High altitude charity trek in Ecuador
| country: | Ecuador |
| departures: | 2009: 8 Sep |
| price: | From £595 deposit + £3175 fundraised (55% to charity) (13 days) inc UK flights. Self funders - £595 deposit + £1529 (inc £100 to charity) |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Climb volcanic Cotopaxi in Ecuador and raise money for your favourite charity at the same time as taking part in an amazing adventure!
Highlights include:Trek at high altitude in the Ecuadorian Andes Climb Cotopaxi, the world's highest active volcano Crampons & ropes for final glacier summit Explore Quito, one of the world's highest cities Optional shopping day at Otavalo Market
Arriving in the multi-ethnic city of Quito you will kick off this fantastic challenge with a visit to the equator line before heading for the nearby volcanoes to start your trek.
Your challenge in the spectacular Avenue of Volcanoes begins with Pasochoa and El Corazon volcanoes, followed by Iliniza and culminates in the world's highest active volcano, the magical Mt. Cotopaxi. The climb to Mt. Cotopaxi's (5,897m) summit is optional to those of the group who are exceptionally fit and prepared for the tough summit bid. Much of the final climb is on its glacier.
You will start your climb at about midnight when the ice is hard and easier to trek on. As the sun starts to rise you will see that the clouds that for days have been so far up, are now down below you. Through gaps in the cloud, there are spectacular views of the Andes in every direction.
Please note: This trip can also be booked without flights. Some of the dates are exclusive for specific charities, please contact us for details.
Highlights include:
Arriving in the multi-ethnic city of Quito you will kick off this fantastic challenge with a visit to the equator line before heading for the nearby volcanoes to start your trek.
Your challenge in the spectacular Avenue of Volcanoes begins with Pasochoa and El Corazon volcanoes, followed by Iliniza and culminates in the world's highest active volcano, the magical Mt. Cotopaxi. The climb to Mt. Cotopaxi's (5,897m) summit is optional to those of the group who are exceptionally fit and prepared for the tough summit bid. Much of the final climb is on its glacier.
You will start your climb at about midnight when the ice is hard and easier to trek on. As the sun starts to rise you will see that the clouds that for days have been so far up, are now down below you. Through gaps in the cloud, there are spectacular views of the Andes in every direction.
what this trip includes
International flights to and from Ecuador, all internal transfers, entry into National Parks, all meals (inc. drinking water) unless otherwise stated in the itinerary, all accommodation (whether in tents, hotels, or other), group first aid supplies, an English speaking expedition leader and full local support team (drivers, cooks, porters, etc), relevant back-up facilities, US$20 donation to a local community project, a T-Shirt, and discount from Nomad Travellers Stores for personal equipment. We also make a contribution through Climate Care to offset the equivalent CO2 emissions of your international flight. Please note: This trip can also be booked without flights. Some of the dates are exclusive for specific charities, please contact us for details.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | International Departure. Meet at London Heathrow for your flight to Quito. Our representative will be at the airport to assist you with the check-in and any last minute questions. On arrival in Quito (2800 m above sea level), you will be met at the airport by a local agent who will transfer you to Mercure Accor hotel or similar. |
| Day 2: | Acclimatisation day in Quito and its surroundings. Start the morning with a taxi ride up El Panecillo to the huge statue of La Virgen De Quito, from the summit there are marvellous views of the whole city stretching out below as well as views of the surrounding volcanoes. In the afternoon, visit Mitad Del Mundo, the Equatorial Monument marking the line dividing the northern and southern hemispheres as established by a French expedition in the 18th century. Nearby you will have a great lunch with the opportunity to try all the varieties of Ecuadorian food. Apart from the Ethnographic Museum that displays artefacts from all Ecuador’s ethnic groups as well as a visual history of their way of life, the “Middle of the World” village provides a variety of attractions. You can even obtain a certificate for having crossed the Equator. The afternoon will be spent trying on boots and crampons in preparation for Cotapaxi. Overnight at Mercure Accor hotel or similar. |
| Day 3: | Pasochoa Volcano (4,199m). You will start the day with a 2 hour drive to the Pasochoa Volcano. You will then start a 6-7hr trek from the Ecology Reserve entrance to the summit. The trek will take you through cloud forest and upper grasslands. It’s a challenging trek to the summit, along the ridge of the volcano, where you will hopefully see hummingbirds and smaller Ecuadorian birds. Drive to Machachi. Dinner and overnight at La Estacion lodge (3,200m). |
| Day 4: | El Corazon Hike (4,788m). El Corazon is located between the Ilinizas and the Atacazo in the Western Cordillera. El Corazon is Spanish for ‘heart.’ The old eroded volcano is thought to be so-named because some claim that two gullies form a heart shape.After breakfast you will enjoy a strenuous trek up the slopes of El Corazon to one of the two summits, Corazon West (4,523m) or Corazon Main summit (4,788m) which makes an ideal acclimatization climb. The climb will take approximately 6-7 hours up and 3 hours down. There will be a picnic lunch. Return to La Estacion lodge for overnight. |
