Οι καλύτερες ορεινές πεζοπορίες στο Κοτοπάξι

It went easier than expected. The air is thin up here but doable.

This shelter is 4864 steps closer to the moon - for us Europeans - an astonishing height. Cozy inside, it also defies the adverse conditions you'll find outside on your way to the glacier (or the summit). No alcohol is served, there is a highly concentrated cocoa-flavoured sugar solution for refreshment. They like it sweet in the south. No wonder our guide preferred a hearty soup, which is served here as if you were somewhere in the lowlands.

The Refugio José Rivas is located at 4,864 m altitude. There you can stay overnight by prior reservation or simply strengthen yourself for the hike with coca tea or hot chocolate. There are also some snacks.

Great mountain to do. Beautiful typical conical volcano peak. Busy and tough!

Apparently Komoot unfortunately recorded some incorrect data here, which is a shame. Here are the correct dates: We set off from Refugio José Rivas (4864m) at 1 a.m. and arrived at the summit of Cotopaxi (5897m) around 6 a.m. So we walked a little more than 1000 meters in altitude and not 2550. Unfortunately, Komoot probably recognized the GPS position too late, so the trek only begins after the refuge. We also didn't stay near the summit like the map would have us believe. Komoot interrupted the recording here, even though I hadn't touched my cell phone in the freezing temperatures. Otherwise the trek looks very correct. We got down there at 8:30 a.m., but we rushed to get there because the weather wasn't getting any better. You should definitely have very warm clothing, several layers, including for your head and face and ideally ski goggles and definitely very warm gloves, thin thermal gloves and warm and well-insulated mittens. The glacier was very stable under our conditions and covered with a light layer of snow, making it easy to walk on. You need an official guide. For example, you could call the hut and ask for a guide, they probably know almost all of the official guides. There is also an overview of the licensed guides.

Bring a cloth for the nose. The sulfur smell is really awful in places on the ascent.

If the weather is nice and the summit has been created, you can still see a few of the volcanoes of the "Avenida" from "halfway up"

Three things are important: good physical condition, good guide and good weather. 1 -2 is in your own hands.