Ecuador Volcanoes Team Climb
Team Departure: $3,995 USD
Dates:
- January 26 – February 5, 2025
- November 5 – 15, 2025
- November 5 – 15, 2025 (All-Women Team Climb)
This expedition is our traditional guided team climb and our most popular expedition that ascends both Cotopaxi (18,996 feet) and Cayambe (19,347 feet). It is certainly one of the best “bang for your buck” climbing programs in the world!
- If these dates don’t work for you, or you would like a private trip and private guide, we also build custom itineraries for many of our climbers.
- Add on Chimborazo (20,548 feet), which is Ecuador’s tallest peak and the furthest point from the center of the Earth.
- Looking to brush up on your technical mountaineering skills before the expedition starts? Join us for our two-day Pre-Expedition Acclimatization & Skills Training Add-On to review cramponing, mountain efficiency, self-arrest, glacier travel, and more.
- Round out your experience with our Friends & Family or Galápagos Islands add-ons.
Even though our Ecuador Volcanoes expedition is close to the Equator, don’t underestimate the cold. Many people make this mistake and are under-prepared for the climb and the extreme conditions they encounter, especially on summit days. These are real alpine climbs, and conditions can be very cold.
This expedition provides guidance, leadership, program oversight by renowned expedition leader Mike Hamill, local guides, logistics, team gear, porters, food, and support for a summit attempt on both Cotopaxi and Cayambe.
This itinerary is only a rough estimate and will be determined by weather and acclimatization. This is adventure travel, meaning things rarely go as planned, and this schedule will likely change. Climbers need to be adaptable and positive. We always recommend climbers arrive in Quito, Ecuador, on Day 1, which is your arrival day, meaning you can book your flights to arrive at any time on Day 1. Please let us know if you want us to arrange logistics for early arrivals or for a single-rooming option at an additional cost.
- Day 1: Arrive in Quito, Ecuador
- Day 2: Gear checks, Equator visit, Teleférico de Quito (cable car)
- Day 3: Acclimatization hike on Rumiñahui Central (15,203 feet)
- Day 4: Travel to Cotopaxi for training
- Day 5: Hike to the Refugio José Rivas on Cotopaxi
- Day 6: Summit Cotopaxi (18,996 feet) and descent to Hacienda La Ciénega
- Day 7: Drive to the Refugio Ruales Oleas Bergé on Cayambe
- Day 8: Acclimatization day or possible summit day
- Day 9: Summit Cayambe (19,347 feet) and drive to Termas de Papallacta
- Day 10: Drive to Quito and enjoy a celebration dinner
- Day 11: Departure day for those not climbing Chimborazo
Our expeditions are designed to be fully inclusive, except for some services and items of a personal nature, like flights, gear, and insurance. Here’s a detailed list so you know what to expect.
Included in the Ecuador Volcanoes Team Climb
- Professional mountain guides
- Team hotels and mountain huts at double occupancy (excluding early arrivals or late departures)
- Breakfast is provided daily, and expedition food is available in the huts. While on the mountain, dinners and breakfasts will be provided. Lunch is mountaineering style, which means you will eat a steady graze throughout the day to keep your energy levels high.
- Guidance and expedition management
- All group transportation is provided while on the expedition. If you depart early, you are responsible for the added expenses for transport, lodging, rescue, and evacuation.
- Team gear, including fuel, ropes, safety gear, and tents for Chimborazo
- Satellite phone to update the CTSS blog. Also available to clientele at $3/min
Excluded from the Ecuador Volcanoes Team Climb
- Flights to and from Quito, Ecuador, and associated travel expenses (e.g., hotels, excess baggage fees, visas, departure taxes, food) getting to and from Ecuador
- All costs incurred prior to the start date of the trip and after the end date.
- Ecuadorean visa fees
- In-town and off-mountain meals in Ecuador (we will just split the bill at the end of each meal)
- Personal climbing gear and snacks
- Any additional meals and transportation outside the expedition
- Bar tabs, minibars, hotel internet bills, laundry, etc.
- Expenses while on the expedition that are above and beyond the normal scope of the trip, such as medical treatment, evacuation, trip interruption, rescues, snacks, flight changes, alcohol, gifts for friends and family, specialty coffees, and bottled water, among others.
- Expenses incurred due to events outside CTSS's control, such as delays or interruptions, political events, natural events, or disasters. These may include additional expenses, such as extra hotel nights, resulting from delays.
- Trip insurance policy that includes personal climbing, medical, rescue, evacuation, trip interruption, and trip cancellation insurance
- Single-room accommodations, if desired and pre-booked
- Guide tips (customary but optional)
All prices are in US Dollars.
CTSS requires clients to buy trip insurance for all expeditions. Please see our page on trip insurance and cancellation policy for more information.
All payments once submitted are non-refundable and non-transferable. If balances are not received by specified dates, the client forfeits their place on the program and any prior fees paid.