2 Weeks in Ecuador: Quito & Cotopaxi National Park

My Ecuador trip was split into three distinctly unique parts, all of which taught me a great amount about the Ecuadorian people, and led to friendships which will certainly last a lifetime.

The adventure started in Quito, but in a world that felt like anything but, at Hacienda Rumiloma. Shortly thereafter ensued a full immersion in the Andean mountain/hacienda experience, followed by an out-of-this-world climb on Volcan Cotopaxi.

Ecuador is a place that can be enjoyed by alpinists, foodies, and immersion-seeking tourists alike and will certainly remain high on my list of places to re-visit. This trip guide took me more time than planned to write - primarily because of how special and personal of an experience it was; it’s a place that has demanded careful reflection. Ultimately, I hope I’ve been able to put down into words the impact each place had on me, though I believe what I’ve included below only scratches the surface. As for the rest, well, you’ll just have to discover that for yourself.

CITY DAYS IN QUITO: Days 1 - 3

Where to stay: Hacienda Rumiloma, an urban oasis & home away from home

“This way? Continue straight?” asked my Uber driver, as he hurled his old beat up car up the hills of Quito, shifting gears in 10 second intervals in an almost robotic, repetitive fashion. Consulting Google Maps, I nodded, yes, continue up. “Arriba”.

Not too many people who come to Quito leave the hustle and bustle of the city set mainly in the valley, unless they are taking a trolley/tram up to climb Rucu Pichincha. But Rumiloma, only 5 minutes out of the hubbub, demands to be seen, and enables you to perch yourself above it all, appreciating the craziness with a keen birds eye view. It’s an odd sensation, feeling at once completely immersed in the city life, but also shockingly removed, and this oxymoron is what makes the place great.

Upon arriving, to Rumiloma, I was immediately relieved of my [many over-packed duffel] bags and ushered to my room, where two peacocks sat outside of the front door. A few llamas grazed for grass in the front yard, and occasionally glanced out at the perfect vista views of Quito.

We checked into one of Rumiloma’s 5 {extremely spacious} luxury suites (there was even enough room to spread out 4 duffel bags of stuff & do gear checks for our Cotopaxi climb later in the week!). Each suite comes with their own unique twist and individual name, which I later learned are named after the owner’s daughters. What a brilliant way to recognize and honor each child, their respective differences, and symbolize their majestic opportunity to make an impact on the people of this world, I thought. This theme of personalization & attention to personalized detail would carry throughout our stay.

I could write all day about how divine the food is, or how elaborate the rooms are at Hacienda Rumiloma (and they are both unapologetically stunningly divine) - but what was most special about our stay was truly the people who are behind the place. Upon my arrival to the hacienda, I received a personal call in my room from Amber, one of the owners, expressing regret that she had just missed me when I had arrived. The staff made sure every single detail was attended to and that I was comfortable in the interim. Later, Amber and I would end up spending hours talking: about Ecuador, life lessons learned as a traveler, and the important role we as women have to fervently pursue both adventure and self-knowledge, and our common sense of obligation to share that knowledge of the world with others.

I’ve never felt so present as I did during my few days at Rumiloma. It’s as if the world stopped for just a brief second, and all that mattered was just observing, accepting, & being.

As stated on the Rumiloma website, “we are part of the Pichincha that is alive, so that any person that is brave enough to step inside, will be transported to another time, to a different way of life, in which the only thing that is valid are their present experiences. The only objective is to tell stories, stories of today, of yesterday, from here and from there. So if you want to know who we are and what we do, we are Rhapsodies. We are the ones that listen to the earth, and in return, we capture this in dishes, in sensations, and most of all- experiences. That is the basis of our existence. We are here to welcome you to the table and seat you near the fire. We go out of our way and we listen, because otherwise it wouldn't be special.”

No stone is left unturned at Rumiloma. Fresh fruits are supplied and replenished in the rooms every day. The decor of the rooms is immaculate, and personally curated by its thoughtful owners. The fireplace in the room is lit on demand whenever desired. The toilet paper is artfully folded, in a show of exquisite, daily care and attention to detail.

