ECUADOR
Three Summit
Challenge
One adventure. Three summits. Are you up for the challenge?! Trek through native forest to the peak of Pasochoa, take in the vast highland paramos from the top of Rumiñahui, and last but not least, mountaineer to the icy summit of Cotopaxi at 5,897m!
HIGHLIGHTS
Summiting not one, not two, but THREE volcanic peaks in the Ecuadorian Andes!
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Experiencing the enchanting Ecuadorian culture and extraordinary local cuisine while staying in a historic, family run hacienda and working ranch
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Exploring Quito, the second highest capital city in the world, and discover why it was the first ever city to be honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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Learning about the fascinating geology and natural history of the Cotopaxi region from local female guides
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Participating in a Pachamama Gratitude Ceremony and learn about her significance to the native people of this magnificent land
WHAT TO EXPECT
This is one of our most intense adventures, and is perfect if you are looking to push yourself and up the ante after doing another big summit like Kilimanjaro. It’s a great match for adventurers who do well at high altitudes (think 5,897 m), and want to get off the beaten path and work on a new bad a$$ skill - mountaineering! Be sure to read the Daily Breakdown to make sure you are mentally and physically prepared to take on this epic challenge. NOTE: We do require everyone who joins this adventure to have high altitude summit experience like Kilimanjaro.
TRAINING
DREAMS DON'T WORK UNLESS YOU DO
We’re not going to sugar coat it, Cotopaxi is no joke! This is a team expedition and requires that everyone brings their A-game and pulls their own weight, so stay active and start breaking in your hiking and mountaineering boots ASAP. Work on your endurance as well as your lower body strength and hike at high altitudes whenever you get the chance. There are no absolutes in adventuring, except this one: the better trained you are, the more enjoyable your experience will be!
THE CONDITIONS
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
This is a high altitude adventure, and the conditions and elements, especially the higher we climb, are extreme, unpredictable and out of your and our control - that’s part of its beauty! Don’t underestimate the effect that altitude plays on your body either. At elevations over 914 m, your VO2 max decreases about 2.6 percent for every 305 m. What does a VO2 max decrease mean, you ask? It means sluggishness, loss of appetite, fatigue, and the inability to exert the same amount of energy that you could at lower elevations. Altitude sickness is also a real possibility - and is a big part of what makes mountaineering on Cotopaxi so challenging. Bottom line, be ready to embrace what mother nature throws our way, and put on another layer and dance when it gets cold. Always remember the one thing that we can all control is our attitude!
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
REAL TALK
If hiking at altitude, in all sorts of weather, and perhaps losing a toenail on the descent sounds like your idea of a good time - you’re in the right place! This is a perfect adventure if you’re looking to disconnect from your creature comforts, and connect with a team of awesome adventurous women over an epic challenge!
ITINERARY
DAY 1 - HOLA ECUADOR
Arrive in Quito (UIO) + Welcome Dinner
2,800 m
DAY 2 - Mi casa es tu casa
Hike Parque Metropolitano + Hacienda El Porvenir
DAY 3 - TIME TO ACCLIMATIZE
Hike in Cotopaxi National Park
3,700 m | 6 hours*
DAY 4 - SUMMIT ONE: PASOCHOA VOLCANO
4,200 m | 7 hours
DAY 5 - SUMMIT TWO: RUMIÑAHUI VOLCANO
4,634 m | 7 hours
DAY 6 - PACHAMAMA GRATITUDE CEREMONy
Manto Blanco Waterfall + Tree planting + High Ropes Course
DAY 7 - COTOPAXI PREP DAY
Mountaineering Training + Refugio Cotopaxi
4,864 m
DAY 8 - SUMMIT THREE: COTOPAXI
5,790 m | ⬈8 hours ⬊4 hours
DAY 9 - Adios Amigas
Depart from Quito
*All distances and times are approximate!
