| HIGHLIGHTS |
• Good
first approach to climbing in the Andes.
• Guiding ratio of 1:2 on Cotopaxi.
• Good first high altitude experience.
• A short and compact expedition with lots
to do and enjoy.
• Local guides with international experience.
• Updated knowledge of the local conditions.
• Great accommodation in typical "Haciendas".
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COMPLIMENTARY
EXTENSIONS |
Galapagos
Islands
A
naturalist's paradise!
These are the legendary islands that inspired the father
of the theory of "The Evolution of the Species",
Charles Darwin.
There is few places on Earth as overwhelming and powerful
for the profound experience of interacting with wildlife
and nature as you will do here!
If you are in Ecuador, visiting Galapagos is a must.
Amazon
Jungle
As unique as the jungles are,
the Amazon is the single most important forest in our
planet. Not only it has the largest concentration of
species ever imagined, but it holds the secrets of a
world so mysterious and rich, that we are still at the
brink of revealing a small part of it.
Bellavista
Cloud Forest Reserve
Less than two hours away from Quito lies one the 25
"biodiversity hot spots" in the World. It
is the Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena Hot Spot which runs from
northern Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and southern Panama.
Located
on the edge of this area is the Bellavista Cloud Forest
Reserve, a 700 hectare private reserve that holds
10 km of paths to explore. Home to hundreds of species
of wildlife and flora it is a distinct vision of a
tropical rainforest.
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| OTHER
CLIMBING EXPEDITIONS |
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"The
volcanoes of Ecuador have given the country
universal fame among the geologists of the
world. They are the terror of the indians,
the admiration of the conquistadors, the
study of the naturalist and the plague of
the people who live near them."
Edward
Whymper, Travel Among the Andes of Ecuador,
1890.
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This
is a 13 day itinerary, where you find high altitude
climbing combined with moderate easy hiking and
cultural visits to historical places. Between the
climbs you will stay in countryside farms or "haciendas"
which have been converted into hostels.
Not only is this an excellent mountaineering experience,
but you will also see the real life of the Ecuadorian
countryside.
Please note that Chimborazo, due to its difficult
conditions, is not included in the program. On request,
it can be added as an extension to the expedition. |
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Day
1
Middle of the World
Monument
and Pululahua Crater.
As this is your first
day in Ecuador at an altitude of 2.800 m /
9,184 ft, we will take you to do some easy
walking and to visit some interesting places,
such as the Middle of the World 23 kilometres
North of Quito. There we will visit the Mitad
del Mundo Equatorial Line Monument, at an
altitude of 2.480 m / 8,134 ft.
You can visit a very interesting ethnographic
museum and a typical colonial town, with restaurants,
gift shops and a post office.
Charles- Marie de la Condamine and his French
expedition of 1736, were the first to the
determine the Equator line. |
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| A few kilometres
further on is the Pululahua crater, which is one
of the few inhabited in the world. Nowadays it is
a geo botanical reserve due to its dramatic contrasts
in vegetation. If there is time and especially if
you have the energy - on your very first day - we
will walk down into the crater. |
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Day
2
City Tour.
Few cities in the world can
match the setting of Quito, the second highest capital
in Latin America after La Paz. Quito lies in a narrow
valley running North to South. It is wedged between
the slopes of Pichincha Volcano to the West, and
a steep canyon formed by the Machangara River to
the East. Quito is very much a city of two halves.
The Old City is the colonial centre, where pastel-coloured
houses and ornate churches line a warren of steep
and narrow streets. During the morning we will
visit some of the colonial churches in the old
town as well as the hill of El Panecillo where
there is a museum. From there we will have a wonderful
view of the whole city.
At the end of the day there will be a slide show,
which will give you a bit of a flavour of what
to expect during your trip.
Day 3
Hike around Cuicocha Lake.
Night at Los Pinos (www.lospinosdecuicocha.com)
Cotacachi volcano and Laguna
de Cuicocha are located 60 km North of Quito.
Cuicocha is a collapsed volcanic crater. Inside
there is now a deep lake. Its diameter is approximately
4 km and the lake is more than 200 m deep. The
islands in the middle of the lake are resurgent
volcanic cones. The name Cuicocha means guinea
pig, as one of the islands resembles this animal.
The hike around the lake will normally take around
5 hours. |
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Day 4
Otavalo Market. Night
at Aya Huma Hostel (www.ayahuma.com)
Otavalo has one of
the biggest indigenous markets of Ecuador.
You will have a chance to buy local textiles
and hand crafts. There is a market on every
day of the week. However Saturday is the
best. We recommend you visit first the animal
market as it starts early in the morning.
Due to its wonderful colours, Otavalo is
a paradise for photographers. |
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Day
5
Drive and hike to the Pucaras
of Pambamarca 3.900 m / 12,792 ft. Night at Hacienda
Guachala (www.guachala.com)
Today we will drive for one
and a half hours and hike to the ruins of the pucara
at Pambamarca. The Quichua term ‘pukara’
means "fortress" or "castle".
A pukara is characterised by its form of concentric
circles of walls and pits. Pucaras are a feature
of the Andean landscape in the North of Ecuador.
The most important fortress was at Pambamarca. The
hike will take no more than three hours. |
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Day
6
Drive to Hacienda La Carriona
(www.lacarriona.com)
Today is a driving day from
the Cayambe region to Hacienda la Carriona. On the
way there will be a chance to stop at a local supermarket.
