Chimborazo & Cotopaxi Expedition

Upon your arrival at Quito International Airport, you’ll be met by our transfer partners who will pick you up and drive you in our private shuttle to the hotel. Your LHO Team Leader will be at the hotel to greet you. Once you’ve settled in, your gear will be checked to ensure you have everything you need.

If you arrive early, you can explore the lively town of Quito nestled between the high mountains of the Andes. There is no shortage of coffee shops, bars, and markets to explore. The old town is particularly special and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its layers of architectural history that date back centuries. Your LHO Team Leader will send you a message with more recommendations of things to do closer to your trip date.

On your first night, we’ll gather for a team briefing and dinner at a trendy Quito restaurant. Sometimes our dinners are hosted at our hotel if we feel that it would give everyone more time to prepare their belongings and get enough rest for the adventure ahead of us. This will be your first chance to meet fellow participants and your lead local guides. It’s also an opportunity to learn about the exciting experience we’ve prepared for you and ask any questions you may have.

Distance: 9.8 KM | Ascent: 759 M | Descent: 759 M | Max Altitude: 4,645 M

Our first day in the mountains starts after breakfast. We’ll depart from the hotel in the direction of the cable car on the eastern side of the city. Quito is already at 3000 meters, so for those of us who arrived from sea level, we’ve already been acclimatizing since we landed. Our aim for the day is to push higher into altitude and then return to Quito to rest and recover. Our summit is called Rucu Pichincha and stands at an impressive 4,696 meters. For locals, this is a daily stroll or a trail run, but for us, this is a serious achievement because of the altitude our bodies are used to operating at.

The trail to Rucu starts from the top of the cable car at 4000 meters. From there we’ll follow a well-marked trail over a series of hills largely characterized by short grass vegetation. On a clear day, it is possible to see the summit of Rucu from the very start of the trail. As we approach the base, the trail goes around the rocky ridge and connects to a series of switchbacks on the southern slopes. This is the final stretch to the summit. Achieving the summit requires a slight scramble over some easy rocks. From the top, we can see all of Quito, the full Pichincha range of active volcanoes, and Cotopaxi.

After taking it all in and snapping a few summit photos, we’ll make our way down to the cable car. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant just before arriving at the cable station. Dinner will be hosted by your LHO Team Leader and local guide at a trendy restaurant in town. Our night will be spent at the same hotel in Quito.

Distance: 10.6 KM | Ascent: 1,131 M | Descent: 1,131 M | Max Altitude: 5,080 M

We’ll get an early start heading south along the Pan American highway. This will be our first opportunity to see the vast number of volcanoes that dot the Ecuadorian landscape, including Cotopaxi, Illinizas, and Corazon as we depart from the cityscape into the Andean countryside.

Although North Illinizas may appear small relative to Cotopaxi and Chimborazo, it is a major achievement in its own right. The climb to the top starts in the upper grasslands before connecting with the bare ridge that we’ll be following all the way to the top. We’ll be stopping for lunch at the mountain refuge just before the summit ridge that connects both Ilinizas North and the more technical Ilinizas South.

From the refuge onwards, we’ll be faced with a combination of scrambling and trekking until we reach the top. Although we rarely need technical gear on this ridge, we’ll still be prepared with our harnesses and helmets on at all times. Sometimes snow and ice can make certain exposed sections a little challenging, and it’s always best to be prepared. The summit itself is quite narrow and exposed, so our time at the top will be limited.

The descent from the summit takes a different path down a rocky scree that reconnects with the grassland trail. This is a full day of trekking and usually ends after sunset. Although we aim to have dinner at the hotel as soon as we return to Quito, we may grab some empanadas on the road, so our team can rest as soon as we arrive at the hotel.

Distance: 0.8 KM | Ascent: 259 M | Descent: 12 M | Max Altitude: 4,851 M

Our first choice of mountain on this expedition for the second half of the itinerary is Cotopaxi. Unfortunately, Cotopaxi is an active volcano and has been regularly erupting in recent years. That’s why we have included Cayambe and Antisana as alternatives. They are all within 100 meters of altitude from one another and have similar technical profiles and challenge levels, making each climb an independent achievement in its own right.

Your LHO Team Leader and local IFMGA-certified guides will observe conditions and weather on all three summits to determine which one is safe, and feasible, and offers high potential for summit success. Regardless of which summit, the following description of Cotopaxi is a similar representation of both Cayambe and Antisana as well.

After breakfast, we’ll check out from the hotel and board our private bus. This will be the last departure from Quito until our return at the end of our trip. The transfer takes about 2 hours, and we’ll be stopping for a hot lunch on the way. There is a check-in procedure that has to take place at the entrance to the national park before we can continue our journey to the trailhead. The walk to the base camp isn’t far at all; it usually takes approximately 30 minutes. If our destination is Antisana, we don’t have to walk at all, as the cars can reach the campsite directly.

We’ll check in to our basic mountain hut accommodation (tents in the case of Antisana) and then make our way up to the snow line with our technical gear for some glacier schooling on the use of crampons, ice axes, and other technical gear. Glacier school will be brief and focus on only what is necessary to climb safely. After that, we’ll return to our accommodation for dinner, a summit briefing, and some rest.

Distance: 4.6 KM | Ascent: 1,011 M | Descent: 1,011 M | Max Altitude: 5,897 M

Depending on the mountain conditions and the pace of the team, we’ll be departing base camp in the direction of the summit anytime between 11 pm and 1 am. The trail starts on dry ground, with crampons usually not needed for the first 300 vertical meters. Once crampons are on, the trail winds up the glacier with a combination of inclines, flats, ridges, and switchbacks, all while navigating an intricate network of crevasses.

