Cotopaxi and Cayambe 11-day mountaineering tour

Come with Jaime Vargas, a certified ASEGUIM mountain guide, on this 11-day mountaineering tour and climb the Cotopaxi and Cayambe peaks.

11 Days

Oct - Dec

High

Intermediate

Description

Join me on this 11-day mountaineering tour and reach the top of the second and third highest mountains of Ecuador: Cotopaxi and Cayambe.

I invite you to challenge yourself with the ascent of the essentials summits from Ecuador. Meanwhile, you will be able to enjoy an amazing and relaxing view. I will be happy to guide you through beautiful peaks, lakes and mountains on this 11-day mountaineering tour.

Cayambe is an active stratovolcano located in the north of Ecuador. With its 5790 meters, it is the third highest volcano in the country. The second highest one is Cotopaxi with 5897 meters above sea level. Cotopaxi is located in the south of Quito and it is one of the most important volcanoes in the world. Since last October Cotopaxi has been reopened for climbers.

Our meeting point will be in Quito. On the following days, we will reach the summit of Fuya Fuya (4263 meters), Imbabura (4609 meters), Cayambe (5790 meters) and Cotopaxi (5.897 meters). As you can see, during the tour we will be getting a bit higher on each challenge. Furthermore, we will visit the park called ‘Mitad del Mundo’, the Cuicocha Lagoon and different local markets.

Please find a more detailed itinerary below and keep in mind that it is important to have previous experience in mountaineering and a good fitness level.

So if you are ready to explore these fantastic mountains from the Ecuadorian Andes do not hesitate and contact me! It will be a pleasure to guide you through this incredible experience!

If you are interested in a different mountaineering tour in Ecuador, you can join me on this 13-day mountaineering trip from Quito to Chimborazo.

Price includes

Accommodation included
Guiding fee
Breakfast
Transport during the trip
Permit and entrance fees

Price details

Pick up on the first day and drop off on the last day can be arranged according to your accommodation.
Included:
Lunch or lunch box.

Itinerary

Day 1: Quito

Arrival in Quito and transfer to the hotel. In the evening we’ll meet up to introduce each other.

Day 2: Middle of the World

We leave Quito and visit the park “Mitad del Mundo” in the north of Quito. Further we’ll go to the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve and afterwards we’ll continue to Otavalo, where we’ll spend the night.

Day 3: Laguna Cuicocha

On this day, we’ll drive to Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve and walk around the Cuicocha Lagoon (3450 m). This activity takes about 4 hours.

Day 4: Fuya Fuya

We’ll have breakfast and go up to the Laguna de Mojanda. Fuya Fuya (4263 m) is the next peak on our itinerary. The hike to the summit takes approximately 2 hours.

Day 5: Otavalo

We’ll spend a market day shopping and walking around Otavalo’s famous market.

Day 6: Imbabura

We’ll get higher on our last acclimatization peak: Imbabura (4609 m). We’ll reach the summit in about 6 to 7 hours.

Day 7: Refuge Ruales Oleas Berge

We’ll drive to Cayambe, up to the Ruales Oleas Berge Hut. We’ll hike up to the glacier for some glacier training in the afternoon. Early dinner and rest.

Day 8: Cayambe Summit

Early wake up and breakfast. We will ascend to Cayambe (5790 m) in about 6 to 7 hours. Descent to the hut and drive to our hotel.

Day 9: Local markets Pujili or Saquisili

Depending on the day, we can visit the local markets of Saquisili or Pujili.

Day 10: Refuge José Ribas

We’ll drive to the Cotopaxi National Park and hike up to the José Ribas Hut, which takes approximately 50 minutes. Early dinner and rest.

Day 11: Cotopaxi Summit

Early wake up and breakfast. Ascent to Cotopaxi (5897 m), which takes about 6 to 7 hours. Descent and return to Quito where the program ends.

Details

More info

Climbing equipment upon request.

Meeting point

Quito.

About the guide

Jaime

4.9

(18)

Mountain Guide

Certified IFMGA - ASEGUIM Mountain Guide, National guide, Rescue Team Member GRA & Lawyer.

As passionate mountaineer and with almost 20 years of guiding experience, I worked with clients from all over the world. Each tour is a unique experience and I will pleased to guide you to the marvellous summits of Ecuador and South America. My journeys have allowed me to guide and summit several mountains in Peru, like Alpamayo, Chopicalqui & Tocllaraju amongst others and to experience some mountain climbing in the Alps of Austria and Italy.

I’m based in Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador’s famous piece of heaven, where we run together with my Austrian girlfriend a small tour operator and a consulting office.

Continuous improvement and keeping up with the State of the Art is our mission:in 2017, I completed the IFMGA certification and, recently, in 2018, I received the National guide certification from the ministry of Tourism.

President of Baños Trail Running Club, I run every week with my team. My achievement of 2018 : Finishing 1st of my category for the 100km Ruco Ultra Trail.

I’m looking forward to exploring our beautiful mountains together with you.

Languages

German | French | English

Certificates

ASEGUIM | IFMGA

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What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

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Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.

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