Climbing in the Andes

Ecuador offers some of the best climbing in the world. Galapagos Best can provide you with qualified climbing guides and an itinerary that will offer the keen climber the experience of a lifetime. Contact us to discuss an itinerary tailored to your abilities and interests.

The high Andean peaks of Ecuador are located primarily along the Avenue of the Volcanoes, a fertile central valley, which is buttressed by two ranges, the Eastern and Western Cordilleras. Most of the highland populace, including the indigenous Quichua, ekes out an agrarian living in this region.

Some of the summits are young, cone-shaped volcanoes like Cotopaxi with technically straight-forward climbs offering the novice a chance to get near or above 20,000 feet. Others are deeply eroded, older volcanoes with challenging rock and ice routes (e.g., the glorious ring of peaks on El Altar).

For your first few days in Ecuador, you should acclimatize by ascending some of the smaller mountains (15,000 feet or less), such as Iliniza Norte, Imbabura or Pichincha to avoid developing AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) or the more severe Pulmonary Adenoma or Cerebral Adenoma. These lower peaks are non-glaciated, easily accessible within a day's travel from Quito, and offer either hut facilities or nearby hostels that can be used as a climbing base.

Once your body has adjusted to the altitude, you are ready to try one of Ecuador's four classic glaciated peaks: Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Cayambe or Tungurahua. Although the standard routes are technically straightforward, people do die every year - primarily from avoidable mistakes. Novices should hire a local guide. Experienced mountaineers can attempt the more remote and/or more difficult peaks of Antisana, El Altar and Iliniza Sur or the more challenging routes on the other mountains. As a relatively recent playground for climbers, Ecuador still provides many opportunities for first ascents on new routes.

There are three anomalous volcanoes (Reventador, Sumaco and Sangay) that don't belong to either of the Cordilleras, but rather thrust up from dense jungle east of the Andes. These climbs have the added attraction of giving you a chance to test out your machete skills, as you must blaze trails through dense cloudforest or rainforest just to get to the base of these giants. Sangay is also noteworthy for its healthy population of woolly mountain tapirs.