Itinerary
- Day 1
Arrival in Quito
You'll touch down in Quito and get transferred to your hotel. A welcome dinner brings everyone together in the evening, so it's a chance to meet the group and get oriented before things really get going.
- Meals
- Dinner (Welcome dinner for all participants)
Landmarks Quito 
- Day 2
Quito Old Town
This morning you're checking out Quito's Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with colonial churches, little squares, and narrow alleys worth wandering through. Head up to Panecillo for views across the city, grab lunch somewhere in the old town, and then back to the hotel by afternoon.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch in the old town)
Included Activities
- Visit Quito's Old Town UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Visit Panecillo viewpoint
- Lunch in the old town
Landmarks Quito Old Town Panecillo - Day 3
Hosteria Palmeras
You'll head north from Quito and do a hike around Cuicocha crater lake on a solid trail that runs between 3,100 to 3,500 meters. The botanical scenery along this introductory hike is nice for getting your legs going. After finishing, you're driving to Hosteria Palmeras, a country place in Imbabura province.
Included Activities
- Hike around Cuicocha crater lake on well-maintained trail
Landmarks Cuicocha - Day 4
Fuya Fuya - Otavalo - San Clemente
Drive to Lake Mojanda at 3,700 meters and climb up Fuya Fuya, the highest peak in the Mojanda range. The last bit to the top has some rocky ground to navigate. Once you're back down, stop in Otavalo to walk through the colorful textile market and pick up souvenirs, then continue to San Clemente where you're staying with a local family near Imbabura.
Included Activities
- Climb Fuya Fuya from Lake Mojanda
- Visit Otavalo textile market
Landmarks Lake Mojanda Fuya Fuya Otavalo Market - Day 5
Return to Quito
Early breakfast happens before dawn, then you start the Imbabura climb. You'll go up through steep grassy slopes to 3,500 meters, scramble over easy rock steps to reach the sub-summit, then walk along the crater rim with its ups and downs for another hour to the main summit. Parts are exposed, so you need to be careful. After coming back down the same way, you're driving to Quito and staying at Hotel Vieja Cuba.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Early breakfast before sunrise hike)
Included Activities
- Climb Imbabura volcano from sub-summit to main summit
Landmarks Imbabura - Day 6
Iliniza
Today's about climbing Pichincha Massif, Quito's local mountain just west of the city. The cable car takes you up to 4,000 meters, then you hike a good path with easy steps to the rocky summit and get views back over Quito. Cable car brings you back down to the city, and after that you're heading south to stay near Iliniza.
Included Activities
- Cable car ride to Pichincha at 4,000 meters
- Hike to Pichincha rocky summit
Landmarks Pichincha - Day 7
Iliniza North Climb
Before sunrise you're driving half an hour to the start at 4,000 meters. Three easy hours of hiking gets you to a small basic hut, then the path turns rocky as you go along the ridge toward the summit. Iliniza North is tough and needs solid footing, and the way down goes straight back to the parking lot. You're back in Quito by evening.
Included Activities
- Climb Iliniza North from hut to summit
Landmarks Iliniza North - Day 8
Cotopaxi Glacier Training
You're heading to the parking lot at 4,600 meters for the first time. A day on the glacier gives you both training and more acclimatization at altitude. You'll learn how to go up and down, walk on rope, and use an ice axe, plus get comfortable walking in crampons during daylight. Later you drive down to Hosteria Los Mortiños.
Included Activities
- Glacier training and ice climbing techniques (2-3 hours)
- Crampon training
- Rope walking and ice axe handling instruction
Landmarks Cotopaxi - Day 9
Cotopaxi Hut Climb
The morning is free at the lodge to rest and prepare. In the afternoon you're driving to the parking lot and heading up to the hut on Cotopaxi. This volcano is one of Ecuador's mountaineering highlights, though past eruptions are visible and the glacier has pulled back in places. An early dinner comes next, then bed soon after so you're ready for the early morning push to the summit.
- Meals
- Dinner (Early dinner before night summit attempt)
Included Activities
- Climb to hut on Cotopaxi
Landmarks Cotopaxi 
- Day 10
Return to Quito
You leave shortly after midnight heading for the Cotopaxi summit. The climb isn't too technical but it's physically demanding with relentless steepness and a 40 to 45-degree slope near the top. If the weather cooperates, you'll catch views of Ecuador's snow-capped mountains at sunrise. The descent follows the same route back to the hut for a break, then down to the parking lot. You're back in Quito by afternoon, exhausted but satisfied.
Included Activities
- Climb Cotopaxi to summit and return to parking lot
Landmarks Cotopaxi
