Cotopaxi & Chimborazo mountain climb tour, 13 days

Extreme Trekking | Mountain Biking | Mountain Climbing | Scuba Diving | White water rafting & kayaking | Other Adventures

Sample itinerary

Day 1
Arrive in the capital city of Quito (2,850 meters or 9,184 feet) and transfer to the four stars Reyna Isabel hotel. We will meet you at the airport and accompany you to the hotel. There will be a short orientation talk after which you can rest from your flight and explore.

Day 2
Today we visit the old town of Quito to see the spectacular churches and museums that date back to the 15th century. Later that afternoon, we'll drive to the monument of the "Equatorial Line" located 15 kilometers outside of Quito. Upon returning to Quito, we will drive to the Hacienda El Chaparral at 3,153 meters or 10,345 feet and stay overnight in the beautiful hacienda.

La Mitad del Mundo “the middle of the world” is a 30-meter high stone trapezoidal monument topped by a brass globe that is 4.5 meters in diameter. It is built right on the equator and is the place where, in 1736, Charles-Marie de La Condamine’s expedition made the measurements that showed that this was indeed the equator.

Day 3
This day we will visit the colorful handicraft market of Otavalo and the Cotacachi leather market, this is a great opportunity to purchase some lovely souvenirs. We have lunch in the historical Cusin Monastery, and later in the afternoon, we will take a short walk along the shores of Cuicocha Lake. As we traverse the shoreline, we will take in the spectacular Ecuadorian sunset as well as the beautiful endemic Andean orchids. A wonderful dinner awaits us back at the Hacienda El Chaparral, where we will spend another restful evening.

Day 4
After a hearty breakfast, we will drive southwest from Quito for two hours to the Ilinizas area. From trailhead at Hacienda, we will hike to our basecamp located at La Virgen situated at 4,240 meters or 13,910 feet. After a late lunch, we will take short hike from camp to visit the nearby "Polilepis Andean Forest". We then return to basecamp and relax for what remains of the evening.

Day 5
The next morning, our mules will come to pick up our equipment for transfer to highcamp. We then hike up to the mountaineer's hut at 4,650 meters or 15,250 feet located in a saddle nestled between the north and south Ilinizas peaks. We will have plenty of time to relax and prepare for the acclimatization climb the following morning.

Day 6
Shortly before sunrise, we leave the hut hiking up to the summit on the south ridge of the mountain. We will have the opportunity to enjoy the sunrise over the Amazon with amazing views of Cotopaxi and the nearby South peak. The summit at 5,126 meters or 16,817 feet is reached after four hours of steady climbing (largely on rock). By mid-day we are back at the hut, where we find our mules waiting for us for the descent to trailhead. We then drive east to the beautiful TamboPaxi Refugio near Cotopaxi for the evening. The normal climbing route can clearly be seen on the mountain. It consists of an ascending right traverse from the apex of the rocky triangle below the Yanasacha Wall followed by a left traverse above the wall to gain the summit.

Day 7
After a late breakfast, we will take a scenic drive up to 4,566 meters or 14,980 feet to trailhead. Next, we embark on a short 45-minute hike to the Jose Ribas mountaineer's hut at 4,800 meters or 15,750 feet. This hut is located on the north face of Cotopaxi and is noticeably busy. Dinner is prepared and eaten; afterwhich, preparations are made for an early morning departure for our summit attempt.

Day 8
Shortly after midnight, we depart the hut for the scree slopes approaching the glacier. After a couple of steep sections on the glacier, we will arrive at the Yanasacha Wall at 5,698 meters or 18,696 feet. From there it is a 1/2; hour climb to the summit at 5,897 meters or 19,347 feet. Once on the summit we can peer down into the crater and far to the south we can see the mighty Chimborazo. After enjoying the spectacular views, we descend to the hut and catch our ride to the Hosteria La Cienega, one of the oldest haciendas in Ecuador and a quiet place for us to rest and recuperate.

Day 9
After a late breakfast, we embark on a beautiful drive to and through the stepped fields that the Indian communities maintain near the base of the Chimborazo. Along the route we will stop to buy some fresh trout in a fish hatchery that is run by Indians at over 11,880 feet. We enjoy sunset on the way up the mountain and eventually reach the lower Carrel mountaineer's hut at 4,798 meters or 15,744 feet. After a delicious grilled trout dinner, we will rest and relax around the fire.

Day 10
After a late and hearty breakfast, we will hike up to the Whymper hut located at 5,000 meters or 16,400 feet. Here we will have a chance to organize our gear and prepare for tomorrow's summit attempt. We enjoy an early dinner, and shortly thereafter, retire for a good night's sleep.

Day 11
We depart at midnight for the summit, hiking up the steep slopes for two hours until we reach the main glacier. Here we rope up and put on crampons, before climbing some steep sections up to the false summit. From false summit, we climb for an hour more to the highest point in Ecuador at 6,310 meters or 20,702 feet. After we enjoy the impressive views of the countryside below us, we descend safely for three hours to the hut. Once at the hut, we pack our gear and drive down to Hacienda Manteles. The Hacienda is a lovely farm located just below the mountain. We eat, relax and recover from the day's successful summit.

Day 12
In case of bad weather we will have an extra summit attempt day. If the extra day is not needed we can visit the nearby town of Baños, where we have the option to explore the zoo, a nearby cloud forest in the Amazon Basin, or visit a fascinating Oropendola nesting site. After which we will drive back to Quito, for a celebration dinner at one of the fine Ecuadorian restaurants. The evening is spent at the Reyna Isabel hotel.

Day 13
Transfer to the airport and departure from Ecuador.

Tour operators offering this adventure:

Ecuador tours and Galapagos cruises : www.latintrails.com