The Summits of Fire Trek

Hola! Welcome to Ecuador!

Today is the first day of your South American adventure and a member of the EverTrek team will be there to greet you and welcome you to Quito. Private transfer straight to the hotel for you to relax and get over the long haul flight and enjoy some free time getting to know your fellow EverTrekkers and the local food and drinks.

After breakfast your private tour around Quito begins, you will leave the modern part of Quito and head to the ancient historical part of the city where you will spend time basking in the local atmosphere. Some highlights include the La Basilica Church, La Compania Church and El Panecillo Hill. After some lunch at a local restaurant you will visit Mitad del Mundo where you can stand on the equatorial line and take part in some fun experiments!

Pick-up from the hotel in the morning and then you will drive for around 3 hours to Cuicocha’s volcanic lake, on the way stopping at the Equatorial line and the town of Otavalo. Once you arrive at the Cuicocha park entrance the first day of trekking begins! Hiking around the craters rim you will already be acclimatising as you reach an altitude of 3400m.  The walk will go almost all the way around the lake, to a dirt road where the transport will be waiting to take the team back to Otavalo. Once in Otavalo, you will have free time to visit the famous indigenous market, where it is possible to find all sorts of souvenirs. There is a wide variety of bars, restaurants and cafes to enjoy, but as you are already at altitude we recommend saving the beers for another day, as tomorrow is your first high altitude volcanic summit!

Ascent: 300 m / Descend: 300 m / Highest Altitude: 3400 m / Activity duration: 4 h

Imbabura volcano is beautifully located at the shores of San Pablo lake just in front of the town of Otavalo. It's an early morning pick up at the hotel and 1.5 hour drive to the trailhead known as La Esperanza which is already at an altitude of 3165m. Imbabura has two summits and we do this acclimatisation climb to the first summit, slightly lower and closer than the second. This is a great climb as Imbabura stands alone and has an awesome view of the neighbouring volcanoes of Cotachachi and Cayambe. Imbabura is also not as crowded as other summits more commonly climbed for acclimatisation. It is important to be aware that even though the ascent is not technical it is a long steep climb and the altitude will take your breath away as well as the views. After the climb, the group will return to Otavalo for a good rest and a long sleep at the lower altitude.

Ascent: 1365 m / Descend: 1365 m / Highest Altitude: 4560 m / Activity duration: 6-7 h

After a good rest and a well deserved breakfast it's time to leave Otavalo and drive for 2 hours to the Cayambe’s Parking area at 4350m. Then a 1 hour hike to your home for the night, the Cayambe mountain hut at 4621m. Here we can have a short break before continuing for another 30 minutes to the lower part of the Cayambe glacier. Once at the glacier, you are at 4680m and it's time to gear up, your guide will be giving you an introduction course in the use of crampons, ice axes, ropes and all the appropriate technical gear for the climb. The climb itself is not overly technical so the course if not a full on alpine climbing course, it's more of an introduction into the techniques needed for the ascent. 

The whole time on the glacier you will also be furthering your acclimatisation which will make sure you are strong and healthy for the days ahead.  After the training, the rest of the afternoon is spent back at the hut getting ready for the summit. The guides will do a detailed briefing about all the aspects of the ascent and help with all the gear. An early dinner will be served and then it's time to rest, until your guide does the wake-up call, usually around midnight.

Ascent: 330 m / Descend: 59 m / Highest Altitude: 4680 m / Activity duration: 4 h

The summit day starts very early; your guide will choose the start time based on the weather and the team's overall speed and condition to ensure enough time to safely reach the summit and return, this is usually between 11pm and 2am. The team will begin the ascent from the hut heading up a moraine for about 1.5 - 2 hours. Once on the edge of the glacier, the group will stop and equip crampons and depending on the group size split into smaller teams in a range of 2 clients for 1 guide. 