WHAT'S INCLUDED
We plan all our adventures with most of the logistics taken care of, so you can focus on lacing up your hiking boots and being your best adventure self! Click below for a complete list what all is included on the Ecuador Three Summit Challenge.
CHOOSE YOUR ADVENTURE
We require everyone on our Ecuador 3SC teams to have completed a multi-day trek that goes above 5,000m before signing up. If you have, and high altitudes are your friend, carry on! If you haven’t, try a trek like this one first!
ECUADOR 3 SUMMIT CHALLENGE
$4,800
$4,800
TALK TO OUR TEAM
HAVE WE PEAKED YOUR INTEREST?
Connect with one of our Adventure Aficionados to get answers to all your questions!
PAYMENT TERMS
Putting down a $500 deposit will reserve your spot on this WHOA Adventure! You’ll be invoiced and must pay in full at least 3 months before your adventure starts. All deposits are non-refundable.
THE ULTIMATE ECUADOR
PACKING LIST
From the best mountaineering boots to our favorite daypacks, here’s all the gear you need to alpaca for hiking in Ecuador!
ECUADOR: THREE SUMMIT CHALLENGE
DAILY BREAKDOWN
While we have an itinerary broken down day by day here, look at it as one of many awesome possibilities that could await you. What we do and when we do it is ultimately dictated by the unpredictable conditions and natural phenomena (hello - volcanos) that abound here! That’s why we call it adventure! Most of all, expect the unexpected and be ready for a truly unique and awe inspiring experience curated by Mother Nature herself. Even when things change, trust you'll be well taken care of with WHOA quality, professionalism, and TLC!
DAY 1
Bienvenidas
QUITO
Welcome to Ecuador! After you land at Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito (UIO), you’ll head to our hotel, Casa Gardenia, in the historic center of Quito, to meet the WHOA crew. In the evening, we’ll gather as a team to enjoy a special WHOA Welcome dinner together and get briefed on the amazing adventure ahead!
Included: Welcome Dinner
Accommodation: Casa Gardenia
* Plan to arrive by 3:00 PM at the latest on Day 1! In fact, we recommend getting in a full day early, if possible, to be on the safe side.
DAY 2
Mi Casa
Es Tu Casa
QUITO to EL PORVENIR
Quito sits high at 2,800 m (9,350 ft), so today is a chill day to acclimatize and explore. We’ll start with a gear check before we pack up and go for a short warm-up hike in Parque Metropolitano, which is over 500 hectares of hiking goodness! Then we’ll head to the UNESCO World Heritage designated old Quito, to see for ourselves why Quito is called South America’s most beautiful city. In the evening, we’ll head to our home base for the rest of the adventure, Hacienda El Porvenir.
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hacienda El Porvenir
DAY 3
Time to
Acclimatize
COTOPAXI NATIONAL PARK
Elevation: 3,700 m
Approx. Hiking Time: 6 hours
After a delicious breakfast, we’ll start out on our hike in Cotopaxi National Park, which is just 4 kilometers from our Hacienda. Today’s plan will depend on what Pachamama has planned, if possible, we will hike up to Refuge Jose Ribas on the slopes of Cotopaxi. If we are unable to hike on Cotopaxi, we will take a long walk that is quite flat, which will help us acclimatize like champs! Along our 19 km hike we’ll visit the Pucará del Salitre, an old Inca fortress, and walk on an Incañán, or Incan path. In the evening we’ll relax and refuel with a delicious locally sourced meal at the Hacienda.
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hacienda El Porvenir
DAY 4
SUMMIT ONE
Pasochoa
Volcano
PASOCHOA SUMMIT
Elevation: 4,200 m
Approx. Hiking Time: 7 hours
Today we’ll go to Hacienda Santa Rita Ecological Reserve, where we’ll start the climb to our first summit - Pasochoa Volcano! We’ll start hiking through the High Andean Forest, and after about 7 hours of climbing (and passing through several unique and extraordinary ecosystems), we’ll reach the summit of our first volcano at 4,200 m (13,776 ft). After refueling with a packed lunch, we’ll head to our vehicle which will take us back to Hacienda El Porvenir for the evening.
