Climbing Rucu Pichincha
volcano

Altitude: 4696m / 15406ft

Distance: 9km / 5.5 mi

Duration: 1 Day

Date: All Year

Climbing Rucu Pichincha volcano is excellent acclimatization training for climbing mountains over 5000m. Rucu Pichincha is an extinct volcano 4696m high that is located west of Quito. It is a mountain highly visited by novice and experienced climbers for training given its easy access due to its proximity to the city, as well as being a perfect and quite common mountain to start in the world of mountaineering and trekking. Also, it is excellent to start gaining acclimatization to climb to other high mountains such as Ilinizas, Cotopaxi, Cayambe or Chimborazo. The landscapes while climbing Rucu Pichincha volcano are very varied, we will be able to see the entire city of Quito from north to south, along with the incredible grasslands and vegetation that accompanies us on our way to the summit. Its rocky peak has two main routes, the ‘paso de la muerte’, a route for more experienced mountaineers that gives us a bit of a technical climb to reach the summit, and the famous arenal, the main route that takes most people to the top that gives us a super simple rock climbing, so that people without experience lose their fear of walking on rocky terrain.

There are two ways for climbing Rucu Pichincha, one is by doing the entire route of the ‘Integral de los Pichinchas’ that ends at the Rucu summit and the second has 2 variants, one going up the cable car which is a super direct route that will not take more than 3 hours to do it and the other and more demanding variant is by Cruz Loma, from the lower part of the cable car where you will have an additional 1000 positive meters. The route is not very long but it will make us gain a lot of height in a short time and much more if the cross hill variant is chosen. This climb is normally done in one day and every four passengers will have a certified mountain guide. If you travel alone, the ascent will be carried out only by the certified guide with the passenger. Come to live this incredible experience touring the Andes of Ecuador and reach the summit of this beautiful mountain with us.

DAY 1: Climbing Rucu Pichincha Volcano

We will pick you up from the hotel or place of your choice at 07h30 where we will have a 20 minute trip in our private transport until we reach the Quito’s Cable Car. We will go up through the cabins to 4000m where we will begin our climb. We will give some brief safety instructions before starting and after approximately 3 hours, after crossing some beautiful grasslands and climbing a bit on the rock we will reach the summit of Rucu Pichincha where we will enjoy approximately 30 minutes depending on the weather conditions and we will see the giants neighboring volcanoes such as Cotopaxi, Antisana, Ilinizas and many more. The descent will take us approximately an hour and a half to the cable car to descend again to our return transport. The return journey will take us approximately 20 minutes, but before that, we will stop for lunch and then drop you back at the starting point at your hotel or place of choice.

MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT (INCLUDED):

• Helmet.
• Harness.
• 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 (in case of rain).
• An extra thermal or jacket (in case of extreme cold).
• Backpack between 25L and 35L.
• Gloves.
• Factor 4 sunglasses (with UV protection).
• Buff.
• Thick socks.
• Sunscreen.  

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 entire day of the tour.
✓ Entry Permits. 
✓ Adventure video about the experience in the program.
✓ Mountain equipment (specified above).
✓ Lunch on the way down on the day of the ascent.
✓ 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: 
2 people: 
3-5 people: 
6-10 people: 
11-24 people:

To book a tour and set prices depending on the number of adventurers coming, please contact us CONTACT US.

PAYMENT AND CANCELLATION OF THE PROGRAM

To book the ‘Climbing Rucu Pichincha Volcano’ 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.