La Carriona is located within the valley of Los
Chillos, close to the Pasochoa volcano. It was constructed
as a hacienda more than two hundred years ago and
represents Ecuador’s colonial history. Nowadays
it has been converted into a beautiful hostel. It
has a sauna, swimming pool, bubble bath etc.
Day 7
Hike up Pasochoa volcano 4.200 m / 13,776 ft.
Night at Hacienda La Estación.
Having had a few days to
begin the acclimatisation process in Ecuador,
we now go for the first summit of a volcano. After
a short drive we 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 main
reasons for this excursion is that Pasochoa is
one of the few volcanoes where we may see condors
flying - the largest flying birds in South America.
We spend the night in a delightfully distinctive
hacienda, La Estación. |
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Day
8
Iliniza: Hike to la
Virgen 3.800 m / 12,464 ft. Camping.
From the village of
El Chaupi, located in the foothills of Iliniza,
we hike up to the entrance of the Iliniza
Ecological Reserve. From there we head towards
our base camp, hiking through several the
fields of the Hacienda El Refugio. This
is the first night we spend at high altitude
and therefore it plays a very important
role in our acclimatisation process.
Day
9
North Iliniza Summit
day. Camping at La Virgen.
North and South Ilinizas
are located about 55 km south-west of Quito.
Originally, there was one volcano, which
exploded in a massive eruption that split
the mountain in half a very long time ago.
The two peaks are separated by a saddle
and are about 2 km away from one another.
South Iliniza is icy and therefore difficult.
North Iliniza is rocky and a lot easier.
50 years ago North Iliniza had a glacier,
but it has completely melted in the last
few decades.
We will climb North Iliniza and during the
climb you will gain a lot of altitude. The
route is from the west side of the mountain,
with some easy scrambling below the summit.
From the summit, there are spectacular views
of Iliniza South, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo,
the highest volcano in Ecuador. After the
climb we go back to our camp to rest. |
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Day
10
Drive to Hacienda El
Porvenir 3. 600 m / 11,808 ft.
On the North side of the Cotopaxi Park there
is the Hacienda El Porvenir. It is one of
the largest farms in Ecuador with almost 5.000
hectares. It can be used as a base for excellent
hikes within the Cotopaxi National Park. Located
at 3.600 m / 11,808 ft, El Porvenir is surrounded
by four volcanoes: Cotopaxi, Sincholahua,
Pasachoa and Rumiñahui. Here you will
be able to enjoy your stay in a comfortable,
functional and beautiful traditional Andean
hacienda. The "casa de hacienda",
or farmhouse, is built with materials such
as brick, straw, wood and adobe that have
been used for centuries. |
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Day
11
Cotopaxi. Night in the refuge
4.800 m / 15,744 ft.
We drive to 4.600 m / 15,088
ft and then walk to the Cotopaxi Refuge at 4.800
m / 15,144 ft.
Having arrived at the refuge at lunchtime, we rest
in the afternoon and evening, preparing for a night
time climb. This is a must in Ecuador because the
conditions of our snow and ice are not as stable
as in other parts of the world, due to the direct
sunlight that we receive in the Equator line.
Day 12
Cotopaxi summit day.
We leave the refuge at around
1 a.m. in the morning. First we will climb to
the top of a triangular scree slope above the
refuge. A large featureless glacier is then followed,
weaving between large, obvious crevasses. Bearing
right, we pass below a large black rock before
cutting back left to reach the ice encrusted crater
rim. The final section is quite steep. The true
summit lies along the crater rim to the right.
Cotopaxi's crater is a spectacular feature and
the proximity of ice and steam vents is particularly
impressive.
During the climb ropes will be used to protect
the team from crevasses and also to provide protection
on the steeper sections.
The ascent normally takes between five to seven
hours up and two hours down. |
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Day
13
Cotopaxi summit day
# 2.
Should the weather not
allow us to climb, the ascent can be delayed
one more day. Drive back to Quito.
Important
Note:
Please note that this itinerary is a guide
line only. We will do every effort to follow
it, but in case of unforeseen circumstances
we may have to make changes.
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2
pax $ 1.800 per person
3 pax $ 1.700 per person
4 + $ 1.600 per person
What
the price includes
• All transport by private vehicles
during the program.
• Accommodation:3 hotel nights in
Quito on B&B type, haciendas and huts.
All in double basis.
• All the food once out of Quito.
• Camping gear.
• Permits and park fees.
• One guide for the acclimatisation
hikes.
• One bilingual qualified mountain
guide per every two climbers on Cotopaxi.
• Climbing gear: Boots (up to 46 EU
/ 11 1/2 U.S.), crampons, harness, ice axe
and group gear such as ropes.
The Price
does not include
• International flights.
• Travel insurance.
• Lunch and evening meals while in
Quito.
• Alcoholic drinks.
• Extras, laundry, tips.
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| Duration
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13
days |
| Access |
Drive
in and drive out, trekking some
places |
| Seasons
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All
year round |
| Pre-requisites |
Backpaking
experience |
| Equipment |
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| Accommodation |
Hostels
and mountain refuges |
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| Pululahua
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Easy |
| Cuicocha |
Easy |
| Pambamarca |
Easy |
| Pasochoa |
Easy |
| North
Iliniza |
Intermediate |
| Cotopaxi |
Intermediate |
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