Trekking Adventure Program 10 Days

DAY 1: Welcome to Equator

Arrive to the international departure in Quito (2,800 meters), there will be waiting for you the guide and the driver, who will receive and drop you to the hotel.

DAY 2: Visit the old Town in Quito and Surroundings

The first day in Equator, the group will visit the little colonial city of the Middle of the world; a special place where the equatorial line cross, and you can stand up in both hemispheres. Besides, Intiñán Museum, specialized in Ecuadorian line, waits for you. Then you have a beautiful seen of a little town into the Pululahua Volcano. Lunch. In the afternoon, the vehicle rides up to the Old Town of Quito. One of the main attractive is El Panecillo, with the monument of La Virgen de Quito.

DAY 3: Hacienda Santa Rita to El Porvenir

A leisurely start as we leave around 8h30 from Quito. Transfer to Rumipamba town to start the trek to Hacienda El Porvenir. The trek will take about 6 hours and we will trek from 3000 to 3500m. We will trek through Santa Rita Private Reserve on the skirts of Pasochoa volcano. Stunning views can be seen along the way of surrounding valleys and mountains.

Total distance trekked: around 12 miles
Altitude: from 3,300 to 3,500 meters

DAY 4: Pucará Del Salitre – Campsite Santo Domingo

Today we will trek to a place called “Pucará Del Salitre”, a strategic military fortress from the old Inca Empire. It was used to monitor the roads that led to the Amazon Rainforest and Latacunga valley. This old road or “incañan” will lead us to our campsite. Along the way we will have the chance to see herds of Alpacas. Todays trek is relatively flat but will take 6-7 hours.

Total distance trekked: Around. 16 miles.
Altitude: from 3,500 to 3,900 meters

DAY 5: Hacienda El Tambo

T oday we trek to El Tambo, a pre-colonial Inca refuge and stockyard on the road to the jungle. This magical place is surrounded by volcano sand although El Tambo is at 3700m - the trek today is relatively flat and will take approx 7 hours

Total distance trekked: around 18 miles
Altitude: from 3,900 to 3,650 meters (highest point 4,000 meters)

DAY 6: Santo Domingo Lakes

After breakfast in Hacienda El Tambo, The scenery is unique and we can see how the lava rivers flooded the area during the last Cotopaxi eruption. Today’s trek will be exciting as this area has fighting bulls. A “Chagra”, a local cowboy will chaperone us, just don’t wear red! The trek today is not so hard.

Total distance trekked: around 12 miles
Altitude: from 3,600 to 3,650 meters

DAY 7:Santo Domingo - Chuquiragua

The hike will take the group from Santo Domingo Lake to Chuquiragua. The group will trek trough the Cotopaxi páramo. The landscapes around this area are magic. This is a pristine area, where we can see wild horses, rabbits, deers. The hike is relatively flat and takes about 8hrs. Approx 25km. 3900m.

DAY 8: Padre José F. Ribas Refuge- Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi is considered to be the highest active volcano in the World. This day we trek from Cotopaxi base to its refuge at 4800m. This day we hike to Cotopaxi’s refuge Padre Jose F. Ribas at 4800m (15748 ft). We will start the hike at 8:00am and it takes 4 or 5 hrs to reach the refuge and 3 hrs to return. We will have a car which will have oxygen and stand by just in case. A backup vehicle car will be at Cotopaxi’s parking lot at 4500m for any emergency cases. After that the will pick the group p tp the hacienda to have a special dinner.

Total distance trekked: around 7 miles
Altitude: from 3,900 to 4,800 meters

DAY 9: Special Dinner in Quito

The last day starts at 8:00am for about a 10km hike to end of our trek. The bus will pick us up at 12-30 pm to be transferred the hotel in Quito arriving at 4pm. This will allow time for shopping from 5-7 pm. The gala meal will start at 20-00 pm at the hotel with all guides from the hike invited.

DAY 10: Come Back home

Very early in the morning take the plane and go home.