Best Cayambe Climbing Guides 2025

I had a a very unique trip to Ecuador where I managed to climb Rucu Pichincha, Iliniza Norte and Cayambe within 1 week time and fantastic recoveries in various lodges in between. Edgar's team gave me assurance starting from the airport pick up until the last day with a very detailed organization skills and punctuality. The personal guide Ivan Herrera was a fantastic example of how the mountain guide should be. Even though the language barrier prevailed, I have managed to communicate with him effectively on the mountains. Not a single time I was feeling uncomfortable during the climbing, whether it is a wind, rain, snow, day or night. Everything went very fine. I will definitely be considering returning to Ecuador to tackle Chimborazo volcano separately.

Edgar was an excellent guide. I have little climbing experience and Edgar was very knowledgeable and instructive. He is a life long climber and he has tons of experience and passion climbing through out the world. He was pleasant and a very nice guy. Unfortunately, the weather was very bad while I was in Ecuador so Edgar came up with a great alternative climb to Cayambe, which was not in good condition due to storms. He knows the mountains like the back of his hand and can relay tons of information, which makes the trip that much more enjoyable. His 4×4 transport and climbing equipment were all top notch. He understood safety and made sure to avoid unnecessary risks. I will climb with Edgar again. Close STEVEN MISHOE 20-06-19

I had booked flights for nine days in Ecuador and wanted to do some climbing. I contacted several different companies with an explanation of my goals (acclimatization, followed by climbing Cotopaxi (or Cayambe if Cotopaxi hadn't opened again) and Chimborazo) along with my previous experience. One company didn't reply at all. Another responded with a bunch of questions that they could have answered if they'd read my email. Paola at Gulliver, however, responded within a day with a detailed itinerary that checked all of the boxes on my email. Her proposed itinerary included a night at the Hotel Marquiz in Quito, a day tour to Otavalo, then off to the Hosteria Papagayo in Machachi for climbing. I found the Hotel Marquiz to be very nice, but the neighborhood is full of night clubs, so it was a bit loud for me. Younger people probably would have enjoyed it a lot more. I got a good night of sleep, though. The tour of Otavalo was well organized but I found Otavalo to be pretty touristy. The market is a great place to stock up on gifts and souvenirs, but it doesn't feel like an authentic market geared toward locals. Hosteria Papagayo in Machachi is a really cool place. The building has an amazing history. My room was clean and comfortable, and it was heated with a wood stove that was tended to by the friendly staff. The food was also very good. The common areas are comfortable, and the other guests were friendly. Marco, the climbing guide that Gulliver arranged, was world class. He has climbed Cotopaxi over 600 times. He took me on two acclimatization hikes on two successive days: Rumiñahui and Iliniza Norte. I was supposed to have a rest day between Iliniza Norte and my Cotopaxi climb, but I was feeling good and asked if we could move the climb forward a day. Marco was available, and Paola cheerfully changed my itinerary to accommodate my request. Marco did a great job of guiding me up Cotopaxi. There were blizzard conditions, but I never felt unsafe. We summited in five hours, forty-six minutes, and we were back in the refuge in a little over eight hours. Unfortunately, I had a problem with one of my boots (my boots, not loaners from Gulliver), and I made the decision to abandon my Chimborazo climb. I contacted Paola, and she made the necessary changes to my itinerary. Marco took me back to Quito. I asked Paola to book me in a quieter hotel than the Marquiz, and she found a place that better suited me: the Hotel Andino. Since I'd already prepaid for Marco to guide me on Chimborazo, I had him take me to Mindo for a day instead. He was a little wary of going that low (Mindo is at 1300 meters/4265 feet) because it might affect his acclimatization, but he was a good sport, and we had a nice time seeing the sights in Mindo. At every step, Paola was helpful, supportive and responsive. I was able to contact her via WhatsApp, and she would reply quickly. Based on my experience, Gulliver is a first class operation, and I will definitely contact them again next time I travel to Ecuador.

Since I visited Quito as a child 25 years ago, I had always fantasized about climbing some of their world famous peaks. Now when visiting Quito for business, I contacted Gulliver after some thorough online research, I found they offered the best local expertise and value proposition and so far I couldn't be more satisfied with my decision to schedule a 5 day Aclimatization Climbing Package. For 4 months I have corresponding with Marianne and my awesome guide, Marco , the best Ecuador has to offer, in order to secure the best trip advice possible. I booked the best package available for a private all the works included and everything from the transfer, accomodations and guided excursions has been up to par. The Papagayo Norte Hostería un Cayambe town is a beautiful place and the staff is just great, I really feel right at home, actually better, my wife is not as accomodative... I have noticed how they contact each other to keep track of my trip progress and this quite comforting. Yesterday I climb the Imbabura volcano (4600mts) and although a bit more challenging than I expected, I have to say I'm quite satisfied I did it, since it will prove of great value for my upcoming hike to Cayambe (5780mts). I don't know how I'll do, but I certainly know I will be in great hands with Marco and the rest of the Gulliver staff.