As we approach the crater rim, the ascent becomes steeper. In some instances, it can reach close to 30 degrees. It is the most challenging section and requires strength of will to overcome. Your LHO Team Leader and guides will be there to encourage you and keep the motivation going. Reaching the summit of either one of these three volcanoes is nothing short of spectacular. The views are unparalleled anywhere in the world, and jetting out of the skyline in the distance is the gigantic Chimborazo, ever reminding us that the best is yet to come.

The summits of all three mountains are quite wide, and in good conditions, we can take our time to enjoy it. The descent is a retracing of our steps all the way back to the hut where a full breakfast awaits. We’ll then proceed to pack our stuff, walk the short trail to our bus, and head in the direction of our Hacienda on the outskirts of Riobamba and at the base of Chimborazo.

We’ll stop on the road for a hot lunch and an ice cream. The Hacienda is a luxurious ranch that is typically used as a country retreat in Ecuador. Our Hacienda includes a spa, garden, restaurant, bar, and fireplace area. It’s been carefully selected to contrast our mountain experience with a comfortable space to recover in. This will be our home for at least two nights. Dinner will be at the restaurant of our accommodation.

After breakfast, we’ll head out for a fun day in the resort town of Banos. There, we’ll have the opportunity to visit the Rio Verde, located in the UNESCO World Heritage site within the Sangay National Park. We’ll also do a short walk down to the second-highest waterfall in Ecuador, the Pailon Del Diablo. There are also opportunities to bungee jump and zip-line for those of us who are up for it. For those of us who’d prefer a more traditional rest day, there are loads of coffee shops, market streets, and restaurants to explore and enjoy. You can also book an afternoon spa massage for when we get back to the Hacienda. Lunch will be in the town center. We’ll head back to our accommodation in the early afternoon to take it easy before dinner and the summit briefing.

Distance: 2.7 KM | Ascent: 677 M | Descent: 0 M | Max Altitude: 5,520 M

Depending on mountain conditions and how the team is feeling, we may choose to either rest for one additional day or make our way to Chimborazo base camp. The decision will be taken the night before by the guides and your LHO Team Leader. If we do stay for an additional rest day, then we’ll be remaining at the Hacienda for the day. If we decide to move to Chimborazo base camp, then we’ll depart after breakfast. We’ll stop for Lunch on the road to the national park. After checking in to the park, we’ll continue on the road that leads to the parking lot at the foot of the mountain’s west face. There is a nearby refuge that can sometimes be used in the event that conditions on the mountain are unclear. Normally, the aim is to ascend from the parking lot directly to high camp.

The route to high camp starts with a dry trail that quickly gets covered in snow. Usually, it is not necessary to put on crampons at this point, but if conditions are particularly icy, we may need to put them on. From the snow line, we follow a wide ridge that connects with a plateau at 5,100 meters. On the plateau are three fixed tents that makeup Chimborazo high camp. After checking in, we’ll make our way to the mess tent for dinner and a summit briefing. After that, we’ll try to get some rest in the team common tent before our ascent to the summit of the furthest point on Earth.

Distance: 6.3 KM | Ascent: 785 M | Descent: 1,461 M | Max Altitude: 6,268 M

If we decided to remain at the Hacienda for a second rest day, then this day would be our trek to the base camp. (See the previous day’s itinerary for details). If we had already decided to make our way to the base camp, then this is our summit night which begins between 11 pm and 1 am, depending on mountain conditions and the pace of the team. The trail immediately starts on the glacier with the traverse of the Castillo. This section is the most technically demanding part of the night because it sits on a snowy ridge that can be tricky to navigate and requires sure-footedness to cross safely. This section lasts for about one hour before it connects with the wider west face of the mountain.

The direct ascent to the summit starts at the end of the Castillo ridge with a sustained climb all the way to the Ventimilla summit (6228m), Chimborazo’s small summit. This section is primarily switchbacks on the snow and ice. The most challenging part is to achieve the Ventimilla summit. If conditions and timing don’t permit us to go further, this can sometimes be our final summit. If it is possible to continue on to the 70-meter higher summit, then we’ll cross the summit plateau for the final two switchbacks to reach the top. Time spent on the summit will be dictated by conditions. We’ve had days where it was possible to spend a lot of time and other days when we could barely snap a photo before the shivers kicked in.

Once we start heading down, it’s a direct descent to the base camp for our second breakfast before continuing down to the car. If we attempt Chimborazo on day 8, then we’ll be spending this night at the Hacienda again, where the spa awaits!

If we trekked to the base camp on the previous day, then we’ll be attempting to summit Chimborazo on this day. (See the previous day’s itinerary for details). After returning to the foot of the mountain from the summit, we’ll head back to Quito directly. If we had attempted the summit on the previous day, then we’ll be heading back to Quito from the Hacienda. Regardless of our starting point, we’ll be having lunch on the road with a farewell dinner hosted by your LHO Team Leader and local guides in Quito after checking in and having a hot shower!

The final day is dedicated to airport transfers. Breakfast is included at our hotel. Team members will be shuttled to the airport depending on flight times. Please be sure to communicate the correct flight times when you fill out your Team Details Form prior to this experience. Please make sure to communicate any changes to your LHO Team Leader as early as possible to ensure that arrangements are made.