Quito, Ecuador

Rucu Pinchincha is an incredibly accessible (yet difficult) hike from Quito. If you're staying in the Old Town or Mariscal, it's a cheap cab ride to the base of the Teleferico (cable car) that will take you up to the start of the hike. The cable car opens at 9am most days, and costs 8.50 for fore...

UPDATE: as of August 2017, Cotopaxi is open again to climbing. Though only Ecuador’s second-tallest peak, Cotopaxi (19,347 ft.), the world’s tallest active volcano, is certainly its most iconic.  Visible from Quito, the near-perfect volcanic cone is visible from Quito and stretches nearly four m...

Antisana is the 4th highest peak in Ecuador, after Chimborazo, Cayambe, and Cotopaxi. However, due to it's access restrictions and remote location, it is climbed far less than the others. East of Quito, surrounded by an ecological preserve, you won't find a cushy refugio here to start your hike. ...

Not very far from the touristy Ecuadorian town of Otavalo and the retirement paradise of Cotacachi is the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve. It boasts a rainforest, many volcanic lakes, and waterfalls. The infamous 11,089 foot tall Cotacachi Volcano is located within the reserve, towering near...

Cayambe is Ecuador’s third tallest peak and is often recommended as an excellent mountain for first-time mountaineers looking to gain glacier travel and high-altitude climbing experience.  It’s also the highest point along the equator anywhere in the world.  At 18,996 feet (5,790 meters), it’s th...