Climb to the Cotopaxi Summit in the Ecuadorian Andes

I spent 8 days with Juan Carlos and his very nice team and it was amazing! Juan Carlos is friendly and flexible. He picked me up at the airport and also brought me back there to get my flight. I did Corazon, Iliniza norte, cayambe and Chimborazo. The acclimatation plan is optmized also thanks to the location of the base camp (around 3300m). All is done to achieve the different summits. Don't hesistate! Alexis

Good trip for someone already in the region and acclimatised; I wouldn’t recommend for someone travelling in to immediately start climbing. Climbed with another guide (Patrick) for the first two peaks. Great on the first day, seemed distracted on the second day and the rush (for Ecuador’s election day) made the second climb fast and uncomfortable considering cloudy and cold conditions. Cayambe had a lot of weather which created quite hazardous conditions on the glacier so we could not summit. Due to the extremely fast acclimatisation process, I opted not to climb Chimborazo. Juan Carlos was good about the change of plan. Throughout, it was difficult to get much information. I had to message repeatedly and ask very specific questions just to obtain any packing lists and if I hadn’t prior experience, I am sure I’d not have been prepared. The accommodation was fantastic but travel in the area needs a car so I was stuck in the one location when not climbing. Transport between climbs was long. Might have been better to change accomm to suit peaks. Overall happy to have tried to climb these peaks but the trip itself requires a lot more info for the climber and needs some prior acclimatisation.

ガイドのJuanは、おそらく素晴らしいガイドですが、ツアー開始時に一回会っただけで、実際にガイディングしてもらうことはありませんでした。なので本来ならばガイドとしては無評価です。 順応を含めて4回の登山がありましたが、その度ごとにJuanがガイドを外注・手配していたようで、ガイドが変わりました。それぞれのガイドに不満はありません。 ケヴィンという旅行代理店の男性が、ドライバー兼添乗員として我々の世話をしてくれました。 ベースはチャウピという集落近くの農場の中のゲストハウスでした。各登山にはここから自動車で出発するため、移動時間がかかりました。またチャウピのゲストハウスは、初日に到着した時に誰もおらず、暖房もなく、シャワーも出ない状態で、かなり驚きました。この状態はその後改善はされました。 我々が、スペイン語が喋れず、英語も上手くないため、そのことも影響しているでしょうが、全体のスケジュールがよくわからない状態で動かされた、という印象です。 山はチンボラソに登れず、順応のカヤンベだけに登れましたが、これは天気のせいであり、仕方ないですね。 総じては楽しかったです。

As the Cotopaxi Volcano was closed, there was a change of plans and I made the first summit at the Corazon Volcano with the guide Daniel, who helped me a lot along the way. And instead of climbing Cotopaxi we went to Cayambe which is a beautiful mountain! Juan went with me to the Cayambe summit and he is a great guide! Super patient and motivated me on the journey. Although I wasn't able to reach the summit because I wasn't feeling well, we managed to see the sunrise from the mountain plateau and it was beautiful! A show of nature. Thank you Juan

My friend and I very much enjoyed our trip with Juan and his team. Juan went above and beyond to make the trip enjoyable and his knowledge of the Ecuadorian mountains and culture was superb! Before the trip, Juan quickly responded to our questions over WhatsApp and gave us an equipment list when we asked for it. Some of the items on the list (e.g., mountaineering boots, ice axes, helmets, crampons, and harnesses) would be provided for us in Ecuador. However, we suggest using your own mountaineering boots because there was not a large selection of sizes or styles to choose from. Also, be sure to bring a pair of non-mountaineering hiking shoes/boots for the acclimatizing hike of Rumiñahu. Once in Ecuador, Juan communicated with us about a morning pick-up at our hostel in Quito. We spent the drive to our first hike introducing ourselves and talking about the plans/options for the week. Juan speaks okay English and we learned to ask things multiple ways so to make sure our questions were understood. The other two members of his team did not speak English well, including his equipment coordinator, so we relied on translation apps and our minimal Spanish to communicate. Despite the language barrier, his team was very kind, patient, and knowledgeable throughout the trip. Juan was happy to hear we had no diet restrictions and were excited to try some Ecuadorian cuisine. Our included meals on the road and at the Hacienda San Joaquin were delicious--we even eat some cuy (a.k.a. guinea pig)! Juan and the San Joaquin staff also went above and beyond when they found out we were celebrating our birthdays and we each got our own homemade cakes! Juan is a very busy guide and is often on the phone with his team planning trip details for other clients. My friend and I were glad to have each other to talk to during long car rides and on rest days. On this all-inclusive trip there were times when he is was not with us, but he always worked hard to give us options for fun things to do on our own. As with all mountaineering, the trip itinerary changed often. First, Cotopaxi was active during our visit and was unsafe to summit, so Juan offered to substitute another mountain and we choose Cayambe. After two successful summits of Rumiñahu and Illiniza, we took an extra day to allow the weather to change on Cayambe. On this rest day, Juan coordinated with his friends to drive us to Lake Quilotoa for a day visit. At Cayambe, we found out the avalanche danger would likely spoil our summit plans, so we worked with Juan to do an early morning sunrise hike to the base of the glacier instead. It was a bummer not to summit, but the sunrise was worth the hike! We could see Cotopaxi and its volcanic plume in the distance. Finally, the summit attempt of Chimborazo went well. The weather and snow conditions were great and the night was beautiful. After climbing for 5 hours, I began to struggle on the final steep climb to the summit. Juan told me to really consider my fitness and ability to finish the next 3-4 hours of steep climbing. I made the decision to turn around, and Juan safely guided us down the mountain in the dark. Overall, we had a great time! When we return to attempt the summits again, we will absolutely be calling on Juan to guide us—muchas gracias!