ANTISANA & CHIMBORAZO
FULL PROGRAM

Maximum Altitude: 6268 m / 20564 ft

Mountains to Climb: 4 (Corazón, Iliniza Norte, Antisana, Chimborazo).

Rest Days: 3 (Quito’s cable car & Historical Center, Quilotoa full day tour, Baños de Agua Santa full day tour).

Duration: 9 days

Date: All Year

This ‘Antisana & Chimborazo Full Program’ in 9 days will allow you to live a complete and unique experience to reach the summit of the highest volcano in Ecuador next to Antisana, which is one of the most important volcanoes in Ecuador, since it is the volcano that provides drinking water to the city of Quito. You will also get to know and climb other mountains such as the Corazón, Iliniza Norte which are located in the incredible avenue of volcanoes. On our rest days we will enjoy other emblematic places of our Ecuador such as the Quilotoa Lagoon or the Papallacta Hot Springs. This program offers a complete experience to discover the magic of our mountains and most touristic places. For all the acclimatization mountains, Antisana’s and Chimborazo’s summit, the Mauna Expeditions team has the best ASEGUIM/UIAGM certified mountain guides, so you will be accompanied by highly trained professional guides at all times. Your safety is our priority at all times.

Mauna Expeditions is open to hearing changes in the itinerary or program in order to adapt to the needs and preferences of our clients.

DAY 1: Corazon’s Summit Climb

Altitude: 4790m/15715ft

We will pick you up from your hotel or place of your choice at 06h00 where we will have a one and a half hour trip in our private transport until we reach the entrance of the Ilinizas Ecological Reserve where we will begin our climb. We will give some brief safety instructions before starting and after approximately 4 hours, after crossing some beautiful grasslands and climbing a bit on rock we will reach the summit of the Corazón volcano where we will enjoy around 30 minutes depending on weather conditions and we will see the neighboring giant volcanoes such as the Cotopaxi, Antisana, Ilinizas and many more. The descent will take us approximately two and a half hours until our transport. The return trip to Quito takes approximately an hour and a half, so we will make a stop on the way to get lunch before leaving you again at the starting point at your hotel or place of preference.

DAY 2: Rest day, Quito’s cable car and historical center full day tour

Altitude: 4000m/13123ft

We will pick you up from your hotel or place of your choice at 08h00 where we will have a 20 minutes drive to reach the Quito’s cable car, point where we will begin our adventure. We will give some brief safety instructions and we will enjoy the cable car and its spectacular view of the city of Quito. Once up we can have breakfast and taste the typical food that our tour stop offers. In the same way we will have a period of 1 hour and a half to tour this site, take the respective photos in the famous cable car swing. After touring the cable car we will go to the historic center of Quito where we will visit the most emblematic places in the area, including the Basilica Church, La Compañía de Jesús, the Santo Domingo Church next to the “El Panecillo” viewpoint, next to the Museum of the City. Our visit to the historic center takes approximately 3 hours, so we will make a stop to eat typical food between that time before leaving you again at the starting point at your hotel or place of preference.

DAY 3: Iliniza Norte Summit Climb

Altitude: 5126m/16817ft

We will pick you up from your hotel or place of your choice at 06h00 where we will have a one and a half hour trip in our private transport until we reach the Ilinizas Ecological Reserve. We will register the entrance and continue in our transport to the parking lot of ‘La Virgen’ where we will begin our climb. We will give some brief safety instructions before starting and after approximately two hours, after crossing some beautiful grasslands we will arrive at the ‘Nuevos Horizontes’ refuge where we can rest and eat a little. Then, we will put on our helmet and harness and begin the second part of our ascent to the summit of Iliniza Norte where we will enjoy the beautiful rock climbing that this mountain offers. We will cross fascinating sandbanks and steep walls of volcanic rock and after two hours we will be at the summit enjoying the amazing landscape. From there we will see the neighboring giant volcanoes such as Cotopaxi, Antisana, Corazón and many more. The descent will take us about two and a half hours until our transport. The return trip to Quito takes approximately an hour and a half, so we will make a stop on the way to have lunch before leaving you again at the starting point at your hotel or place of preference.

DAY 4: Rest day, Quilotoa Full Day Tour

Altitude: 4000m/13123ft

We will pick you up from your hotel or place of your choice at 06h00 where we will have a trip of approximately 3 hours until we reach our first stop, which will be the Shalalá viewpoint, where we can widely observe the Quilotoa lagoon and take several photographs. We will give some brief safety instructions and we will enjoy our rest day the best way possible, in which we will be able to walk around and go to the different viewpoints of the lagoon. This day is totally dedicated to enjoy, learn and above all rest from our days in the mountains. We will have the option to go down to the base of the lagoon (45 minutes way down, 1 hour to go up again) where we can enjoy some activities like kayaking and many more. Next, we will get lunch and finally we will return in our transport to our starting point at your hotel or place of preference.

DAY 5: Arrival to Antisana’s Base Camp

Altitude: 4500m/14763ft

We will pick you up from the hotel of your choice at 10h00 in our private transport. We will have a trip of an hour and a half until we reach Pintag where we will have our lunch. After another 45 minutes we will arrive at the Antisana Ecological Reserve where we will make the registration and after another hour on a 4×4 road with amazing landscapes, we will arrive at the camping area where we will set up our camp and give some brief safety instructions just before for dinner. We will have a delicious dinner around 17h00 and then we will prepare our things for the ascent. We will sleep from 18h30 to approximately 23h30. We will get up before midnight to finish getting dressed, have some tea and start our climb to the summit.

