Alpine Climb Four Peaks in Ecuador

Once you land in Quito, your guides will meet you at the airport and transfer you to a hotel where you’ll relax and energize for tomorrow.

Spend two days acclimatizing to your new environment and go sightseeing! Explore Quito’s old town and colonial sights with your guides and go over the details of your trip. You’ll review the itinerary, equipment and expectations. Get ready for a 4-hour trek to the Rucu Pichincha Volcano that will take you to its summit at 4790 m (16300 feet)! After the hike, relax and prepare for the adventure.

Today, you’ll start as early as 6 am. Your guides will pick you up and drive to the entrance of the Illinizas Ecological Reserve about an hour away from the hotel. Ilinizas used to be one volcano that eventually split into two—the 6th and 8th highest Ecuadorian mountains with Illiniza Sur (5,263 m / 17,267 ft.) and Illiniza Norte (5,126 m / 16,818 ft.) peaks. There you’ll take a 6-hour trek to one of the summits. At the end of this hike, you’ll settle in a country-side lodge for further acclimatization.

On day 5, you’ll drive north for 2,5 hours to the entrance of Cayambe Coca National Park. The park encompasses an amazing 4,031.03 km2 (996,090 acres) and features hot springs, pre-Incan sculptures, and Cayambe volcano. Have lunch on the way and once you reach the destination for today, climb the volcano. Your guide will help you with your techniques and learning how to use the equipment. You should reach the refuge about 5pm, when dinner is served.

The summit attack begins at midnight and the climb to the top takes about 6-7 hours. You’ll reach the summit between 6 and 8.30 am. After a brief moment on the top, you will descend back to the refuge to have breakfast. Once you finish your breakfast, you’ll be transferred to a rural mountain lodge where you can finally rest. Not far from your lodge is the Termas de Papallacta, natural hot springs that naturally occur due to the volcanoes in the area, where you can really decompress for a small fee.

Use this free day to recover from the hike. Your guide will take you for a peaceful hike in the mountains. Meals for today are not included.

After an early and hearty breakfast, you’ll head to Antisana, about 2.5 hours away by car. There you’ll set up a basecamp and start climbing. Dinner will await you at 5 pm, and afterwards, you can rest till midnight when you’ll start the climb.

The climb will once again start at 00:00 and take about 6-7 hours. You should reach the summit between 6 and 8.30 am. Enjoy the panoramas from the summit for a few moments before heading back to the basecamp just in time for breakfast. After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to your next mountain lodge near the Cotopaxi National Park. Cotopaxi is the second-highest peak in the country with a height of 19,347 feet (5,897 m) and one of the highest active volcanoes in the world—the last eruption occurred in 2016! The picturesque snow-capped volcano features one of the few glaciers along the equator.

Spend the day reenergizing and acclimatizing to new heights for the Cotopaxi summit.

In the morning, you’ll be transferred from the lodge to the refuge carpark. From there, you’ll hike to Jose Rivas’ refuge. This is a place where you’ll spend a part of the evening resting and preparing for the overnight ascent. After dinner, relax and get ready for the summit.

Summit attack once again begins at midnight. The climb takes about 6-7 hours. This is not a technical climb, but it is challenging, and the elevation change often takes out climbers from completing the ascent because of problems acclimating. Only about half of all attempts succeed, but with the help of a guide, your chances are getting substantially bigger. The summit window is between 6-8.30 am, and after a brief moment on the summit enjoying the views, you will descend back to the refuge to have breakfast. After a short break, you’ll be transferred to Riobamba city where you will get some much needed rest!

Drive from Riobamba to Chimborazo Lodge for further acclimatization prior to the climb to the fourth summit—Chimborazo! With a peak elevation of 6,263m (20,548ft), Chimborazo is the highest mountain in Ecuador, yet only the 39th highest peak in the Andes! Climbing this ice-capped inactive volcano demands technical skill and is often on ice, so crampons and other equipment are required.

You’ll be transported from the lodge to the base of Chimborazo National Park that is located at 4800m (15720ft). From here, you will start a short climb to the 5300m (17400ft) location where the geo-domes of high camp are located. You should be there by 5pm when dinner is served, and then rest till midnight.

The summit once again starts at 00:00 and the climb takes about 6-7 hours. After reaching the summit, enjoy the spectacular views for a brief moment and descend back to the high camp at 5300m in order to have breakfast. After breakfast, you’ll head back down to base at 4800m and drive back to Quito city. Your guides will drive you to Baños, a great place for hot springs and rainforest short trips. This is where your adventure ends!

Use the day to relax in Baños and get to know the local community. Explore the local restaurant scene and the historical centre.

Today you will say goodbye to Ecuador and head home!