Ecuador has given me só much: happiness and laughter, new insights and experiences outside my comfort zone (that's were the magic happens), endless walks (wich were my maine target) and real adventure. - Papallacta: hotsprings (go@6 am when it's shivering cold outside but very warm in the water & to see the sunrise while you're at it) and beautiful walks in the surroundings. - Trek Lloa-Mindo: due to heavy rainfall in the previous weeks, a real adventure with a very high improvisation level. Mindo is cute. - Cuicocha: hike the 14km around the lake, it's gorgious. - Mojanda: another Laguna (grande), climb up Fuya Fuya when weather and physical condition allows. Otherwise the hike 'around' the lake and the viewpoint are pretty too. - horseback riding on Cayambe: go, go, go! With little experience or experienced, they'll match you with the right horse. - Cotopaxi: nice hikes and 1 to the refuge. Allthough I hope climbing to the top will be possible asap. This was made possible through the work of many: Jeremy@the office, the apprentice who wrote my name so beautiful on my envelop (details are everything), the drivers Cristobal and Louiz, the guide Cristian Portilla (professional, dedicated, down to earth, always with the interest of the client on his mind) with whom I did several hikes and the trek, my 2 companions - Lucho and Ronaldo - during the horseback riding, don Jon for the hiking@ Cotopaxi (a little surreal as his wife just gave birth that morning to his daughter and he was still looking for a name, mine was muy diffícil) and the many other people that crossed my path. I skyped with Jeremy on beforehand to discuss travel plans and interests. The journey was tailor-made. Due to the fact I travelled solo and did this almost the entire travel, it influenced the price of course. But it was (more then) worth it. In september I'm returning with my husband and without hesitation we'll be looking at Gulliver Expedition for excursions. Muchas gratias & hasta septiembre!

My son has successfully climbed Chimborazo, Cotapxi, and most recently Cayambe all in 2024 all with Ecuador Eco Adventures! His experiences on all the climbs were outstanding, due to great communication, organization, high quality equipment, good food, and most of all very talented guides who kept my son safe on each climb. I would highly recommend Ecuador Eco Adventures if you are wanting to climb Ecuador's highest peaks!!

I climbed Illiniza norte, Cayambe and chimborazo in February 2023 with Ecuador Eco Adventure. The guides are very nice and extremely competent, which made this trip unforgetable.

We did the 4 peaks adventure including Iliniza Norte, Cayambe, Antisana (Cotopaxi was closed) and Chimborazo. Cristian and Willy were amazing guides. They were safe, responsive, and brought a lot of positive energy. I hope to climb with them again next year!

I had a great experience with Ecuador Eco Adventures! My partner and I planned a trip to summit and ski Cayambe, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo. I’ve always wanted to ski the equator, and Cayambe is the only place to do it. It was a beautiful summit and we had surprisingly good corn snow for the long (800M+) ski descent. It was genuinely good skiing and we had a ton of fun! We got unlucky with the weather on Cotopaxi and had to turn back before even reaching the glacier. That’s how it goes sometimes. We had another amazing experience on Chimborazo. The climb was very cool, with a challenging/fun approach and a beautiful glacier. The summit was unreal and we had decent snow for the ski. It was very special to ski at 6,000M, and there were good turns to be had. It was a lot of work to ski the peaks. The approach/climb isn’t very long on any of them, but nothing is easy at that elevation. There is definitely better skiing to be found in the world for less time, effort, and money. The turns are never worth it if you don’t enjoy the climb! Don’t expect fresh pow! Ski Mountaineering isn’t for everyone, but if it’s your thing, then I’d highly recommend skiing the equator. I’d also highly recommend Ecuador Eco Adventures. I’ve never done a guided trip like this before and neither had my partner. But, this was great. We didn’t have a ton of time on the trip, so it was huge to have the logistics taken care of for us, and at a price we could afford. It’s a very good price for what you get. Thanks again, Wlady and Christian!!! I’m always down to share/trade information on off-the-beaten-path skiing (or fishing) spots. Hit me up if you want more info. [email protected]

We were a party of 13 that spent 12 days in Ecuador. Wlady took care of all our individual needs and was readily available to help us out at a moment's notice. He had carefully planned the schedule and made sure that all of us acclimatized well. We all ate good food despite being vegetarian and it being hard to find establishments that serve vegetarian food. My original itinerary included climbing Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. The first acclimatization hike was supposed to be on Rucu Pichnicha. The park was closed. It was Christmas eve and still Wlady quickly replanned our hike to Guagua Pichnicha. We faced an ice storm on our Cayambe hike and most of us had to turn back. 10 of the team members were able to summit Cotopaxi. A small part of the team did not want to climb Chimborazo and changed the itinerary to accommodate an easier neighboring summit in Carihuairazo. Wlady arranged for new guides, split the group and was able to accommodate changes in an efficient manner. He paired two people each with an English speaking guide. He rented out the equipment that we had not brought/owned. He constantly communicated with us and was very patient with all our inquiries. I was a newbie to this and he made my experience a memorable one. I highly recommend him and his team since they do give a personal touch. We were sometimes lodging in facilities where we were the only occupants and the hosts went above and beyond to provide good service.

Where do I even begin....We went on a 12 day trip that included climbing Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo! One of the best trips I had with my family and friends. Wlady runs a very organized and efficient team. He has some of the best guides who took care of us in the mountains, keeping us safe during the climb and the return. And Wlady took care of all the little things, from our dietary requirements and preferences to the last minute requests for extra gloves. Wlady also had good contingency planning in place when things didn't go according to plan. This company gets 99.999 out of 100 from me. They could get a 100 when they start managing the unpredictable Ecuadorian weather. :) Kidding aside, I would highly recommend Ecuador Eco Adventure

The trip I planned through Ecuador Eco Adventures was one of the best experiences of my life! Words can hardly describe the joy I felt after successfully summitting Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. My stars were aligned on this trip. It all began with me reaching out to Wlady on What’s App. He was always available to answer every question I had, and he constructed the perfect itinerary for me, with rest days and acclimatization carefully factored in. Most incredibly, I decided a mere two weeks in advance that I’d be coming to Ecuador, and within a day or two, Wlady hustled to put all the wheels in motion. The weather in mid December was darn near perfect, and I felt confident in my preparation and conditioning. Everything I needed for success on these mountains was at my fingertips. I will be frank, when you sign up for one of these tough mountain climbs, understand that YOU are the number one factor that will determine the success of your trip. Cayambe, Cotopaxi, and especially Chimborazo are not beginner climbs. They are serious mountains at high altitude. Come prepared and your guides will be able to get you there! If you are coming from the United States, I recommend learning crampon techniques and ice ax self arrest on a lower-elevation mountain like Rainier. These climbs in Ecuador are very quick, and there isn’t much time to train these necessary skills if you don’t already possess them. Instead, you want your focus in Ecuador to be on acclimatizing to the extreme altitude, not learning how to climb. Wlady has wonderful suggestions on how to acclimatize, and with his help, We put together a great program. First step included staying in Quito several nights at over 9,000 feet, climbing Ruco Pinchincha (15,400’) which is easily accessed via cable car, and then increasing elevation with each mountain- Cayambe, Cotopaxi, And finally Chimborazo. I was on a “staircase” as Wlady put it! Endurance training should also be part of your conditioning. Expect to be moving 12 hours to go to the summit of Chimborazo and back. Walking, or hiking long distances is the best thing you can do to be ready. I found it advantageous to bring my own gear, and climbing clothing, because I was already familiar on how to use it. Whatever you don’t bring, Ecuador Eco Adventure is happy to provide, and their gear is highly functional! Once you have adequately prepared, all you have left to do is trust the highly qualified ASEGUIM guides who will show you to the summits! :) All three guides I had- Juan Carlos Silva for Cayambe, Wily Rivera for Cotopaxi, and Jose Gualancañay were exceptional. The only thing I will do differently in the future is learn more Spanish. While you can get around Ecuador fine with English alone, speaking Spanish will only enhance the experience! So, I’ll be hitting Duolingo hard the next few months and practicing with Spanish speakers in my homestate of New Mexico. One thing is for certain. I will come back to Ecuador, and will once again enlist the services of Ecuador Eco Adventures. This trip was the start of what will be a lifelong love for this beautiful country.

My climbing partner and I decided to hire local guides for a summit attempt on Cotopaxi. We wanted to climb with experienced professionals who had good knowledge of the mountain, its weather, the local culture and the local climbing community. We were not disappointed. Our research brought us to the guiding services of Ecuador Eco Adventure, a firm based out of Riobamba. The company President, Wladimir (Wlady) Ortiz was responsive and accommodating. His willingness to answer all of our questions (and there were many!) affirmed confidence in our decision to hire his firm. He remained in close contact with us throughout, coordinating logistics, transportation, gear, permits, guide meet-up, and lodging & food at the “refugio”. Our guide, Santiago Naveda, had an impressive climbing resumé with more than 25 ascents of Cotopaxi, 56 ascents of Chimborazo, and successful ascents of more challenging & technical peaks including El Altar, and Alpamayo. His English was great. Santiago transported us to the base of the mountain. He provided a delicious lunch and dinner with lots of carbs and calories. He briefed us on the climb. He advised us on layering, and gave us with ample time to rest before the start of our ascent. We went to sleep (or attempted to) at 6:30PM in a room filled with about 20 bunk beds and awoke at 11:45PM, and after one last hot chocolate (for hydration & calories) we set off into the darkness. The air was still and dry. Santiago led the way, successfully finding and keeping the path throughout the moonless night. He maintained a moderate and consistent pace, and he routinely instructed us on the use of ropes, axe, and climbing technique. His presence was reassuring, especially when navigating around deep crevasses which we encountered along the route. There was never a doubt about his competency or his professionalism. We topped out at sunrise, with clear skies in every direction. The view from the 19,347' summit was beyond words, and my partner and I were overcome with emotion. Tungurahua, Chimborazo, Ilinizas, Cayambe, Antisana, and Reventador were all in plain sight. Cotopaxi's foreboding caldera dropped steeply beside us, and we could look straight down in all directions as far as the eye could see. To say that it was an unforgettable moment is an understatement. There really are no words to adequately describe the beauty of that place at that moment. We will never forget. Santiago told us that we would spend only 10-15 mins on the summit. The temperature was very cold, around zero degrees, and when the wind suddenly blew across the caldera we breathed in the strong smell of sulfur coming up from the belly of the volcano. Cotopaxi had allowed us to summit, but she was telling us it was now time to go. We reluctantly set off. The descent was smooth and uneventful. The skies remained clear and we could see the Refugio, now 3,700' below us. We continued to enjoy views of the surrounding countryside and other volcanoes as Santiago guided us down the mountain. We moved quicky and safely. Back at the Refugio we celebrated our success over a simple breakfast and some hot tea. Then we gathered our gear and made the final 20 min trek down to Santiago's vehicle. Our Cotopaxi climb was complete. Would I recommend Ecuador Eco Adventures? Yes. That said, there are some opportunities for improvement, which I'll suggest below, but overall I am pleased with Wlady Ortiz, and the experience of our climb. Santiago was excellent. Will I climb with Ecuador Eco Adventure again? Yes. Opportunities for improvement 1. Provide a written itinerary. 2. Do a thorough gear check. 3. Improve communication (aside from Wlady) Other suggestions on helpful things to bring (some of which you can leave at base camp): - Energy snacks/power bars that you are accustomed to. It’s hard to find good fuel in Ecuador and an over ripe banana and crackers do not make for good packing or fuel (which is what we were provided). - A camera that won’t freeze or die in the cold - Extra batteries - Diamox (if worried about the altitude) - Headache medicine - Toilet paper or tissues - Toothbrush & toothpaste - Sunscreen & chapstick - Wet wipes - Extra pair of contact lenses (if needed) - Eye mask (for keeping the light out in the night when others are waking up). -Ear plugs - Change of clothes for after the hike - Your appetite, for some great Ecuadorian food at the Refugio. - Your humility in the presence of such gracious Ecuadorian hosts.

Understand where you are and what you're getting!! I booked a 5 day trip with EEA to summit Cayambe and Chimborazo while a friend and I were in Ecuador. Their prices are very reasonable compared to other third party adventure companies that cater to (wealthier) Americans - however - this means that you don't get the full treatment. If you are okay with this then EEA is a great company. For summiting volcanoes - you must be in excellent physical shape and you must either give yourself plenty of time to acclimatize or know your physical reaction to altitude and plan accordingly. My partner and I were fairly familiar with our personal reaction to altitudes and only had 2 days to acclimatize from sea level before summiting Cayambe (19,000 ft). This is reckless for most people but we knew our limitations. Two days later, we summited Chimborazo (20,500 ft). This was a very aggressive timeline but was made possible by our physical condition and extremely fortunate weather windows. The guides that EEA books all work freelance in Ecuador. More than likely if you book multiple mountains you will not get the same guide!! This isn't a bad thing just something to be aware of. The guides are also just principally responsible for getting you up the mountain. Wlady is the "travel agent" so-to-speak and is the actual brains behind the operation. Depending on what mountains you do and when you may stay with one of the guides, you may stay with other people doing the same mountain with the same company or you may stay alone in a hostel prior to meeting with your guide. The biggest downfall of this trip was COMMUNICATION. Wlady is good at coordinating everything but I essentially received zero information about where/when we were going places, who we'd be with, where/when we would be eating, how long we would be staying there and what the timelines for the mountains would be without ASKING for it. From an American perspective it is very hard to just trust the process in a foreign country where you know nothing about the area and aren't sure where you are staying and what/when you'll be eating that day. Communication could be improved massively. To Wlady's credit, he always responded in a generally timely manner it's just the insecurity of travel/accommodation/meal plans that made it feel like we were in the dark for much of the trip except the hours that we were actually climbing the mountains. Overall a great experience and we got to see a lot of the country that we wouldn't otherwise have gotten to see if we had just stayed and been tourists in Quito. An amazing country with some amazing, beautiful and sacred mountains.

"AVOID GUIDE RAFAEL AND HERNAN(NACHO) AT ALL COSTS". I contacted this company to climb Cayambe and because I only had two days before my scheduled climb, they found a guide named Rafael for me with difficulty. On the morning of the climb, Rafael sent another guide 'Hernan(a.k.a. Nacho)' instead. Hernan(Nacho) didn't even know which company he was working for. The company also didn't know about the change of guide until I contacted them. How is this possible? Hernan(Nacho) was unaware of the agreement details and made me pay $8 for lunch, which was already included in the prepaid amount. the company later said they would refund me right away after they knew this. Hernan(Nacho) also asked me which company I had booked with, how much I paid and even tried to market his services directly saying it would be cheaper. On the day of the climb, Hernan (Nacho), who has 35 years of guiding experience, was a skilled mountaineer but showed no interest in taking care of his client. He lacked passion for climbing(he said he would retire from this job next year) and showed little interest in customer satisfaction throughout our time together. When we reached around 5200m, he stopped the climb saying there was avalanche risks. Since there were no other climbers at all that night, we couldn't discuss the situation with another guide, but I respected his judgment for safety reasons. Later, I carefully asked all the people who I bumped into about him in other mountains and his reputation as a guide was very poor (if you don't believe me, ask around the mountain). Julio Verne Travel's representative with whom I communicated and Mauricio who handled my equipment were both great people. I don't think Julio Verne Travel is a bad company. I believe they faced an unexpected situation while urgently finding a guide for me so I didn't initially plan to leave a review because I considered climbing with this company again considering other positive reviews. However, after experiencing other companies and guides for other mountains I realized how terrible my experience was and how terrible the guide I was introduced to was (he wasn't even directly introduced by the company) so I've decided to leave this review. Most people will likely have good experiences with Julio Verne Travel, but to be safe, thoroughly check the guide's details in advance and choose one with a good reputation. It's not a small amount of money. * There is nothing exaggerated or false in what I wrote. If you argue against it, I will attach conversation screenshots

[Bad experience and communication problem] We booked with lonely summit the ascent of Cayambe on June 10 to make the ascent on the night of the 20th to the 21st. They asked us to book 15 days in advance which we did. In view of the daily weather (torrential rains lasting several days throughout the country) we asked the agency if the ascent was still maintained. We received no response. On June 20, we were received by Segundo and his friend, and we headed towards the Cayambe refuge. Segundo then takes the trouble to call the refuge to inquire about the condition of the path and the weather... Rain at the meeting but we set off despite everything. Arrival at the refuge, brief meal, and rest planned until 11 a.m., time planned for waking up to prepare. At 11 a.m. it was raining and the wind was very strong. Segundo suggests we wait another hour. At midnight despite the rain, he suggested that we get dressed and see if we could attempt the ascent, knowing that "perhaps the weather situation is different at altitude". Then follows a carousel where we watch the rain fall outside and where Segundo, to show us his goodwill, stands in the rain and shows us that his coat is very wet... He asks us despite everything, what we want to do... No need to be mountaineers or guides to understand that we cannot climb. We still wait until 1:30. He then suggested that we wait until 4 a.m. to try to go up to the laguna or the glacier to see the sunrise. At 4 a.m. the time is still the same. At 7 a.m. he offers us lunch, and his companion, despite the weather, suggests we go to the laguna... Knowing that just before they reminded us that rain on snow could be dangerous. At 8 a.m., we leave the refuge with the guard who explains to us that the weather has been the same for three days and that no one has climbed to the summit. Without much hope we asked on the way back if it was possible to have, if not a refund, a commercial gesture. “There’s nothing we can do” is the response we got. Perhaps looking more closely at weather apps and less at TikTok or Instagram posts that will bring you tourists would be a good start? We therefore do not recommend this agency.