Day 1
Meeting at the airport of Quito. Transfer to your hotel in the northern part of Mariscal. It is conveniently located in the tourist area of Quito, close to restaurants, bars and entertainment.
Day 2
Private half-day tour of historic Quito including La Basilica Church, La Compagnia Church and El Panecillo Hill. We leave the hotel by private transport and watch the transformation of the new part of the city into an absolutely beautiful historical and colonial part of Quito. We will have time to see all the interesting churches, squares, etc. You will enjoy the local atmosphere with many shops and vendors. After these interesting sights, we continue on to "El Panecillo", a hill in the center of Quito, overlooking the city and the historic center. Also from here, on clear days, we can observe several snow-capped volcanoes surrounding Quito.
Overnight at the hotel.
Meals included: breakfast
Day 3
We will leave Quito early in the morning, driving 1.5 hours to the edge of Pululaua Crater (3840 m). From the parking lot we begin our hike into a beautiful crater, descending along a well-marked path for 340 m to the lower "valley". We will take a short walk through the crater and see how people live, as it is one of the few inhabited active volcanoes in the world. After that, we will again go by transport to the city of Otavalo.
On the way, we will stop at the Inti-Nan Museum, just located on the equator line. Inti Nan is an experimental conceptual location where we will see the exact location of the equatorial line and do some "experiments" related to the location. After this visit, we will continue our trip to Otavalo along the valley road. This trip will take about 3 hours.
Overnight at the hotel.
Ascent: 340 m / Descent: 340 m / Maximum altitude: 3840 m / Lesson duration: 4 hours
Included: Breakfast, Picnic
Day 4
Pick up at your hotel in Otavalo and transfer to the volcanic lake Cuikocha (3400 m), 1 hour. From the entrance we will follow the path that goes around the edge of the crater. We will go almost all the way around the lake, but not completely, as a rather long section runs along a dirt road. After being picked up by our transport, we will make a short stop at the check-in counter on the lakeside for a bite to eat and then head to the city of Atuntaqui, which specializes in leather goods. There will be plenty of time to shop and relax in one of the many cafes.
Overnight at the hotel.
Ascent: 300 m / Descent: 300 m / Maximum altitude: 3400 m / Lesson duration: 4 hours
Included: Breakfast, Picnic
Day 5
Free morning at the famous local Otavalo market. After lunch, transfer (1.5 hours) to the archaeological ruins of Cochaski (3350 m), where we will have the opportunity to visit some of the best-preserved pyramids and listen to local history. From Cochaschi we have about 2 hours to our hotel located at an altitude of 3350 m, a small settlement located on the border of Pasochoa Nature Reserve and Cotopaxi National Park.
Overnight at the hotel.
Included: Breakfast
Day 6
Early breakfast and a short transfer to the Pita River, from where we will begin our trek, ascending the river bank to the Cotopaxi Plateau and continuing through the barren volcanic terrain to the archaeological ruins of the Inkas, known as El Salitre, at an altitude of about 3900 m. After a well-deserved lunch, we will follow a well-marked trail / road to our mountain refuge in a national park at an altitude of 3800m.
Night in a mountain hut.
Ascent: 450 m / Maximum altitude: 3900 m / Lesson duration: 6 hours
Included: Breakfast, Picnic, Dinner
Day 7
Transfer (1.45 h) to the upper parking area (4500 m). Then the transition to the high-altitude shelter - Jose Rivas Hut (4800 m) and further to the glacier (5000 m). After a break to enjoy the beautiful views, we will descend past the parking lot into the Lava Valley, which follows a gorge to the plateau. Then an easy walk to Limpiopungo Lake (5000 m), where we will bypass it before being picked up and driven back to the mountain hut.
Night in a mountain hut.
Ascent: 500 m / Descent: 1200 m / Maximum altitude: 5000 m / Lesson duration: 6 hours
Included: Breakfast, Picnic, Dinner
Day 8
After a relaxing morning at the hut, we will begin our drive to the other side of the famous "Volcano Avenue". We will first descend into the Machachi Valley and then follow the newly renovated road leading to Quilotoa Crater Lake (3900 m), 4 hours drive + stops. Arriving at our lodge, we will head to the observation deck at the edge of the crater and enjoy the sunset overlooking some of the conical volcanoes of the Eastern Ridge. For those who wish there is an option to go down to the lake shore inside the crater and climb again on foot (the hike will take about 1.5 hours down and up).
