COMFORT LEVEL: Mid Range (Hotels) and Basic (Mountain Refuges) DEPARTURES: Any Day Day 1: Quito Arrival at Quito, the World's

COMFORT LEVEL: mid range (hotels) and basic (mountain refuges) DEPARTURES: any day

Day 1: Quito Arrival at Quito, the world’s second highest capital at 2850 m. altitude. After passing immigration you can pick up your luggage and pass customs (aduanas). Right after customs you will step into the exit hall where our driver will be waiting for you showing a sign with your names on it. He will drive you to the hotel. Accommodation in hotel / this day no meals are included

Day 2: Equator and Pululahua This is an easy day to give your body the time to get over the jetlag and adjust to the altitude. Departure from Quito and drive to the equator, where you can stand with one foot in each hemisphere. At the site museum Museo Solar Inti Ñan you will learn the ins and outs of the middle of the earth. Continue to the nearby Reserva Geobotánica Pululahua, named after the extinct Pululahua volcano, for a short hike down into this huge volcanic crater, which is nowadays used for agriculture. In the afternoon return to Quito. Accommodation in hotel / including breakfast

web: www.julioverne-travel.com * e-mail: [email protected] * skype: julio.verne.travel * P.O. Box 0601-181 Phone: 593(0)3-2963436 * Cellphone: 593-(0)99-416 7350 * Brasil 22-40 entre Av. Daniel León Borja y 1era Constituyente RIOBAMBA - ECUADOR Day 3: Volcano Avenue to Riobamba Pick up at your hotel in Quito and transfer (3,5 hours) along the Volcano Avenue to Riobamba. With clear weather you can see the snow-capped peaks of Ilinizas, Cotopaxi, Altar, Tungurahua, Carihuairazo, and Chimborazo. Accommodation in small hotel with excellent roof top views of the volcanoes surrounding Riobamba. Accommodation in hotel / including breakfast

Day 4: Polylepis Hike After breakfast our trekking guide will pick you up for a day hike to start the acclimatization process. From Riobamba we drive up by car to a small indigenous community, located at the foot of Chimborazo Mt. at 3850 m. / 12.632 ft. altitude. From the village we hike up to a small Andean mountain forest, at 4200 m. / 13.780 ft. altitude, with the enchanting Polylepis – also known as “paper tree” –tree species, that can survive at high altitudes. There are also many typical paramo plants like the chuquiragua and cacho de venado (deer’s antler). With clear weather you will have good views on Chimborazo. In the afternoon return by car to Riobamba. Accommodation in hotel / including breakfast and box lunch Day 5: Vicuña Trek We leave Riobamba at 9.00 by car and drive to the trailhead at 3800 m./12.467 ft. altitude. We put our equipment on horses and then start a 6 – 7 hour hike. The first 2 hours we hike on a small road, until we reach a small refuge at 4200 m. / 13.780 ft. If the weather is clear, you will have great panoramic views of the Andes mountain range, including the volcanoes Tungurahua, Altar, Sangay, Chimborazo and Carihuairazo. We continue on a trail up to 4400 m. / 14.436 ft. and then start going down to the beautiful Abraspungo Valley, with plants like the deer’s antler, cushion plants and lichens. This area is home to vicuñas (a protected species of camelid), and with some luck we’ll see the Chimborazo Hillstar, an endemic species of hummingbird that lives in the high Andes. Spend the night in a basic refuge in the indigenous community of Mechahuasca. Accommodation in basic refuge / including breakfast, box lunch and dinner

