Cayambe Express

The Express is an adventure that offers climbers with little time a chance to reach the summit of Cayambe. We combine our most popular mountaineering school with a series of acclimatization hikes to create an ideal one week climbing expedition!

Explore the famous “Plaza de Ponchos”

Otavalo Market

Explore the vibrant colorful Quichua handicrafts at the market.
Enjoy the sounds of traditional Andean pipe music filling the market streets. Bartering for your Ecuador souvenirs

Walk around the beautiful the crater lake

Cuicocha Lake

Located in the beautiful and scenic Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve, this stunning lake also has views of Cotacachi Volcano, and the Isla Wolf and Isla Yerovi islands. Good practice for hiking mountains with higher altitudes.

Hike up

Fuya – Fuya

This two day climb is 55 miles (90 km) north of Quito, near the village of Otavalo. We begin this acclimatization hike at Lake Caricocha, from here we will ascend to the top of the extinct volcano Fuya Fuya. It is a non-technical, but steep hike. At 13,986 ft (4,263 m), Fuya Fuya is the highest point around the lakes and the views from the top are stunning.

Hike up

Imbabura

Imbabura is a dormant volcano located 35 miles (60 km) north of Quito. Its gentle slopes make it a perfect acclimatization climb for those preparing for Ecuador’s famous high altitude volcanoes. Highlights include hiking through tall grass páramo and rocky outcroppings followed by lush vegetation higher on the mountain. Imbabura overlooks San Pablo Lake, Ecuador’s largest natural lake. The best views of this impressive crater lake are found on the route that we will be climbing.

Climb

Volcan Cayambe

Cayambe (5,790 m/18,996 ft) is Ecuador’s third highest mountain. While Cayambe is only the third highest peak in Ecuador, it is the highest point along the equatorial line. It also is home to the only patch of snow and ice located on the equator.