The climb of Cayambe is long and requires endurance and a good deal of mental strength. Cayambe’s glacier is one of the biggest ice masses in the country and the climb, though not technically difficult, does have a series of crevassed areas and some few icy slopes that make the route a fun challenge. The first section of the glacier is a gentle slope until a rocky formation called Picos Jarrin, from there the route goes by a main ridge that leads up to the summit. There are a few icy sections and passages on the ridge, however the main obstacle is the altitude, so perseverance is the key.  The weather on Cayambe changes rapidly, as it is located on the Eastern range looking down into the amazon, so this is also a determining factor for a successful ascent. The climb takes an average time of 7- 8 hours. The summit of Cayambe is just spectacular, the view and sense of achievement is worth every slow step of the way. The descent is done taking back the same way and it usually takes between 3 - 4 hours. Once back at the huts and after the whole group reunites, the team will hike down to the parking vehicles which will be waiting to take you to Cotopaxi National Park and the best sleep of the trip so far.

Ascent: 1169 m / Descent: 1440 m / Highest Altitude: 5790 m / Activity duration: 10-12 h

After a good rest and a well deserved breakfast, the group will start getting all your equipment and gear re-organised again for the summit of Cotopaxi.  Around midday, the team will jump into the vehicles and drive 1 hour to the Cotopaxi’s Parking area (4587m). Then an 1-hour hike to Cotopaxi’s mountain hut (4847 m). The rest of the afternoon is for the climb’s preparations, your guides will do a detailed briefing about all the aspects of the ascent and help with all the gear. An early dinner will be served and then rest, for another early wake up call.

Ascent: 403 m / Descend: 143 m / Highest Altitude: 4990 m / Distance: 1.2 km one way / Activity duration: 1 h

The summit day starts very early; your guide will choose the start time based on the weather and the team's overall speed and condition to ensure enough time to safely reach the summit and return, this is usually between 11pm and 2am. The team will begin the ascent from the hut following a well marked trail that gently climbs over a fine stoned moraine for about 1 hour. Once on the edge of the glacier (4990m), the group will stop and equip crampons and depending on the group size split into smaller teams in a range of 2 clients for 1 guide. Cotopaxi’s climb is tough and the altitude is a serious factor, Cotopaxi’s glacier is stable and safe and the climb not technically difficult, but there are a few crevassed areas and some few icy slopes that make the route interesting.

The first section of the glacier is a gentle slope that gets steeper as it goes higher, there is a series of switchbacks known as “The Heart Breaker” for being the toughest part of the ascent but you will have the right mindset and acclimatisation in place to get past this section heart intact!. After the Heart Breaker life gets a little easier as you follow a very nice ridge that gradually gains altitude, passing close to the prominent rock face known as “Yanasacha '' at about 5630m. From this point, your route is a relatively long traverse to the right before another set of switchbacks that lead up to the crater’s rim and a few meters later to the summit. 

Cotopaxi’s summit is one of the most spectacular, looking down into the double rim crater and, on clear days, it is possible to see the neighbouring volcanoes of Antisana, Cayambe, Ilinizas, Chimborazo, El Altar and the active Tunguragua. The descent is done following back the same way, taking between 3-4 hours. Once back at the huts and after the whole group reunites, a short hike down (20 minutes) to the parking place and then a 3 - 4 hour drive to the town of Baños 

Ascent: 1050 m / Descent: 1315 m / Highest Altitude: 5897 m / Distance to the summit: 2.47 Km & Distance from summit to parking place: 3.22 Km / Activity duration: 10-12 h

The town of Baños, as it is locally known, lies in the Tunguragua province just at the foothills of the active Tunguragua Volcano. Baños is called the “Gateway to the Amazon'' as it’s the last andean town before reaching the Amazon basin. Due to its privileged location, this town offers plenty of activities, the best known are the hot-springs (baños).  Baños also has some great scenery with the famous waterfalls that lie a few kilometers down the valley. The best known are “El Pailon del Diablo” (Devil’s pot) and “El manto de la Novia” (the Bride’s veil), which can be visited by taking a local taxi.  Also by taking the “Tarabita” (Cable-car) to cross over the Pastaza River it is possible to hike through the orchards and gardens of the local peasants.Or you can just kick back and relax at the lower altitude and enjoy the warm temperature and beautiful scenery.

After a day of leisure and a relaxing morning in the town of Baños, the group will pack and drive for 3 hours towards Chimborazo National Park. On the way, there will be a couple of short stops and time to buy the last snacks before leaving “civilization”. Chimborazo volcano is an impressive mountain that stands out from the “Volcanoes Avenue”. The indigenous farmland that surrounds the mountains are all traditionally worked and very colourful during the harvest season. While driving up to the main entrance, it is possible to see some very dramatic landscapes where old eruptions have shaped the geography of the place. After crossing the park borders, the landscape turns very arid, like a desert, where it is possible to see one of the rare South American camelids: Vicuñas. These animals are difficult to see because they live in quiet inaccessible areas. They have mastered the art of surviving in these difficult conditions. The ones living in this park are not originally from the area, but were introduced many years ago and over time became permanent residents.

The road goes all the way to the door of the lower hut “Refugio Hermanos Carrel” at 4800m. You will complete a 1 hour acclimatization hike by following the valley up to the Whymper hut at 5000m and then back down to the Carrel hut. The rest of the afternoon and evening will be to prepare for the climb and have an early dinner. Your guide will do a briefing and help with all your gear and equipment.

Ascent: 200 m / Descent: 200 m / Highest Altitude: 5000 m / Activity duration: 1.5 h

Chimborazo is the highest mountain in Ecuador and also the highest in the world measured from the center of the earth, due to its location on the tropical belt. The mountain has five major summits all linked by a ridge called the “Arista del Sol” (Sun’s ridge), which is probably the reason for its Quichua name, which translates to “Ice braid”. The main summit is called Whymper and stands at (6268m), named after the British mountaineer Edward Whymper who was the first person to reach the summit in 1880 along with the Swiss Carrel brothers. Climbing Chimborazo by its normal Southwest route is a challenging affair, it is a long 1468m ascent and descent and the terrain is complex, as it changes from an easy moraine trail to ice, snow and rocky sections, with some easy scrambling at some specific spots. Even though it is not a technical climb, it is physically demanding. The climb starts between 10pm to 1am, according to the team's fitness, acclimatization level and weather conditions. your guide will decide the departure time and wake up the clients up, 1 hour before, to have some breakfast and get ready for the climb. The first part of the route is no longer the normal route, but a variant known as the “Marco Cruz route”, named after the legendary Ecuadorian mountaineer who first ascended it. This variant joins the normal route after the “El Castillo” rock pillar, making the ascent much safer and more scenic. After a short while walking on the slightly exposed section hiking around the “El Castillo” rock before you come to a flat area where the variant route joins the normal route. 

The glacier rises on a wide ridge that goes up to an approximate altitude of 5850m. From this point a gentle traverse elevates westwards reaching 6000m and then a relatively straight climb to the first summit, called Veintimilla at 6230m. You will then descend a few meters to cross a col and then back up to the main summit, Whymper at 6268m. This will be a truly memorable ascent and the sense of satisfaction of reaching the top of a 6000m volcano and the highest mountain in Ecuador will no doubt bring a tear to you eye. The descend is done by the same route back to the Carrel hut and, after packing, there will be a transfer ready to take the group on the 4 hour drive to Quito

Ascent: 1468 m / Descent: 1468 m / Highest Altitude: 6268 m / Activity duration: 10-12 h

This day is to allow for extra time to reach the summit and account for any weather delays in the unusual event they occur. We will endeavour to keep to the main schedule so this day will likely be spent relaxing and celebrating in Quito.

Time to say goodbye to Quito and the amazing volcanoes on the epic Summits of fire of Ecuador.