 15800 ft. After lunch we will relax and hydrate during the afternoon, we will have glacier practices to review some climbing techniques, prepare the climbing gear, and have an early dinner so we can rest as much as possible before our early wake-up call.
Elevation gain 300m/1000ft
Start hike at 4500m/ 14800ft - hut 4800m/15800 ft

DAY 8 – Cotopaxi Summit – After our midnight wake-up call our climb begins along a 30-degree slope on rock and volcanic ash before the entrance of the glacier where our 5/6 hour climb begins a straightforward 40-degree ascent where our physical conditions will be the key for our summit. Followed by a rewarding sunrise below the impressive crater along the 45/50 degree summit ridge, that will lead us to the top of one of the most perfect cone-shaped active volcanoes in the world. Our 2/3 hour descent will take us back to the hut, after a short rest we pack our gear and meet the vehicle that will drive us back to Quito
Elevation gain 1097m/3600ft
Start climb at 4800m/ 15800ft - summit 5897m/19400ft

DAY 9 - Airport transfer back to USA

Cost is $2495 per person

PRICE INCLUDES:
2 Airport Transfers (These will be scheduled times once time for pick up and once for dropoff)
Private transport throughout the trip
Certified bilingual Mountain Guide ASEGUIM (Ecuadorian Association of Mountain Guides)
Climbing permits and local insurance on Cayambe and Cotopaxi
Group technical climbing equipment.
1 Night at Cotopaxi hut with meals included
All hotel stays ( Based on double occupancy)
Box lunch on hiking days
IntiNan museum entrance fee and Basilica fee (City Tour)
Teleferico - round trip cable car fee to hike Rucu Pichincha

PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDES:
International flights
International travel insurance - Required for each climber
Personal climbing gear (check climbing list)
Meals not mentioned in the itinerary
Tips for local guides or Get Outside staff