Day 1 Quito

Arrival in Quito in 2.850 meters of altitude. Airport pick up and transfer to hotel.

Exclusively included: Transfer from airport

Day 2 Quito

City Tour: Early in the morning, the tour will depart towards downtown Quito, or Centro Histórico, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. We will start with a panoramic view of Alameda Park and the Basilica, followed by a walk down the street of the Seven Crosses. The trip will continue with a walking tour, starting at Independence Square. From here, we will visit the presidential palace, the main cathedral, the gold-plated La Compañía Church, San Francisco Church and San Francisco Plaza. From here we will take a bus to El Teleferico, where we will go by cable cars to Cruz Loma at 4000 meters. From here you will have a beautiful view of the city. In the afternoon we will visit  “La Mitad del Mundo” (Middle of the World) in Spanish. then we will visit the Intiñan Museum where you can experience the wonders of being present at latitude 0°0’0″.

Included meals: Breakfast | Dinner

Exclusively included: Entrance fee La Compania Church, El Teleferico, Mitad del Mundo City, Intiñan Museum

Day 3 Quito/Pasochoa Volcano (4.200 m.)

After a short drive southwards from Quito, we reach the Pasochoa forest reserve. Pasochoa is a dormant volcano, which has formed an open crater where many hiking trails can be found in order to enjoy the magnificent and unique flora and fauna of this nice area. Through dense bushes the gentle uphill trek rises to the top of Pasochoa. We will spend the night in a lodge at the base of Ilinizas Ecological Reserve.

Included meals: Breakfast | Lunch

Exclusively included: Entrance fee for the national park

Day 4 Ilinizas Ecological Reserve/Corazon Volcano (4.790 m.)

The Corazon volcano is located about 40km southwest of Quito in the “Illinizas Ecological Reserve”. The ascent is an easy hiking tour through the Paramo vegetation and is perfect for acclimatization, as well as for people who simply want to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Cotopaxi and its nearby volcanoes with the valley below. Climbing Corazon is perfect for becoming familiar with the altitude. Pre-conquest ruins have been reported on the northeast slopes but they are very overgrown and have yet to be investigated.

Included meals: Breakfast | Lunch

Exclusively included: Harness | Helmet

Day 5 Iliniza Refuge

We will travel to the north for about one hour and thirty minutes until we reach the parking lot of the Reserva Ecologica Ilinizas at 3900m. From here we will start hiking towards the Nuevos Horizontes Mountain Refuge. This hike takes about three hours through a well-marked trail, around Polylepis trees, and volcanic rocks. When we arrive to the refuge located at 4,700m, we will rest before having a final gear check and a healthy dinner.

Included meals: Breakfast | Dinner

Day 6 Iliniza Norte Pick (5.126 m.)

In the morning we will have a wholesome breakfast before starting our ascension through the volcanic rock ridge that leads to the summit. It will take us about 2-3 hours to reach the top. With a close view of the vertical alpine walls of Iliniza Sur, we will enjoy the summit before heading down to the refuge. Then we will head to the vehicles and return to the lodge.

Included meals: Breakfast | Lunch

Exclusively included: Harness | Helmet

Day 7 Ilinizas Ecological Reserve/Quilotoa Loop

Nearby the Andean Mountains there is an emerald-colored lagoon, located inside of a volcano crater with a height of 3800m named Quilotoa. The drive passes through Zumbahua canyon and tons of indigenous towns & farmlands. We will visit the Saquisilí (Thursdays), Zumbahua (Saturdays) or Pujilí (Sundays) indigenous market. We will descend down to the bottom of the crater and hike back up.

Included meals: Breakfast | Lunch

Exclusively included: Entrance fee Quilotoa

Day 8 Cotopaxi National Park/Glacier-School

We will be transported to the Cotopaxi National park, where we will drive to the altitude of 4.600 meters on the Cotopaxi volcano, from where we will hike to the refuge at 4.800 meters. From here we will hike until the closest glacier, where we will get lessons in how to move correctly on the glacier with crampons, ice axis and rope. After this we will hike back down to the parking lot where a car will take us to a beautiful lodge inside of the national park. Here we will relax for the rest of the day.

Included meals: Breakfast | Lunch

Exclusively included: Glacier lessons

Day 9 Cotopaxi National Park

After lunch we will be transported to the parking lot at 4.600 meters once again. From here we will hike to the refuge at 4.800 meters. Relax for the rest of the day and preparation for the night climb. Cotopaxi is one of the most beautiful volcanoes in the Ecuadorian andes. The national park is known for its rich fauna and Cotopaxi has the highest number of clear days compared to other mountains and volcanoes in Ecuador.

Included meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Day 10 Cotopaxi Volcano Summit (5.897 m.) /Quito

We leave the hut at around 1am. First we walk for 1 hour to the start of the glacier where we put on our crampons and use the rope. A large featureless glacier is then followed, weaving between large, obvious crevasses. The final section is a bit steeper. The summit takes us above the crater.

During the climb ropes will be used to protect the team from crevasses and also to provide protection on the steeper sections. The ascent normally takes between six to seven hours up and two hours for the descent. Afterwards we will head back to Quito to relax.

Included meals: Breakfast | Lunch

Exclusively included: Technical equipment (boots, crampons, harness, iceaxe, helmet, gaiters)

Day 11 Quito

Rest day in Quito.

The day is also saved as a reserve day in case of bad weather or other circumstances on the Cotopaxi Volcano.

Included meals: Breakfast

Day 12 Quito/Home

Transfer to the airport.

Included meals: Breakfast

Exclusively included: Airport Transfer