But the attention to detail does not stop at the experience at the hacienda, but applies to their desire to help guests have an excellent experience of Quito as a whole as well. Amber took the time to understand me and my interests, and help recommend the best activities and restaurants which would expose me to the things I wanted to see. She recommended (and offered to arrange) food tours (there’s no better way to learn a culture in my opinion, than to try its foods), called in a favor at a local restaurant, and suggested a few off-the-beaten path destinations which I definitely would not have found on TripAdvisor. She also spent 30 minutes with us over breakfast on our final morning to show us all of the local fruits of the region, and allow us to taste them all (granadilla are my new favorite!).

If you have any doubts about visiting Rumiloma while in Quito, don’t. It manages to do the seemingly impossible: balancing a unique 5-star luxurious stay with the ability to experience local culture.

Other Quito Resources:

There is so much to see/do/eat in Quito, but do be careful. Because of political change and unrest, there is quite a bit of crime in Quito as of the last few years, and theft is rampant. Be smart; walk on busy streets, keep your valuables hidden, stay inside at night, and try to remain discrete. But during the day, there is so much to be seen and do and Quito is quite a colorful, vibrant city. A few recommended places are below, with my favorites indicated with an asterisk.

Places to Eat: La Purisima, ZAZU*, Noe Sushi Bar, Segundo Muelle, URKO*, Tac & Roll, Pradera Food Garden, Cafe Mosaico

Where to Drink: Bandido Brewery*, Santa Rosa Cerveza Artesanal, Sirka Beer Bar, Bandidos del Paramo, Zinc Gastro Bar

COTOPAXI NATIONAL PARK: Days 4 - 9

Where to stay: Tierra del Volcan, a working ranch dedicated to sustainable cattle farming, conservation & ecotourism.

When I first started researching my trip, I knew that I wanted to spend a couple of days exploring Quito, but then get out of the city and into the mountains to continue my acclimatization and start mentally preparing for our Cotopaxi climb. Did a place exist where I could spend some time fully immersed in Andean cowboy culture, but also take in a bit of luxury before heading out on a climb? In fact, it did, and my search very quickly led me to Tierra del Volcan in Cotopaxi National Park.

When Maria, one of the owners, described the hacienda as a “place where the cold wind from the Andes leads you to an encounter with yourself,” I was immediately sold. The hacienda is family-run and owned and from the moment you arrive, you feel at home. Their focus is not just on traditional travelers (though all are certainly welcome), but on transformational travel, with the idea being that if you show up ready to be transformed by the Andes, and by the experience, then you will walk away feeling enriched. To say that Tierra is a place that has caused transformation in their own life is an understatement: as a married couple, they even said their wedding vows at the hacienda, with the kitchen staff running an assembly line in the back room to make enough empanadas to feed their wedding party.

Jorge and Maria are inspired people with a big vision. They know that hospitality is about so much more than clean sheets and a hot meal: it’s about connection, authenticity, innovation, and persistence in the face of adversity. They recognized the important role the hacienda played in preserving Cotopaxi and Ecuadorian tradition - and that spirit exists in everything that they do.

Tierra del Volcan provides its guests the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zones - and push their limits. It’s a place which builds strength through challenge. True to that testament, they were one of the only places that stayed open when Cotopaxi threatened eruption - and instead of retreating, they used it as a strength, seeing it as an opportunity to bring the community together - from government officials, to university students, to ecologists interested in better understanding the ecosystem of the park.

Whether horseback riding while experiencing the culture of the Chagra (the Ecuadorian highland cowboy), mountain biking through ancient eruptions of Cotopaxi, trekking around the premises, learning how to cook local Ecuadorian cuisine (we made cheese empanadas, signature canelazo and aji chili sauce) or climbing the stunning peaks immersed in awe-inspiring landscapes (we climbed Rumiñahui), you are sure to leave with a renewed sense of life.

I struggled to leave this impeccable place, as it felt so much like home, and something about the stillness was allowing me the space to breathe and evolve. But fortunately for me, where we were headed next wasn’t too far away… if all went according to plan, we would be standing on top of that big beautiful volcano staring back at me from only 6km away later that week.

ILLINIZA ACCLIMITIZATION & COTOPAXI CLIMB: Days 10 - 14

Guide service / logistics provider to use: Lonely Summits, owner Edgar Parra

Did you know that Cotopaxi means “neck of the moon”? Cool, neither did I. Fun fact #1. Now that I’ve got your attention…

Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano (like Fujisan in Japan, Mount St. Helens in North America or the Vesuv in Italy), and is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world (after Ojos del Salado), sitting at an impressive 19,347ft (5.897m). Since 1738, Cotopaxi has erupted more than 50 times, resulting in the creation of numerous valleys formed by lahars (mudflows) around the volcano. So naturally, like most sane people, I wanted to climb it…

With our minds set on a summit, we wanted to climb with a reputable provider with a good track record, so I asked my friend and go-to expedition guide Mike Hamill of Climbing the Seven Summits, for his recommendation. He immediately directed me to Lonely Summits, his go-to Ecuadorian partner service, owned by Edgar Parra.