Day 6: Vicuña Trek After breakfast we leave the refuge and start the second day of this trek, again with an average hiking time of 6 – 7 hours. From Mechahuasca we trek along the northwest flank of Chimborazo. The opposite of the mainly humid ecosystem of the first day, this is a desert-like area with paramo flowers like the chuquiragua and arquitecta. Here we can see herds of vicuñas, and with clear weather we can enjoy views of the huge glaciers of Chimborazo. In the afternoon we will arrive at the Carrel refuge at 4850 m./15.748 ft. From the refuge we return by car to Mechahuasca. Accommodation in basic refuge / including breakfast, box lunch and dinner

web: www.julioverne-travel.com * e-mail: [email protected] * skype: julio.verne.travel * P.O. Box 0601-181 Phone: 593(0)3-2963436 * Cellphone: 593-(0)99-416 7350 * Brasil 22-40 entre Av. Daniel León Borja y 1era Constituyente RIOBAMBA - ECUADOR Day 7: Carihuairazo Ascent At about 3.00 we start the ascent. After 2 – 3 hours trekking on the paramo grasslands, we reach the small glacier of Carihuairazo. Here we will rope up and practice snow and glacier walking skills, until reaching the summit at around 8.00 a.m. Depending on the snow conditions, the final 20 meters before reaching the summit may be more or less technical. From the summit you will enjoy great views of Chimborazo, the big neighbor of this mountain. Transfer to Cuello de Luna. Accommodation in mountain inn / including breakfast, box lunch and dinner

Day 8: Cuello de Luna Rest day. Accommodation in mountain inn / including breakfast and dinner

Day 9: Cotopaxi Refuge Pick up at Cuello de Luna at 11.00 a.m. and short drive to the entrance of the Cotopaxi National Park. Continue for another 30 kilometers up to the parking place (4600 m. / 15.092 ft.). After a 50-minute hike we arrive at the refuge (4800 m. / 15.748 ft.) In the afternoon the guide will teach you how to use the equipment in a climbing practice on the glacier. Dinner and rest in the refuge. Accommodation in basic refuge / including breakfast, box lunch and dinner

Day 10: Cotopaxi Ascent At around midnight, when the snow is still hard, we start the ascent. Even though Cotopaxi is not considered a technical climb, the route does have several crevasses, and some steep sections between 35 and 45 degrees. After about 6 – 7 hours we will reach the summit at sunrise. On clear days you will have amazing views of the crater of Cotopaxi, and the Volcano Avenue with other snowcapped peaks. The descent to the refuge takes about 3 hours. On the way back to Riobamba we will have lunch in a restaurant. Arrival at about 14.00 p.m. Accommodation in hotel / including breakfast and lunch

Day 11: Riobamba Rest day. Accommodation in hotel / including breakfast

web: www.julioverne-travel.com * e-mail: [email protected] * skype: julio.verne.travel * P.O. Box 0601-181 Phone: 593(0)3-2963436 * Cellphone: 593-(0)99-416 7350 * Brasil 22-40 entre Av. Daniel León Borja y 1era Constituyente RIOBAMBA - ECUADOR Day 12: Chimborazo Refuge Departure from Riobamba at 10.00 and drive for 1 hour to the Chimborazo Reserve. We continue by car to the Carrel refuge, at 4850 m. / 15.749 ft. Spend the afternoon in the refuge, in order to rest and improve our acclimatization. The guide will give information about the route and a safety briefing. After dinner we will get a couple of hours sleep. At 22.30 p.m. it is time to start the climb. Accommodation in basic refuge / including breakfast, box lunch and dinner

Day 13: Chimborazo Ascent The first part of the climb is a mixture of boulders, rocks, snow and ice, until we reach the large rock formation of El Castillo (5350 m. / 17.553 ft.) From here we continue over the glaciated ridge. The slopes have an average steepness of 30 – 40 degrees, with some icy sections of 45 degrees. After 7 – 8 hours we reach the Veintimillia Summit (6227 m. / 20.429 ft.) With good snow conditions, sufficient time, and if you still have enough energy, you can continue for 1 more hour acrossa challenging field with penitents (ice towers) to the Whymper summit (6263 m. / 20.548 ft.)The descent will take 3 – 4 hours. From the Carrel refuge transfer back to Riobamba. Accommodation in hotel / including breakfast

Day 14: Spare day – Quito This day can be used as a spare day for the Chimborazo climb. At noon transfer to Quito. Accommodation in hotel / including breakfast

Day 15: Quito Free time and transfer to Quito Airport for your international departure. including breakfast