Santiago Garzón

Mountain Climbing Trips

Preparing for the Altitude

To prepare for our major climbs, we recommended that you hike one of the more accessible mountains beforehand.  This will help you get used to the altitude, and they're all beautiful trips in their own right.  We recommend:

Illiniza North -- 5016 m / 17,272 ft
Guagua Pichincha -- 4784 m / 15,691 ft
Rumiñahui --- 4722 m / 15,488 ft
Imbabura ---- 4630 m / 15,180 ft
Pasochoa ---- 4230 m / 13,770 ft

All these mountains are available to climb in one day from Quito.  We can help arrange the trip.  Contact us.

Cotopaxi Summit -- 5897 meters / 19,350 feet

A climbing tour to one of the most active volcanoes of the world.

Cotopaxi is located two hours from Quito.  We leave from the city in the morning in private transportation.  Once we get to Cotopaxi National Park, we drive to the parking lot at 4550 m and we hike up to the mountain refuge at 4800 m / 15,700 feet.

Lunch is served at the refuge.  After lunch we have the opportunity for glacier practice in the afternoon.  If you do not have experience with climbing techniques, this practice with the crampons and gear will make you feel more comfortable with the climb. 

After glacier practice, we head back to the refuge for dinner and some time to rest. 

At 24H00 midnight, we wake up and eat a small meal.  Then our our climb to the peak begins.  In about six or seven hours, just about sunrise, we reach the summit, 5897 m / 19,347 ft.  There's plenty of time to take pictures and enjoy the view, then we take two or three hours to go back down back to the refuge.  From the refuge we return to the parking lot and drive back to Quito.

INCLUDES: Private transportation, entrances fees, bilingual guide, climbing gear, meals in the mountain refuge.  One mountain guide is assigned for every two people making the climb.   Contact us.

Prices per group:

Chimborazo Summit -- 6310 meters / 20,700 feet

A climb to the earth's closest point to the sun.

For this trek we leave Quito at 9:00 AM in private transportation, heading south. It takes about 5 hours to drive to the Reserva de Produccion Faunistica Chimborazo and up to the first refuge at 4800 m / 15,700 ft.  From the first refuge we climb on foot to the second refuge at 5000 m / 16,400 ft.  Once we arrive, box lunches are served, and then we will have a briefing session with the guides. 

Dinner is served at 6:00 PM, and then we rest until 24:00 midnight.

At midnight we eat a small meal, check our equpiment, and then we begin the climb to Whymper Peak.  It generally takes 7 to 8 hours to reach the peak, at which point we have some time to enjoy the astounding views of the Cordillera Occidental of the Ecuadorian Andes.

The return to the refuge takes 3 to 4 hours.  We pick up the rest of our equipment and then travel off the mountain by private transport, arriving back in Quito about 6:00 PM.

INCLUDES: Private transportation, entrances fees, bilingual guide, climbing gear, food in the mountain refuge. One mountain is assigned guide for every two people.   Contact us.

Prices per group:

Cayambe Climbing 5790 m/ 18,997 ft

A mountain climb that crosses the equator line, summiting Cayambe, Ecuador's third highest peak.

For this trek we leave Quito in private transportation at 9:00 AM. Traveling northwest, the drive takes 5 to 6 hours, while we wind our way up to 4400 m / 14,400 ft.  From the parking area we walk our equipment up to the refuge at 4600 m / 15000 ft, where we relax and eat a box lunch.  For those person without experience, we offer basic training in safety and glacier climbing.

At 6 we serve dinner and the guides hold a briefing session.  After dinner we have time to rest, until 24:00 midnight.  After we check our equipment, we start climbing at about 1:00 AM, with our objective to arrive at the Cayambe summit, at 5790 m.  The climb takes between 5 and 6 hours, depending on conditions and the fitness of the climbers. At the summit we take about 20 minutes to relax and enjoy the views, and then we start our return descent, which usually takes about 2 hours.

At the refuge we collect our gear, and then descend to the parking area.  We drive off the mountain and return to Quito by about 2:00 PM.

INCLUDES: Private transportation, entrances fees, bilingual guide, climbing gear, food in the mountain refuge.  One mountain guide is assigned for every two people making the climb.   Contact us.

Prices per group: