Sangay National Park 6-day guided trek in Ecuador

Explore the amazing biodiversity of the Sangay National Park in Ecuador, along E-S Latam Adventure Guides, and hike up to the Sangay Volcano.

6 Days

Jan - Mar, Sep - Dec

Description

I invite you to explore the amazing Sangay National Park in Ecuador! Join me in this fantastic 6-day guided trek and let's discover the diversity of plants and animals of this region. Besides, we will be able to see the contrast between the snowcapped peaks and the lowland forests!

The park is located 200 kilometres south of Quito. It is Ecuador's largest national park. Its extension covers the Eastern Andes Range to the Amazon rainforest. It covers also parts of three Ecuadorian provinces: Chimborazo, Morona Santiago and Tungurahua.

The park includes a wide range of ecotypes. We can find from subtropical and humid rainforest, to Andean grasslands, cloud forests, and even glacial fields! Besides, this inmense wilderness area holds amazing lakes, rivers, waterfalls, volcanoes and thermal springs. Also, Tungurahua and Sangay, two of Ecuador’s most active volcanoes lie here, together with El Altar extinct volcano.

Due to the isolation of the Sangay National Park, we will also be watching for sights of rare native species, such as the Andean condor and the mountain tapir.

During our 6-day trek, I will guide you along the Guargulla Chico, Plazapamba and La Playa route. Mules will carry our equipment, until we reach our base camp.

Then, I will guide you on our way up to the summit of the Sangay Volcano. But since it doesn't have any glaciers, we don't need to rope up.

Also, I think it is better to be unroped while we climb. This way, we can move easily around rolling stones that might fall. Although we do bring an ice axe and crampons, in case we find snow on the climb.

The Sangay National Park is one of the four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The other four are the Galapagos Islands, Cuenca and colonial Quito.

Don't hesitate to contact me! I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the program. We will spend an unforgettable 6-day trek! You can also check my 5-day Chimborazo Fauna Reserve hiking tour!

Price includes

Guiding fee

Itinerary

Day 1: Riobamba-Guargalla Chico-La Tranca Pucará

Early in the morning, we will leave Riobamba and drive 3 hours to Guarguallá Chico (3200 m), a small farming community. Then, we will start our trekking adventure. We will hike 5 to 6 hours (mule assisted) to La Tranca Pucará (or Ricón Escaleras) at 3500 metres high. We will set up tents for the evening (3700 m).

Day 2: Tres Cruces Camp-Plazapamba

We will leave the campsite at 9 am and begin our 6 to 7 hour trek. We will hike up to the Tres Cruces Pass at 4000 metres high. We will then hike down to Plazapamba. In this place, we will have dinner and spend the night in cabins (3800 m).

Day 3: Yanayacu-La Playa base camp

Today we will hike to Yanayacu, the conjunction of two rivers on to La Playa. Then the trail will take us across ridges and rivers to our cabins at La Playa base camp (3800 m). We will hike in total for 6-7 hours.

Day 4: Sangay crater

We will wake up very early, at 2 am! We will then begin our 7-8 hiking ascent to the crater of Sangay (5230 m). The descent to the base camp will take us 3–4 hours.

Day 5: Plazapamba-Zurita Tambo

Today we will hike back to Plazapamba and Zurita Tambo. It will take us 8-9 hours. We will have dinner and spend the night at the camp.

Day 6: Huargualla-Riobamba

We will hike for 5- to 6 hours to Huargualla. Then we will drive back to Riobamba.

Details

More info

Contact me for information about the price and equipment.

Meeting point

About the guide

E-S Latam Adventure Guides

5.0

(10)

Mountain Guide

Tomás and his team of IFMGA/UIMLA-certified mountain guides, leaders and rock climbing instructors (Alvaro, Juliana, Merlin, Rodrigo, Armin, Alfredo, and Camila) are some of the top outdoor adventure professionals in Latin America.

Whether you wish to climb some of the most stunning mountains in the Andes or discover the vibrant peaks of Central America, among other amazing options, you will find yourself in good hands with this lively team of professional local guides that will not only show you the top spots in Latin America for outdoor adventures but also, bring you closer to the colorful local cultures of the places that you visit with them.

Tomás will be your main point of contact during the booking process and will help you with all the questions you have in order to make sure you receive the best possible guiding service.

Pick one of the E-S Latam Adventure Guides' programs and start planning an unforgettable experience in the beautiful mountains of Latin America!

Languages

French | English

Certificates

AAGM | 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!

Maxine

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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4.8