Day 1
Meeting and transfer to the Cotopaxi National Park (3800 m). Meeting at the hotel or other place, transfer to the Cotopaxi National Park (3800 m). Depending on the gathering place, the road to the mountain lodge near the northern entrance can take from 2 to 3 hours.
Night in a mountain house.
Included meals: Dinner
Day 2
After a good rest and a well-deserved breakfast, you will have a 2-hour transfer to the upper parking area of Cotopaxi (4587 m). Next, you will have a 1-hour hike to the Cotopaxi mountain hut (4847 m). After a short break, you will continue trekking for another 45 minutes to the low part of the glacier (4990 m). Here you will have climbing technique lessons led by an experienced guide using crampons, ice ax, rope and all the necessary climbing equipment. This activity will also improve acclimatization through physical activity at altitude. After training, the team will go down to the hut for the night (4847 m). The rest of the day is devoted to preparing for the ascent. The guides will provide detailed instructions on all aspects of the ascent and help with all the equipment.An early dinner will be served and then rest until the guides call for breakfast, usually around midnight.
Night in a hut, bunk beds.
Ascent: 403 m / Descent: 143 m / Maximum altitude: 4990 m / Distance: 1.2 km one way / Duration: 4-5 hours
Included meals: Breakfast, Picnic, Dinner
Day 3
The climbing day starts very early. Departure time will be set by the mountain guides depending on the physical condition of the team and the weather forecast, usually between 23:00 and 2:00. Breakfast is served 1 hour before scheduled departure. The team will start climbing from the hut on a well-marked path that gently ascends over shallow rocky moraine for approximately 1 hour. Once at the edge of the glacier (4990 m), the group gathers and divides, in case of a large group, into smaller teams in the range of 2 clients per 1 guide. Climbing Cotopaxi requires endurance and great mental strength. The Cotopaxi glacier is quite safe and the ascent is not technically difficult, but there are some cracked sections and some icy slopes that make the route dangerous. The first part of the glacier is a gentle slope that becomes steeper as it rises. There is a series of turns known as the "Heartbreaker" which are the most difficult part of the climb due to its steepness and continuity. After that, a very beautiful ridge gradually gains height, passing next to a prominent rock known as "Yanasacha" at an altitude of about 5630 m. From here follows a relatively long transition to the right before another set of serpentines leading to the edge of the crater and after a few meters to the main peak of the volcano Cotopaxi (5897 m). The ascent takes an average of 7-8 hours. The summit of Cotopaxi is one of the most impressive, with a view of the double crater, and on clear days you can see most of the neighboring volcanoes: Antisana, Cayambe, Ilinizas, Chimborazo, El Altar and the current Tunguragua. The descent is carried out back along the same path, which takes from 3 to 4 hours. Back at the huts and after the whole group is reunited, a short walk down (20 minutes) to the parking area and return to Quito (3 hours).
Overnight at the hotel.
Ascent: 1,050 m / Descent: 1,315 m / Maximum altitude: 5,897 m / Distance to summit: 2.47 km and Distance from summit to camp: 3.22 km / Duration: 10-12 hours
Included meals: Breakfast, Picnic
Day 4
Hotel pickup and transfer to Quito airport (1-2 hours)
Included meals: breakfast
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