Ecuador is one of the world's most varied countries. Similar in size to the UK, the land rises from the Pacific to the "The Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the high central region of the Andes before dramatically dropping off into the Amazon Basin. Travelling southerly along its Andean spine are the mountain/volcanic gems of Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo.For the mountaineer with a limited time schedule these mountains offer a fantastic mountaineering experience. More importantly travel to Ecuador is rather simpler and shorter than to the greater ranges so we can offer a host of exciting tailor made mountain trips ranging from one to three weeks and we can also provide a host of adventure activities along the way.
On all of our trips we will base ourselves in the historic capital of Quito where you will acclimatise before taking part in one of our exciting Ecuador adventure expeditions run in conjunction with our expert in country providers. The emphasis is on acclimatisation and developing the skills required to climb high altitude mountains safely and successfully.
Ecuador's "Avenue of the Volcanoes" is a 325 km. long valley between the major Cordillera ranges. Massive and standing alone, the volcanoes provide brooding, snow-covered contrast to the green equatorial lushness. They also provide mountaineers a rare opportunity to achieve very high altitudes without technical difficulty. Volcano climbing offers an exciting, unforgettable challenge.
In the Indian language, Chimborazo means "mountain of snow". It is an enormous mass of overwhelming scale. Alexander Von Humboldt made an unsuccessful attempt to climb Chimborazo in 1802 and at the time he believed it to be the highest mountain in the world. This distinction lasted until the discovery of Mt Everest fifty years later. Chimborazo was finally climbed by Edward Whimper in 1880. Today it is climbed fairly frequently, but less than Cotopaxi, which is the highest active volcano of the world at nearly 6,000 meters (5,897m).
Cotopaxi National Park is located close to Latacunga. Cotopaxi volcano is said to be the highest active volcano in the world (though, as with most things "highest," there's some debate about that claim). Whether you get close to the summit or not, the view of its perfectly shaped, snow-covered cone is stunning—if you get a clear day. The national park protects a large area surrounding the peak and it is the home to wild horses, deer, some captive llamas and several rare species you'll probably never lay eyes on including puma and Andean condors. The park includes forests and plains that are home to animals and birds such as blue-billed pointed ducks, Andean gulls, hummingbirds, rabbits, deer, gazelles, paramo, wolves, bears, foxes and weasels.
Chimborazo National Park is located about 150 km south of Quito, this park is the site of a uniquely insensible geographical marvel--the misty peak of Mount Chimborazo, which marks the farthest point from the centre of the Earth. The distinction is caused by planetary bulging at the equator. The peak of this monstrous volcano is Ecuador's highest point at 6,310 meters.
In addition we can offer you an excellent winter skills course in Ecuador that will be of benefit for your climbs there or elsewhere in the world. The course will provide you instruction in the winter skills that you need for travelling in the big mountains of the world and will include some excellent ice climbing on Cayambe glacier.
We outline a basic day by day schedule and a breakdown of what is and what is not included for all of our trips on our itinerary pages. Click on the links directly above or on the top left to take you straight to the itinerary pages. Also see our essential information page for further details on your trip.