| Day 5: | Los Ilinizas Camp (4,000m). After breakfast and a visit to Machachi to buy any necessary supplies we will drive along the Avenue of Volcanoes to reach our next point “Los Ilinizas”. After a short drive we arrive at El Chaupi, the nearest town to the mountain. From here we will walk for approximately 2 hours to reach the Los Ilinizas camp at 4000m. We then rest for the afternoon and evening. |
| Day 6: | Iliniza Norte (5,126m) / Cotopaxi National Park. From the camp, we set off between 2am and 3am to first reach the hut set at the base of the Ilinizas in between Iliniza Norte and Iliniza Sud (a technical ice climbing peak). Weather dependent, you can get awesome views of Cotopaxi and many other volcanoes including Pasochoa and Ruminahui. From the hut, a steep walk up the face of the mountain to reach the summit ridge at 5100m. Dependent upon the weather, you walk along the mountain to its end and then summit via a rocky gully to stand on the main summit peak. Drive to the Cotopaxi National Park. Overnight at Tambopaxi Mountain Lodge. (3750m) |
| Day 7: | Rumin ahui trek. Today after breakfast you will walk along an undulating trail, following the flanks of Ruminahui peak where you will see birds of prey and if the weather is good should allow spectacular views of your challenge ahead, Cotapaxi, overnight at Tambopaxi mountain (4,000m) |
| Day 8: | Rest day – Cotopaxi National Park / Incan ruins-Glacier practice. Today there is the option of a gentle hike to the pre-Incan archaeological site, Pucara and and an easy trek around el Manantial. Around midday you will have lunch and then do some ice climbing practice in the afternoon. Overnight at Tambopaxi lodge. |
| Day 9: | Cotopaxi – Jose Refugio (4,800m). Your support vehicles will drive you for approximately 45 minutes to the Cotopaxi refuge car parking area at 4,550m and then you will make your way up the scree slope to the refuge at 4,800m, about 2 hours of hard walking as you will be acclimatised. The rest of the day is spent acclimatising and preparing for the challenging night trek up Cotopaxi. |
| Day 10: | Summit Cotopaxi (5,897m). You will leave the refuge at around midnight for Cotopaxi summit, which is a gruelling 8 hours of constant climbing up steep glaciers. Using crampons and ice axes, and roped up to professional guides, this climb is tough but with unbelievably rewarding views from the summit. After summiting, you will descend to the refuge for lunch time snacks and the opportunity to buy a t-shirt. You will then return to the vehicle stop at 4,550m and drive to Quito where you will enjoy hot showers and a celebratory dinner. NB: If you choose to climb Cotapaxi you can hire crampons and ice axes from the local supplier, speak to your guide on arrival. They will then be brought out to you for the summit and glacier practice by the climb support team. |
| Day 11: | Leisure day in Quito or Otavalo. Today you will have the full day at leisure. You will have the opportunity to either explore the city, museums & points of interest or for an additional charge, go shopping in Otavalo. Today is not guided but your tour leader will give you some useful tips. Otavalo, is 2 hours from Quito. This holds the best and most famous authentic Indian market in the whole of South America. It is a shopper’s paradise with incredible bargains to be had and an amazing atmosphere. Tonight you will have a farewell dinner. Overnight at Mercure Accor hotel or similar. |
| Day 12: | Quito to London. You have the morning to pack and buy any last minute bargains before an early afternoon transfer to the airport for the flight to London. |
| Day 13: | Arrive in London. |
Highly Commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
 Our responsible commitment extends to helping the local communities we visit. We employ local expedition leaders and mountain guides. Private local mountain guides are pre-booked for summit day; once booked they are guaranteed their fee even if the climb is aborted due to severe weather conditions. Our Ecuadorian ground handler is the first adventure tour operator with an ISO14001 certificate for Environmental Systems for their adventure travel operations. We donate approx USD$500 per trek to various projects including Laracunga and Carlisama communities in the Otavalo area. These communities are small young indigenous communities, who make a living from cane beans, corn, yucca and grazing live stock. The donation we make goes to the community’s school by supplying them with resources for maintaining the school buildings. As a company we have also drastically reduced the carbon footprint of our UK operations, and are making a huge effort to do so in their destination countries too. We are also investing to offset the emissions from the international flights required to take part in our challenges. We also provide travellers with a responsible tourism policy detailing ways in which you can be an ethical traveller. From packing conscientiously to advice on local customs & environmental awareness overseas to maintaining contact with your new international friends upon your return – our policy is a comprehensive document providing all the info you need to trek, climb of cycle responsibly. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |