Hiking Cotopaxi Volcano to Refuge Jose Rivas at altitude 15,953 feet (4,864 m)

We booked a private tour today to explore outside of Quito and met our guide Lincoln Jabra (tel: +593 98 7043277) and his driver at 7:30 am at our hotel after an early breakfast. Our main destination of the day was the Cotopaxi Volcano located about 50 km (31 mi) south of Quito in the Andes Mountains.

We left Quito and drove on the Panamerican Highway which starts in Alaska and ends in Argentina through an extensive network of roads measuring about 19,000 miles (30,000 km) stretching across the Americas.

After an hour and 20 minutes, we stopped at the checking gate of the Cotopaxi National Park and continued further to the Interpretation Center where Lincoln gave us some information about the volcano and the fauna in the park.

Cotopaxi is Ecuador’s second largest National Park dedicated to protecting llamas and other animals such as bears, wolves, pumas and deers.

Ecuador is home to 47 volcanoes in total (32 are on the mainland and 20 are considered still active); they are part of a volcanic chain around the Pacific plate known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. Going from the East Coast of Asia to the West Coast of South America, the Pacific Ring of Fire is home to about 452 volcanoes.

Cotopaxi is the third-highest active volcano in the world with a height of 19,344 feet (5,897 meters). It has erupted 50 times since 1738 and the most recent eruption occurred from August 2015 through January 2016. The most violent eruption of 1877 melted snow and ice on the summit which produced mudflows that traveled 60 miles (100 km) from the volcano as far as to the Pacific ocean.

We drove further on a dirt road through various terrains and passed by some areas of the previous mudflows. Lincoln explained that it would take only 35 minutes for a new devastating mudflow to reach the inhabited region in the valley if a new eruption was to occur. And Cotopaxi is currently rated at a “Yellow Level” which means that there is some activity with fumes but that the authorities believe it is still safe to come to the park and ascend the volcano.

We were among the first people to arrive at the parking area located at 4500 meters ( feet), immediately geared up with our warmer clothes and by 10 am started our ascent to the Refuge.

Alexander von Humbolt was the first European to attempt an ascent of Cotopaxi but did not reach the top. Wilhelm Reiss who was a German scientist and traveler succeeded in reaching the summit in 1872.

We chose to take the Zigzag trail instead of the direct path as it was easier and more gradual. It was very windy and cold and we could see the volcano sides among the clouds. We obviously took many stops to take our breath and hiked slowly.

It took us about 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach the Refuge Jose Rivas at 4,864 m (15,953 feet). We could see some remaining snow from previous days. Lincoln told us that the trail was covered with it just a week ago and that the volcano was then invisible behind the clouds. We were lucky today although we never had a totally clear view.

It is recommended to arrive a few days before hiking to the refuge to acclimatize to the altitude; it was also good we went hiking on volcano Rucu Pinchincha after taking the TeleferiQo the day before.

Photos at Cotopaxi Volcano

We enjoyed a hot Ecuadorian chocolate in the refuge which also offers overnight packages for the people who climb to the top. It usually takes them 2 days to do so with the first day devoted to further acclimatation and ice-climbing training and the second day to do the final climb to the top with a very early start and an arrival at sunrise.

Cotopaxi has an almost perfectly symmetrical cone. The crater at the top is 2,300 feet (700 metres) in diameter from north to south and 1,650 feet (500 metres) from east to west. Its depth is 1,200 feet (366 metres). The base of the volcano stands on open mountain grassland while the top is covered with permanent snow.

It was a strange feeling to realize that we were standing at a higher elevation than the Mont Blanc in the French Alps which is the highest summit in Western Europe that rises to 4,808 meters of altitude (15,774 ft).

After 30 minutes at the refuge, we made our way down and used the more direct trail through the black volcanic terrain. It was easier and it felt like if we were walking in a deep sandy slope. By that time, we were completely surrounded by the clouds and could not see the volcano anymore.

We reached the parking area at 12:20 pm and drove back on the dirt road while enjoying a few times the view of the volcano between the clouds. A 4WD vehicle is needed to come here and some times they do break too…

We made a quick stop at Limpiopungo Lagoon which is a beautiful lake formed by water from the glaciers. By clear days, the Cotopaxi volcano reflects in the lake which sits at 3,800 meters (12,400 feet) above sea level.

Lunch was reserved at a small restaurant outside the park and we took a $5 set menu consisting of a soup and a chicken dish with a Taxo drink, delicious and unbeatable for the price.

Soon after, we were on the way to our next activity for the afternoon…