DAY 6: Antisana’s Summit Climb

Altitude: 5704m/18713ft

Our ascent begins at 00h30 where a walk of approximately 6 hours awaits us to the summit. Around 06h30, just with sunrise, we will be reaching the summit of this majestic volcano where we will be able to appreciate its incredible landscapes and neighboring volcanoes such as Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Sincholagua and many more. After approximately 30 minutes at the summit, depending on the weather conditions, we will begin the descent that will take us about 3 hours. We will arrive at the base camp again where we will have a delicious breakfast and then we will prepare our things to start our return to the city of Quito in our private transport where we will finally leave you at your hotel or place of your chocie.

DAY 7: Rest day, Full Day Tour to Baños

Altitude: 1800m/5905ft

On this day we are going to take a well deserved rest after a great summit of Cotopaxi. We will pick you up from your hotel or place of your choice at 05h00 where we will have a trip of approximately 3 hours until we arrive in Baños de Agua Santa, located in the province of Tungurahua in Ecuador. Mostly known for its access to trails in the active Tungurahua volcano and for its hot springs rich in minerals, in which we will tour the most popular waterfalls in a bicycle tour until we reach the great ‘Pailón del Diablo’. In the afternoon we will visit the famous tree house where we will have a magnificent view of the Tungurahua volcano and we can swing on one of the best known swings in Ecuador. We can also enjoy a great walk to relax and enjoy the typical gastronomy of this place. At night we can relax or enjoy the great night life that Baños de Agua Santa offers.

DAY 8: Ascent to Chimborazo’s High Camp

Altitude: 5300m/17388ft

We will pick you up from your hotel or place of preference at 09h00 where we will have an approximate trip of three hours until we reach Riobamba where we will have our lunch. After an hour more of travel in our transport we will enter the ‘Reserva de Producción y Fauna Chimborazo’ where we will make the registration and enlist everything to climb to the high camp. The approximate time of ascent to the high camp is 1 hour and a half. Once up, we will proceed to get our places, give a few short security instructions and enjoy the views. We will have a delicious dinner around 17h00 and then prepare our equipment for the ascent. We will sleep around 18h30 until 23h30 and get up before midnight to finish dressing, drink tea and start our climb to the summit.

DAY 9: Chimborazo’s Summit Climb

Altitude: 6268m/20564ft

Our ascent begins at 00h30 where a hike of approximately 6 hours to the summit awaits us. Around 06h30 just with dawn, we will reach the summit of this majestic volcano, the closest point to the sun where we can appreciate its incredible landscapes and neighboring volcanoes such as Tungurahua, Cotopaxi, Altar, Sangay and many more. After approximately 30 minutes at the summit, depending on weather conditions, we will begin the descent that will take us around 2 hours and a half. We will arrive again at the high camp where we will have a delicious breakfast and then we will prepare our things for the descent of one hour to the parking lot where our private transport will be waiting us to start our return to the city of Quito where we will finally leave you at your hotel or place of preference.

MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT (INCLUDED):

• Helmet.
• Harness.
• Mountaineering Boots.
• Crampons.
• Ice Axe.
• Shared Equipment (rope, carabiners, cord). 

CLOTHING REQUIRED (NOT INCLUDED): 

Three layers of clothing for the legs and torso:
• Base layer: Thermal clothing for body and pants (usually made of synthetic material).
• Second layer: Warm jacket and pants, preferably water repellent (goose down, fleece or polar type).
• Third layer: Waterproof jacket and pants.
• An extra thermal or jacket (in case of extreme cold).
• Backpack between 25L and 35L.
• Thin and thick gloves.
• Factor 4 sunglasses (with UV protection) and sunscreen.
• Buff or thermal hat.
• Thin and thick socks.
• Gaiters.  

In case you do not have something from the list of personal clothing, Mauna Expeditions can provide you with the rental or sale of said accessories.

The services included in the cost of the program are:

✓ Registration and preparation for the best experience of your life.
✓ Guidance for the ascent with certified guides (ASEGUIM/UIAGM), one guide for every 2 people.
✓ Private door-to-door transportation for the 2 days of tour.
✓ Entry Permits. 
✓ Adventure video about the experience in the program.
✓ Mountain equipment (specified above).
✓ Night at the Antisana’s and Chimborazo’s High Camp with all meals included.
✓ Thermo of Mauna Expeditions.
✓ Buff of Mauna Expeditions.
✓ Lunch Box and hydration for the ascent.

The following services are NOT included in the cost of the program:

X Clothing and personal equipment.
X Airplane tickets.
X Hotel or hostel in Quito or place of preference.
X Life insurance or against some type of accident.
X Other expenses NOT specified in our program.
X Tips.

1 person: CONTACT US.
2 people: CONTACT US.
3-5 people: CONTACT US.
6-10 people: CONTACT US.
11-24 people: CONTACT US.

PAYMENT AND CANCELLATION OF THE PROGRAM

To book the tour, Mauna Expeditions requires a payment of 25% of the cost of the program. Full payment must be made up to a maximum of two weeks before the start date of the tour. We do not send vouchers or confirmation messages until full payment for the program is made. Our team reserves the right to cancel the tour if the full payment is not made until the start date of the program.

The Mauna Expeditions team has put a lot of effort into organizing your program. Therefore, any cancellation must be made at least 21 days in advance. After 21 days, Mauna Expeditions may make a 50% refund depending on the cause of cancellation. Any cancellation notified less than 21 days from the start date of the program will be charged a penalty of 100% of the value of the program.

COSTS

Costs vary depending on the size of the group. A minimum of 1 person and a maximum of 24 people are required to make the ascent. For costs information please CONTACT US.

RECOMENDATIONS

Mountaineering is a high-risk sport, where we are exposed to conditions on extreme occasions. We do not recommend doing this activity for people with asthma or some kind of heart condition. The level of difficulty of the program is demanding and there is nothing that interests us more than your safety and that you enjoy our program without any external problem.