Climbing Expeditions Cotopaxi & Chimborazo

Day 1: Quito-Cotopaxi.
Mid morning departure from Quito south through the Panamericana Highway, where we will cross a rich green and fertile valley, commonly referred to as "The Valley of the Volcanoes". After one and a half hours, we head east into The Cotopaxi National Park, where our driving destination ends at the Cotopaxi car parking lot located at 4.550m (14.924ft). From here we have a 45 minutes hike with full packs up to the Jose Rivas Refuge on the flank of Cotopaxi at 4.800m (15.744 ft). After arrival at the hut, we will enjoy a hot tea and a short rest, before heading out to the glacier for an afternoon of technical training and equipment familiarization. Supper late in the afternoon and then early to bed at 6:30 P.M. Overnight in the refuge. -/L/D

Day 2: Cotopaxi Summit.
Wake up at midnight. Breakfast and equipment check-up. We leave the refuge at 1:00 A.M. We will pass a group of uniform slopes and ice ramps of 30 and 35 degrees before reaching a glacier platform. We enjoy one of the spectacular color displays in the Andes. From this point we see the valley below us, where the morning sunrise welcomes us with incredible colors. Our route will pass under a base of rock 400 feet wide called Yanasacha "Black Forest". The quichua name says it all, it’s a black wall of impressive size. The indians called it The Route of The Moon. Here we start climbing glacier slopes of 35 and 45 degrees, at the top of which we will only have 15 more minutes climb to emerge onto Ecuador's second highest summit: Volcano Cotopaxi at 5.898m (19.348 ft). Our approximate climbing time will be 7 hours. Return to the refuge around 9:00 or 10:00 A.M. Rest and drive to a beautiful country-side hacienda located at the base of Cotopaxi. B/L/-

Day 3: Chimborazo first Refuge.
Depart from hacienda located at the base of Cotopaxi at 10:00 A.M. Drive south of Cotopaxi passing the agricultural towns of Latacunga and Ambato. 5 hours drive crossing agricultural and indigenous areas, where a picture or two may attract you. We will arrive at the lower refuge of Chimborazo "Carrel" at 4.800m (15.744 ft) around 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon and continue with our acclimatization. Overnight in the refuge. B/L/D

Day 4: Chimborazo second refuge.
Breakfast at 8:00 A.M. This day we will need to rest and acclimatize for a higher altitude climb. We begin the day practicing Rock climbing for approximately 3 hours, then we return to the "carrel" refuge for Lunch. After lunch we have a 40 minutes walk with full packs up to the Whimper hut on the Chimborazo flank, located at 5.000m (16.400 ft). Later we will take a short 2 or 3 hours hike around the ridge and then return to the refuge, where we will rest and prepare ourselves for the early morning departure. Early dinner and once again, we go to bed early at 6:30 P.M. Overnight in the refuge. B/L/D

Day 5: Chimborazo Summit.
Chimborazo, with 5 summits, is Ecuador's highest mountain and a massive volcano! We rise at midnight for breakfast and an equipment check-up. Leave the hut at 1:00 A.M. We move immediately to the huge glacier on Chimborazo's southwest face, where we first traverse moderately angled ice slopes, climb through a series of icefalls and up to the steep ice ramps. Climbing simultaneously on moderate grounds belaying up the steep pitches. Our team will rope together in order to cross crevasses and finally make it to the summit. This is the highest point of the Andes here in Ecuador, and from here we have a magnificent view of the emerging volcanoes that form the eastern and western Cordillera. The mentioned volcanoes seem to emerge from the clouds below our feet. Our approximate climbing time is 8 to 9 hours. Return to the refuge around noon. Soon we will return to Quito with Ecuador’s highest volcano and the king of the ANDES in Ecuador under our feet. B/L/-