Summit Trekking Ecuador - Page 6

Crater lagoon Quilotoa

In the morning, we drove for several hours through a beautiful highland region characterized by many traditional small indigenous villages. At around 3,900 meters, we arrived at a small tourist village filled with shops and restaurants. From there, we had a stunning view of the emerald-green crater lake, located 400 meters below. We spent some time walking along the ridge, accompanied by a bored dog that followed us the entire way 🙂. Some indulged in shopping sprees, while others hiked down to the lake. I picked up a typical wool hat with pompoms, a staple of the Andean region. After lunch, it was time to head toward Chimborazo. It was a long drive, so by the time we arrived, it was almost dark. Our hotel, Hacienda Abraspungo in Riobamba, was one of the nicer ones we had stayed at. It was fenced in and well-guarded. A delicious dinner awaited us, along with a short briefing from our guide. Not everyone in the group planned to go to the mountain the next day, some decided to stay behind.

Basecamp Arista des Chimborazo (ca. 5.280 m)

After a delicious breakfast, we had to pack all our things back into the bus, as we wouldn’t be returning here. However, we had more time today since we were only heading to the high camp. After about an hour’s drive, we arrived at Chimborazo National Park. Our journey ended at the Carrel Refuge, located at roughly 4,850 meters. Through the clouds, we caught glimpses of the mountain’s imposing summit. We still needed to organize our climbing equipment, followed by a quick meal in the cramped hut. From there, we hiked for several hours along a ridge to reach the high camp. The temperature dropped quickly, and everything was shrouded in clouds. Once we arrived, we found a spot in one of the large dome tents. Manu and I were simply exhausted. We spent a long time staring at the final glacier leading to the summit and eventually decided not to attempt the climb that night. Given how drained we felt, tackling the glacier seemed like a safety risk. Some members of our group forced themselves out of their tents during the night and began the ascent. Two of them made it to the Ventimilla summit. We wrestled with our decision for a long time, thinking about what if and what could have been. In hindsight, we’re happy with our choice: safety over ambition. After all, life tends to give you second chances 🙂.

Baños (1.820 m)

We welcomed our heroes back in the morning, and after a quick snack, we began the descent from the high camp. The Carrel Refuge was bustling with tourists, so we were relieved when our bus finally arrived. From there, we drove for several hours to lower elevations, heading to Baños. That evening, we had a lot of fun during dinner, accompanied by a small band playing Ecuadorian music. The next morning, I overslept and missed the chance to join the others at the hot springs (Termas de la Virgen), for which the town is famous. After breakfast, we set out on an excursion along the Ruta de las Cascadas (the Waterfall Route). This road leads toward the Amazon lowlands, cutting through a nearly tropical landscape deeply carved by river valleys. Along the way, you can cross these valleys in adventurous cable cars. Naturally, we had to try it. An older gentleman started up the truck engine powering the gondola, and with a few levers and pedals, he sent the cable car moving across the deep river gorge. His fine-tuning could use some work, though-we got quite a jolt when we reached the turnaround point!

Unfortunately, all the ziplines along the route were closed, which would have been an adrenaline-filled finale. Instead, we hiked down to the roaring Pailón del Diablo waterfall near the village of Río Verde before starting the long drive back to Quito. This area is known for its sugarcane cultivation. Small roadside shops pressed juice from the fibrous plants right on the spot, and it tasted absolutely delicious. We also sampled homemade rum and a variety of sugarcane-based sweets. It’s impressive how many products come from this one plant. There was one last item on some of our to-do lists: trying guinea pig (cuy) for lunch. In Ecuador, guinea pigs aren’t pets, they’re a traditional food source. Before the arrival of the Spanish, the only meat available in the region came from llamas and guinea pigs. The larger livestock animals were introduced later by the colonizers. We made a stop in a small village for this culinary adventure. It takes some getting used to seeing the animals skewered and laid out in the kitchen. My verdict: I didn’t really enjoy the taste, and there isn’t much meat on them anyway.

Quito

Back in Quito for our final evening, it was time for goodbyes: to Jakob, our patient guide, to Franzi from the local agency, who had organized everything so smoothly, and to our reliable driver. After dinner, a small group of us headed to a karaoke bar. Considering that almost none of us could sing, it turned out to be a blast 🙂. We weren’t scheduled to head to the airport until the following afternoon, so most of us spent the morning exploring the local artisan market. I usually last about five minutes at markets before I’m done, but Manu managed to stretch it out to four hours today 🙂. Still, it was a fun time with the group. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in the hotel garden until our bus arrived right on time. What followed was an 11-hour flight to Madrid, a 4-hour layover, and then a 3-hour flight to Berlin. Our group parted ways at the Madrid airport. In Berlin, we were greeted by typical German weather, pouring rain. We shivered while waiting for our FlixBus to Chemnitz to finally arrive. And that was it, an amazing trip that was so much fun from start to finish 🙂.