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Climbing

Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in South America, but for climbers and trekkers it offers an incredible diversity of mountains, ecosystems and cultures to explore. Within a day's drive of the modern capital city of Quito are 20,000 foot glaciated peaks, Amazon rainforest, warm coastal beaches, and dense cloudforest with hidden Incan treasures. Whether you decide to ramble out on your own or hook up with a local guide service, the logistics of planning excursions in Ecuador are simpler and the approach time shorter than in other, more remote, areas of the world.

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. Along the Avenue, only an hour and a half from Quito, within the boundaries of Cotopaxi National Park lies the perfectly conical Cotopaxi volcano (5897m), one of the world's highest active volcanos. Most of the highland populace, including the indigenous Quichua, ekes out an agrarian living in this region.