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hacienda El Porvenir
DAY 5
SUMMIT TWO
Rumiñahui
Volcano
RUMIÑAHUI SUMMIT
Elevation: 4,634 m
Approx. Hiking Time: 7 hours
After a hearty breakfast at the Hacienda, we’ll start our hike on the slopes of Rumiñahui Volcano! We’ll traverse through agricultural fields and herds of wild horses grazing to reach the high grasslands of the paramo. Once we reach the base of the rock we’ll start climbing the steep sandy slope until we reach the central summit of Rumiñahui Volcano at 4,634 m (15,200 ft)! After a picnic lunch, we’ll return to Hacienda El Porvenir to rest for the evening and enjoy another delicious Ecuadorian dinner.
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hacienda El Porvenir
DAY 6
Taking it
Easy
EL PORVENIR
Today we’ll start things slowly, and have a relaxing breakfast at the hacienda so we can recover and recoup in preparation to climb our third and final volcano - COTOPAXI! We’ll spend the evening resting and enjoying a nice dinner together, followed by our last full night of sleep before our biggest summit yet.
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hacienda El Porvenir
DAY 7
Cotopaxi
Prep Day
EL PORVENIR to REFUGIO COTOPAXI
Elevation: 4,864 m
It’s GO time! After breakfast, we’ll pack up our mountain climbing gear and climb to our hut, Refugio Cotopaxi aka Refugio Jose Rivas at 4,864 m (15,958 ft). In the afternoon, we’ll get acquainted with our gear and practice safety and mountain climbing techniques with our guides. We’ll have an early dinner and rest before our early “wake up” call around midnight when we start preparing for our third and final summit - Cotopaxi!
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Refugio Cotopaxi
DAY 8
SUMMIT THREE
Cotopaxi
REFUGIO COTOPAXI to COTOPAXI SUMMIT
Elevation: 5,790 m
Approx. Hiking Time: ⬈8 hours ⬊4 hours
At 5,897 m (19,347 ft), Cotopaxi is the second highest peak in Ecuador! We’ll strap on our headlamps and start the climb at midnight with a goal to reach the summit as the sun is rising! Our journey will take us on volcanic sands and glaciers with 45 degrees of steepness. After descending, we’ll head back to Hacienda El Porvenir for a much deserved hot lunch and shower. In the afternoon, we can relax and you can treat yourself at the Apu Mountain Spa if you want before gathering for a celebratory farewell feast!
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Celebratory Dinner
Accommodation: Hacienda El Porvenir
DAY 9
Adios Amigas
EL PORVENIR to QUITO
All good things must come to an end! We’ll say Adios (for now anyways), and head back to Quito. You can book flights home (or on to another adventure) any time after 5PM on this day.
Included: Breakfast
As with all adventures, we’re at the mercy of Mother Nature. Due to volcanic activity, the summit of Cotopaxi periodically closes to summit attempts. As it stands today Cotopaxi is open for climbing! Should the summit close, our 3 Summit Challenge will take on Cayambe, Ecuador’s third tallest peak at 5,790 meters and the highest summit in the world to pass through the equatorial line.
It’s of the utmost importance to us that any giving back we do is sustainable and fills a need that is of value to our partners. For that reason, our visits and partnerships can and do vary depending on the season, organization's needs, and the abilities and desires of our group. Bottom line, in every case, we do due diligence to seek out local partners that are doing sustainable work, and we work closely with them to understand their needs to create an experience that will truly be of value to them and you!
“I have now completed three very different WHOA adventures, and each has been so amazing. There's always the face value part of the trip I know I'm going to get...but then there's the people and the experiences that shape it that you can't predict. This company attracts a certain type of person and it's a privilege to be able to interact with such amazing groups of strong, intelligent women.”