First impressions: Edgar’s resume checks off and reads like one of the world’s elite mountaineers: more than 20 years of mountain climbing in Ecuador, and around the world, in Colombian, Bolivian, Peruvian and Argentinean Andes; in the Italian, Swiss, German and Austrian Alps, in northern Himalayas the KhanTengri peak, and Mount Denali (McKinley) in Alaska. But would that experience translate to guiding?

From the moment I reached out to Edgar, I knew immediately that I was in good hands. They were willing to work with our itinerary as it changed (and it did, multiple times), and were willing to accommodate varying budget needs amongst members of the group. The beautiful thing about Ecuador is that you can choose to climb with staying at extremely nice huts/haciendas/accommodations, or you can do it the “dirtbag” way. There’s something for everybody. We tried to find a bit of somewhere in between and Edgar made it happen. We also felt extremely comfortable with the expertise of our guide, as our guide leads many of the rescue activities in the region.

With that said, I’ve included below the itinerary provided to us by Edgar, so you have a sense of what you would be getting into… please note it is in future tense because it is exactly written as provided to us ahead of the trip:

Day 1: Quito - Nuevos Horizontes Hut (15,580ft/4.750m)

We will leave from Quito in the morning and drive through the Avenue of the Volcanoes until we get to the village of “El Chaupi”. We will continue driving up until we get to “La Virgen parking lot” (12,795ft/3.900m). Once there, we will start a 3-hour hike up to the “Nuevos Horizontes Refuge” (15,580ft/4.750m).

After we arrive at Nuevos Horizontes, we will plan to relax for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner will be served by late afternoon, in preparation for an early bedtime, as we will start climbing Illiniza Norte early the following morning.

Day 2: Illiniza Norte Summit (16,818ft/5.126m) – Machachi

Our climbing day starts at 5 am. We will have a light breakfast, pack our climbing equipment and leave the refuge an hour later. We will continue hiking up towards the saddle formed between both peaks and then to Illiniza Norte summit (16,818ft/ 5.126 m). The approach to the top involves an easy 3-hour scrambling.

Once at the summit, we will enjoy and admire the beautiful surroundings. Following the summit, we will hike back down (around 3 hours) and then drive to spend the night in an old Hacienda. The remainder of the day is for resting in preparation for our Cotopaxi climb.

Day 3: Machachi - Cotopaxi Refuge (15,748ft/4.800m)

We will leave from Machachi in the morning and drive south through the Avenue of the Volcanoes until we get to the Cotopaxi National Park entrance. From here we will drive east to the Cotopaxi parking lot (14,764ft/4.500m).

We get our gear ready and hike up for an hour to the José Rivas Refuge (15,748ft/4.800m). In the afternoon we will go to the glacier for ice practices and training. We will learn some basic techniques, which include last but not least proper handling of the climbing equipment (crampons, ice axe, rope, etc.) We will go back to the Refuge for dinner and rest.

Day 4: Refuge - Cotopaxi Summit (19,347ft/5.897m) – Otavalo

We will wake up at midnight and depart to the top (19,347ft/5.897 m) around 1 am after a light breakfast. The climb will take us about 6 to 8 hours.

The first part is about an hour hike to the glacier, where we put the crampons on and start the glacier ascent. Once at the summit we will take our time for pictures of the crater and surroundings and then we will head back to the refuge in 2 to 3 hours.

At the refuge we will rest, pack our belongings, have something to eat, drink and go down to the parking lot, from where we drive further to Otavalo, the home of the famous indigenous market in Ecuador where we have good chances to buy all the souvenirs and presents.

Day 5: Drive from Otavalo back to Quito

After a rewarding week and a successful, safe, and fun climb, it’s time to head home! I can confidently say that you would be hard pressed to find a more responsive, diligent guiding service than Lonely Summits and I would recommend them to anyone.

I can only hope to get the chance to climb with Edgar’s team again in the future! Maybe Chimborazo next year… maybe.