We took a day tour to Cotopaxi National Park near Quito, Ecuador. The active volcano is one of the highest in the world, rising to 19,347 feet. According to Wikipedia, it has one of the few equatorial glaciers. Though we didn’t make it to the very top – it requires crampons, ice picks, harness and training, we did climb to base camp, at close to 16,000 feet, at least that’s what my Garmin GPS registered.
Ecuador has more than 40 volcanos, some dormant and many active; seventeen are located near the capital of Quito. The highest volcano in Ecuador is Chimborazo volcano is Ecuador’s highest peak at 20,548 feet.
We were technically above the treeline, hiking a rugged, volcanic rock strewn trail. Being that high put us in the clouds. We lucked out having a clear day but it was exhilarating nonetheless.
I had never hiked that high and felt a terrific sense of accomplishment hiking Cotopaxi. I don’t know if it was the giddiness caused by the altitude or just shear joy, but this hike was certainly the best day of our visit to this beautiful country.
We say goodbye to Ecuador and will head to Santiago, Chile today. Though we didn’t make it to the touristy Galápagos Islands this trip, our plan is to visit again, possibly exploring the islands and checking out the city of Cuenca.
Granted, we had some trepidation visiting this country because of the news the past few months about narco terrorists, we felt no threat or danger while visiting the usually peaceful country. There was quite the police presence at various locations, such as public parks and the UNESCO World Heritage Independence Square. But as one of our tour guides said, they aren’t shooting at each other in the streets.
So we say adiós to the lovely queen in the Andes.
