Mountains Tours
Snow Capped Trek
(5 Days / 4 Nights)
Day 1: (SAT) Quito
Arrival in Quito and transfer to your hotel (meals on your own)
Day 2: (SUN) Pintag
In the early hours of the morning, you will leave Quito on a one and a half hour drive to the rural area of “Pintag” from where you will start your trek at 8,600ft. You will enjoy a moderate uphill walk through Haciendas and past typical Andean houses. The trek continues until you reach the Ubillus rural area where you will set up camp by a natural spring at 9,100ft.
Day 3: (MON) Sincholagua Valley
Today you will start walk through typical Andean vegetation on a beautiful scenic cobblestone road for about 2 hours, and continue walking through farmlands for about one hour. After your picnic lunch you will start a 3-hour uphill trek to a small valley and enjoy the beautiful sight of the Paramo landscape. You will continue uphill until reaching the slopes of the Sincholagua Mountain where camp will be set up at 12,450ft.
Day 4: (TUE) Sincholagua - Manantial
After an early breakfast, we start our trek uphill towards the highest pass (14,430ft) of our trek, and from here we start our descent passing through a native forest and highland Paramo vegetation with extraordinary views of the Cotopaxi (on clear days) as we continue our descent we will be able to see the Sinig Lagoon to our left, to then follow-on and across the Pita river in order to reach our camp at a great location surrounded by a few small hills and a small river that comes straight out of the bottom of one of this hills. Camp at the Manantial (12,360ft).
Day 5: (WED) Manatial/Cotopaxi National Park/Quito
After breakfast, we continue our trek for another 4 hours and reach the archeological site called Incahuasi, a beautiful plain lying between Sincholagua and Cotopaxi, before walking on to Rumiñahui (4,712m/15,455ft) and the Limpiopungo lake in the valley of Cotopaxi. After lunch, a 2-hour drive, passing along the picturesque "Avenue of the Volcanoes" takes us back to Quito.
Transfers to the airport or to your hotel are provided.
Duration: |
5 Days / 4 Nights |
Time of the year: |
June through December |
Departures: |
Any Saturday |
Minimum: |
2 Passengers |
Price per person: |
US$ per person, double room |
Services include: |
Tour, hotel, meals, transportation and guide |
Not included: |
Entrance fees, meals where stated, alcoholic beverages, laundry, taxes or communications, expenses and extras |
AVENUE OF THE VOLCANOES
(7 Days / 6 Nights)
Day 1: (SAT) Quito
Arrival in Quito and transfer to your hotel (meals on your own)
Day 2: (SUN) Pintag
In the early hours of the morning, you will leave Quito on a one and a half hour drive to the rural area of “Pintag” from where you will start your trek at 8,600ft. You will enjoy a moderate uphill walk through Haciendas and past typical Andean houses. The trek continues until you reach the Ubillus rural area were you will set up camp by a natural spring at 9,100ft.
Day 3: Sincholagua Mountain
Today you will start walk through typical And-+an vegetation on a beautiful scenic cobblestone road for about 2 hours, and continue walking through farmlands for about one hour. After your picnic lunch you will start a 3 hour uphill trek to a small valley and enjoy the beautiful sight of the Paramo landscape. You will continue uphill until reaching the slopes of the Sincholagua Mountain where camp will be set up at 12,450ft.
Day 4: Sincholagua - Manantial
After an early breakfast, we start our trek uphill towards the highest pass (14,430ft) on our trek and from here we start our descent passing through a native forest and highland Paramo vegetation with extraordinary views on the Cotopaxi (on clear days) as we continue our descent we will be able to see the Sinig Lagoon to our left, to then follow-on and across the Pita river in order to reach our camp at a great location surrounded by a few small hills and a small river that comes straight out of the bottom of one of this hills. Camp at the Manantial (12,360ft).
Day 5: Jatabamba
This day will be a little shorter in order to give us enough time to explore the area of Jatabamba and it’s numerous Lagoons (13,340ft), the trek will take us from the Manantial up to the north eastern flanks of the Cotopaxi until we reach Santo Domingo Lagoon (13.100ft) where we will set camp facing the Cotopaxi.
Day 6: Rumiñahui valley
This day we will descent to the Cotopaxi plateau passing through a stone valley formed by an ancient eruption of the Cotopaxi volcano and visit the archaeological site of Incahuasi, on our way across to the Rumiñahui Mountain , and trek to one of the high ridges at 13,100ft, when if clear we can have a spectacular view of the Cotopaxi. After a stop for lunch we will start our descent toward the Tambopaxi mountain lodge where you will spend the night. There are permanent washing and toilet facilities, with accommodation in-doors.
Day 7: (FRI) Cotopaxi - Quito
A further four hours trekking takes us to the Rumiñahui Mountain, ending at the Limpiopungo Lake in the foothills of Cotopaxi. For those wishing to climb Cotopaxi, vehicles will be provided in the morning to transport you to the refuge at 4,800m (optional with extra cost).
The group is picked up mid-afternoon and taken to Quito. Transfers to the airport or your hotel are provided. (Dinner on your own)
Duration: |
7 Days / 6 Nights |
Time of the year: |
June to December |
Departure: |
Every Saturday |
Minimum: |
2 Passengers |
Services include: |
Entrance fee to National Park, hotel, meals, pack animals transportation guide or guides, camping staff, tents and insolated sleeping pad. |
Not included: |
Alcoholic beverages, laundry, taxes or communications, expenses and extras |
Trekking equipment list
Water proof windbreaker and hiking boots, sleeping bag, daypack, woolen gloves, woolen cap covering entire head and ears, warm trousers, good sunglasses, hat, sunblock (at least 15 spf), canteen, flashlight, pocket knife, camera, binoculars, and wash kit.
Daily Tours
Pichincha Volcano
Duration: 1 day (daily)
Pichincha is an active volcano that dominates Quito’s western flanks. A two-hour drive up to the edge of the crater is interspersed with stops to admire the increasingly spectacular view of the city unfolding beneath your feet. A 4-hour trek into the crater is included in the tour where you will be able to observe not only the unique vegetation but also the signs of volcanic activity. Geysers periodically launch streams of scalding water and clouds of gas from the fissured sides of the crater.
Return to Quito after lunch.
This trip is subject to change at short notice depending on current volcanic activity.
Cotopaxi Volcano National Park
Duration: 1 day (daily)
(Any day from Quito).
A 2-hour drive south of Quito along the Pan-American Highway brings us to the Cotopaxi National Park. Turning off the main highway, we enter into the park, traversing the Andean paramo and an extensive pine tree forest and crossing through a deer and llama reserve. Gently ascending the flanks of the volcano, we pass through fields of ancient lava strewn with boulders until arriving at the base of the Cotopaxi (19,700ft/5,897m), the world’s highest active volcano.
This desolate and rugged scenery will captivate both nature enthusiasts and casual visitors alike. Lunch is taken in a nearby hacienda in the valley before returning to Quito.
Cotopaxi Volcano & Indian Market
Duration: 2 days / 1 night
(Anytime from Quito)
Includes accommodation all meals and an overnight stay at a local hosteria or Hacienda.
Combines tour EX-19 with an overnight stay at a local hacienda. The second day includes a visit to one of the nearby indigenous markets described above.
