Visit the Pichincha & Cotopaxi Volcanoes.
Cotopaxi - 5,897 m.
How to reach it?
Cotopaxi is located 1 hour drive (65 km) from Quito. To reach it, you can take a bus from Southern Quito - Quitumbe Bus Terminal, heading to Latacunga, and ask the driver to let you off at the Cotopaxi park.
The Volcano
Cotopaxi is among the highest active volcanoes in the world, and the second highest volcano in Ecuador - (5,897 m; 19,347 ft). Its most recent eruption began on 14 August 2015, and ended on 24 January 2016. Since 1738, Cotopaxi has erupted more than 50 times.
When I visited Cotopaxi, I didn’t climb the volcano. For people that hike to the summit, it takes 2 days. If you want to take some pictures of this majestic volcano, I recommend checking in advance the weather forecast and go with a clear day, (which is quite rare to find). Most of the days, due to its elevation, it’s very cloudy, so If you manage to get a sunny day with blue sky, consider yourself to be very lucky! The best viewpoint to admire the Cotopaxi Volcano is from ‘Laguna De Limpiopungo’.
Hike the Pichinca Volcano - 4,784 m.
The Pichincha Volcano is one of the most popular hikes in Ecuador. Quito - the capital city, sits on Pichincha Volcano’s eastern side.
How to reach it?
The volcano is easily accessible using Quito’s cable car. The teleferico in Quito, is the highest in South America. The cable car elevates you from 2950 meters to 4050 meters for just $8, taking out the longest section of the hike. You will enjoy incredible views of the city, before setting off on your hike. The cable car to Pichincha runs from 9 AM until 10 PM.
The peaks
The two highest peaks of the Pichincha Volcano are Ruku Pichincha (meaning “old person”) at 4698 meters, and Guagua Pichincha (meaning “Child/Baby”) at 4784 meters.
Ruku Pichincha is an extinct volcano (a volcano that is not expected to explode again). Guagua Pichincha, however, entered a new period of seismic activity in 1981 after 100 years of lying dormant. In 1999 the residents in Quito, woke up with the city covered with 30 cm of white ash, after the earthquake awakened the volcano.
Climbing to the summit
Climbing the Pichincha Volcano it’s a very common acclimatisation hike. It’s roughly 10 kilometers in length and takes around 6 hours to complete, depending on the experience of the hiker. Usually, the hike will take 4 hours to the peak, and another 2 returning. It’s strongly advised to start as early as possible. At such high altitudes, clouds roll in at around 2 pm, and you may be caught in the fog.