Day 1
Day 1
Cotopaxi Volcano Climb experience
We will start our Cotopaxi climbing tour leaving from Quito at 11:00 a.m. and drive to Machachi Cowboy town for taking our lunch right there. This special town is the best opportunity to know what about Cotopaxi climbing and climate conditions for other mountaineers. After that, We will take our car and drive For one hour to the Cotopaxi National Park south entrance and our guide will register our Cotopaxi climbing. Otherwise, we will continue to the parking área. From there, we will hike for around 45 minutes with our equipment to the Jose Ribas refuge at 4864msnm. / 15.965 ft. As our first acclimatization. Our guide will explain us some safety recommendations and a ropes introduction. After dinner, We will rest a moment and wait for our Cotopaxi climbing.
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Day 2
Day 2
Best Experience Climbing Cotopaxi Volcano
Around midnight, we will start the ascent to the Cotopaxi Summit. It will take us around 7 hours to reach the Summit, but it will depend on our physical conditions. A considerable time to take great pictures and start the descent to the refuge that will take about 3- 4 hours. We will take a delicious breakfast in the hut and our driver will be waiting for us in the parking área and We will drive to Machachi town for our lunch. We will go back to Quito around at 15:00 p.m. End of our Cotopaxi climbing tour.
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Climb Gear miscellaneous
Climb Gear miscellaneous
Preparing stuff for this climb
Climbing Gear (Doesn’t include): Climbing harness, mountainnering ice- axe, locking Carabiners (2), Climbing Helmet, Crampons, Adjustable Trekking Poles, Gaiters, Mountainnering Boots + 6000, Glacier glasses 100% UV Protection.

Upper and lower body Synthetic t-shirt, Long-sleeved base layer, Softshell jacket, Hardshell jacket (Gore – Tex), Down or synthetic jacket. Long-base layer, softshell pants, hardshellpants. (Gore- Tex)

Hands and feet Liner and warm gloves, Expedition Mitts Gore – Tex. Thin and Thick socks. light Hiking boots or trail shoes.

Miscellaneous sunscreen, water purification, headlamp, personal items, camera, snacks, pairs of batteries AAA. ThermoThermo
Notes: we rent the climbing gear 85usd extra
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Day 1

Cotopaxi Volcano Climb experience

This should be at the top of your must do trips when visting Quito. Pato was my guide and has a wealth of knowledge of the local area. From the plants and animals to the local history and culture. He broke the drive up into some smaller bits so theres ample time to get out and stretch your legs on the way to Mindo.. This was my second trip with Pato and highly recommend him. First stop was the Pululahua volcano crater. Next to the hummingbird sanctuary. There are dozens of different kinds of hummingbirds that will come sip nectar from hand. We then made our way into the Cloud Forest for a cable car ride across the valley. We opted to hike to Nambilla Falls and back up to our starting point. I was definitely winded but the hike was definitely worth it. On our drive out we spotted some monkeys which is pretty rare at that altitude. We spent about 45 minutes at the butterfly habitat and than to lunch at a hotel restaurant. Definitely off the beaten path but the food was awesome. Certainly worth the trip. We ended our trip with a tour of the Choclate Factory in Mindo.. Very informative and yummy. :) If I could give more stars I would

By kevin c for Mindo Cloud Forest Adventure Day Tour solo on Nov 29, 2025

It was an incredible experience! My guide Juan was very adaptable and helped supply all the gear I needed. We made it safely to the summit! We ate some great food along the way and enjoyed a very comfortable stay at the lodge with excellent service. Would recommend!

By Rachel P for Cotopaxi Climbing Tour 2 days solo on Nov 11, 2025

Great trip, Galindo was dedicated, supportive and informative. He made our trip very comfortable, pleasant and safe and tailored the whole experience to our needs and preferences. I can highly recommend this tour if you go to Ecuador.

By Daniel L for Transfers + Private City Tour of Quito Teleferico equator line on Oct 19, 2025

We had an amazing experience on my tour of Otavalo! The guide Galindo was fantastic — super knowledgeable and made the whole trip feel personal and special. The information shared about the culture, history, and traditions of the area was really interesting and helped me appreciate everything even more. The food was absolutely delicious too — fresh, authentic, and a real highlight of the day. Overall, it was a wonderful experience full of good food, great stories, and unforgettable memories. Highly recommend!

By Eric G for Otavalo Indigenous Market Experience Full Day on Apr 26, 2025

Our guide is excellent. He help us with the tour, shopping, place to eat and other place of interest in the area. We enjoyed our three day trip much.

By Andrew L for 3 days Papallacta hot springs day tour Mindo Cloud Forest & otavalo on Apr 14, 2025

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From messaging about different options to booking through to a pululahua crater hike and then equator line museum it was great experience. A fabulous walk down into the crater (1 mile down) then two hilly hikes and back up to the rim. So glad we had messaged with Patricio before booking as he suggested the perfect trip for us. Lovely lunch provided. Marcial was a great guide plus a sweet dog we named Bobi who walked the whole day with us. Then we went to the equator line museum which was informative and fun. Would totally recommend

By Lesley B on 02 Apr, 2023

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Cotopaxi Climbing Tour 2 days solo

Cotopaxi Climbing Tour 2 days solo

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