Climbing Cayambe Volcano, 8-day program

I’ll pick you up at Mariscal Sucre Airport in Quito and take you to your hotel. Depending on what time you get in, we might have time to visit the Historical Center of Quito.

Early in the morning, we’ll leave from Quito and drive southeast for about an hour until we get to the start of the trail at 3300 m. We will start hiking, enjoying the hike through a primary Andean forest that’s great for birdwatching. If it’s a clear day, as we gain elevation we might be able to see the surrounding mountains of Antisana, Cayambe, Illinizas, and Cotopaxi. The hike to the summit (4200 m) of the ancient volcano and back will take about 6 hours round trip. After the hike, we’ll drive to the village of the El Chaupi where we’ll stay at the hostel Andes Alps.

We’ll start early in the morning and drive up to the trailhead (4000 m) where we’ll start our hike up El Corazon. The first part of the hike is through Andean grass. Then we’ll pass through a sandy scramble section that takes us to the Corazon summit (4788 m). The hike is about 8 hours long and we will stop to have lunch in the middle. After descending, we will return to the hostel.

After breakfast, we’ll drive up to the parking lot at 3900 m. We will then start a 3-hour hike to the “Nuevos Horizontes Refuge” (4750 m). At the refuge, we will relax for a few minutes and get prepared with our helmet and harness for the rest of the ascent. We will hike up towards the saddle formed between two peaks and then head up to the Illiniza north summit. It will take us 2-3 hours to reach the summit (5126 m). After enjoying the summit, we’ll head back to the parking lot and drive back to El Chaupi. We will spend the night again at the Andes Alps hostel.

We will drive for about 3.5 hours to arrive at the Ruales Oleas Cayambe Refuge. At this shelter, we will rest for a couple of hours, until dinner time. Then we will go to sleep to prepare for our climb the next day.

We will wake up at midnight, have a light breakfast, put our gear on, and start climbing at around 1 am. The ascent takes 6-7 hours. The route to the summit follows a safe glacier terrain, but one potential challenge is a gaping bergschrund. When we arrive at the summit (5970 m), we’ll take our time to take photos and enjoy the views. Then we’ll hike for 2-3 hours down to the refuge. We will rest at the refuge and pack our belongings to get ready to drive back to Quito.

After breakfast we will drive to the famous Otavalo Market, where you can buy handicrafts. The main market day in Otavalo is Saturday. After exploring the market and having lunch, we will depart Otavalo and travel to Laguna Cuicocha. Laguna Cuicocha is located in a volcanic crater and contains two green islands. We will then visit the town of Cotacachi, which is famous for its leather goods. After that, we will make our way back to Quito.

I’ll pick you up at your hotel in Quito and take you to the airport for your flight back home.