COTAPAXI

Info

Located in the Andes Mountain range, about 50 km south of Quito, it is the second highest summit in Ecuador and the most popular high altitude climb in the country. Cotapaxi is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, with a nearly perfect conical shape that rises from a highland plain at about 3,800m (12,500ft). It also has one of the few equatorial glaciers in the world, which starts at a height of 5,000m.

Itinerary

With renovations to the refugio Jose F. Rivas being carried out during 2014 it was necessary to stay in other park accommodation at 3,700m, giving an earlier departure time of 11pm, and a climb start of midnight. This also meant instead of leaving from the refugio at 4,800m there was an extra hour of hiking from the parking lot.