Night in a simple house in the town of Quilotoa.
Ascent: 250 m / Descent: 250 m / Maximum altitude: 3900 m / Lesson duration: 1.5 - 2 hours
Included: Breakfast, Picnic, Dinner
Day 9
At about 8 AM we will begin our hike along the Western Trail, bypassing about a third of the crater along a scenic trail at the top of the rim. With a clear sky, an incredible view opens up of the distant volcanoes Cotopaxi and Illinizas, the lake at the bottom of the crater, the Western Valley, Guayama and its city. From the edge we descend into the Guayama Valley and follow a series of trails and dirt roads until we reach the Rio Toachi Gorge. This last section is quite steep along the old trail to the river crossing, where a short walk will take us to the town of Chugchilan (3198 m) and our local house.
Overnight at the hotel / lodge.
Ascent: 203 m / Descent: 1025 m / Maximum altitude: 4020 m / Activity duration: 5 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Picnic, Dinner
Day 10
From Chugchilan the landscape becomes greener and more colorful. There are many small local industries for the most basic crop such as potatoes, corn, beans, etc. The lifestyle is still very traditional and is mainly inhabited by peasants and descendants of Indigenous peoples. We will stroll through a changing landscape with valleys and gorges adorned by the Toachi River until our next stop in the town of Insilivi (3000 m), where we will stop at another lovely lodge to enjoy a pleasant day.
Overnight at the hotel / lodge.
Ascent: 150 m / Descent: 200 m / Maximum altitude: 3000 m / Lesson duration: 5 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Picnic, Dinner
Day 11
Today we have a happy drive from Insilivi to Chimborazo National Park (5 hours). First we have to get back to the Pan-American Highway, which will takes us about 2 hours, then we will head south taking a minor road towards the park. Our transport will takes us strait to the door of the lower hut, from where we will hike up to the renown Whimper’s hut at 5000 m. During the 1-hour hike, if the weather is clear, we will have a prefect view of Chimborazo’s northwest face and the ever-dry rocky terrain of this peak. From the hut we would enjoy a great mountain atmosphere in under Ecuador’s major summit. We will return to the lower hut and start our descent to a very comfortable mountain lodge at the foot of the mountain in an altitude of 4280 m.
Night at mountain lodge.
Ascent: 200 m / Descent: 200 m / Highest Altitude: 5000 m / Activity duration: 2 h
Included meals: Breakfast, Picnic
Day 12
Early start from Michaguasca, taking the main trail of the Llama Trek (4280 m). This trek roams over the Chimborazo’s high “paramos” gaining altitude as we approach the valley that separates the Chimborazo from it neighbor the Carihuairazo volcano. From the upper pass at 4400 m, the trail lead us down into the opposite side of Chimborazo, into a very isolated indigenous region called Urbina in Abras-Pungo, which lies on the Southeast face of Chimborazo. This hike goes through a very different landscape than the ones we walked in before. It is known as the Llama trek due to the large amount of these animals roaming around the local’s farms. After 6-hour hike, we will meet our transport that will take us to much warmer weather: the city of Baños (3.5 hours).
Night in a hotel.
Ascent: 120 m / Descent: 900 m / Highest Altitude: 4400 m / Activity duration: 6 h
Included meals: Breakfast, Picnic
Day 13
Town of Baños de Santa Agua (1820 m) located under the impressive Tungurahua volcano (5023 m) that is probably the most active volcano in Ecuador. Banos is situated near this volcano in the zone between the highlands and the lowlands, giving it a wonderful climate and many beautiful natural sites and activities. We have a whole morning to visit the some of the beautiful sights in the area, especially El Pailon del Diablo waterfall and the cable car that crosses the huge valley.
After lunch, we will begin our trip back to Quito’s area (3-4 hours) for our last night in this gorgeous country.
Night in a hotel.
Included meals: Breakfast
Day 14
Time to leave the volcanoes of Ecuador! Hotel pick-up and transfer to Quito airport (1-2 hours).
Meals included: breakfast
After the tour!!! Also, we recommend that you take a look at our extension trips. These will add to your adventure and show you some of the natural wealth and variety a small country like Ecuador has to offer.