We cross the picturesque small village of Lloa where we can't imagine that 10 minutes ago we still saw, smelled and listened the capital of Ecuador.

Lloa is surrounded by evergreen pastures, crops, Tropical Cloud Forest and the wet grass land of Páramo. Leaving our car we listen cows, cocks crowing and birds singing. We may smell the fertil, almost black earth. Flowering shrubs are visited by hummingbirds. A bird of prey or even the mighty Condor may soar around. Towering high up we may see the summit of our destination, the mountain of Guagua Pichincha (4794m) already above the vegetation line. Only in 1999 there was the last eruption of this mountain and the inhabitants of Lloa were evacuated preventively.

Vulcanologists are controlling the behavior of this active volcano and would restrict the access if there's any danger, so you don't have to be worried about your safety our program of today.

Local farmers sell cheese, vegetables and fruits.

From Lloa our road turns unpaved and dusty or muddy, depending on the weather conditions. We will need our four wheel traction.

We cross the last Hacienda and later pastures. As we gain altitude the views are more and more expansive and attractive. You will want to stop every moment!

But sometimes you are already inside of the clouds and can't see a lot or we have clouds in one direction and sunshine in the other. Everything is possible and even if you do this trip again on another day your experience nether will be the same!

Hummingbirds, Flower Piercers, Finches and other lovely birds visit the road surrounding bushes. A lot of the orange flowering, endemic Chuquiragua are growing in this area.

Later we leave the shrubs behind and cross the wet grass land of Páramo, the highest covering vegetation zone of the Ecuadorian Andes.

Shortly before we arrive at the Mountain Refuge even the grass can't grow any more. Despite some solitaire plants there's no vegetation.

Volcanic ash and sediments cover the ground.

If you are well acclimatized and have good fitness you will want to leave the car behind even before we arrive at the refuge. But here ends the rough road at 4560m.

We may enjoy a wonderful view to the green valley of Lloa, to the densely populated southern part of Quito, to the isolated volcanoes of Ecuadorian Andes, some of them glacier capped, some of them still active.

On weekends the refuge provides foods and drinks.

Now you will need some fitness and you should be acclimatized, even if the trail is broad and not steep. You will feel the altitude! We have time enough to advance slowly at the pace you are able to go.

Sometimes there's snow from the hut in advance so good boots are mandatory, sticks may be helpful.

Very close to the point there we arrive at the edge of the crater and may have the first impression of the active part of the mountain, there's the Virgin of the Volcano. On weekends the catholic inhabitants of Ecuador pilgrim to this holy place and prey. A big cross shows the first of the summits of Guagua Pichincha (4675m) and you may proudly take the respective picture.

Views are much more breathtaking than from the mountain hut, because now we may see into the crater and to all the western slopes of the Andes. There's nothing higher as we are till the Pacific Ocean. We can't see the coast properly, because there are still around 200km of distance, but we may appreciate very well that in western direction the mighty Andes Range loose more and more altitude and is covered as wide as we can see with evergreen, dense forest. The western slopes at a glance! Truly amazing!

If you are feeling well (means if you are good acclimatized and fit enough) at the cross of the first summit of Guagua Pichincha at 4675m you will want to go to the next summit at 4776m.

It's not far, but the trail is not so comfortable as it was to the cross and it becomes steeper. We will pass several instruments for the observation of volcanic activity. The smell of sulfur becomes usually stronger, but this depends on the direction of the wind as well. The underground is partly sandy (volcanic sediments) and partly rocky, but not difficult or dangerous. From this summit it's possible to see the fumaroles inside the crater. (Binoculars are helpful.)

The edge of the crater of Guagua Pichincha formes a half circle similar to a U and there are several summits.

The highest point of the crater and of the entire mountain is very close to the summit of 4776m. But to go to 4794m we need to climb in a small stretch.

I will provide you with a harness and a rope if you need. If the rock is dry usually my guests don't need the rope and the harness.

But don't worry, this part don't offers new views or impressions, it's only the satisfaction to have climbed the true and highest summit of Guagua Pichincha.

Congratulations!

Depending how far we went up, where we left the car and what kind of weather conditions we encounter we return to the car. Usually weather is better in the morning than in the afternoon. But we should be prepared for everything anytime in the mountains of Ecuador.

If it is a weekend or holiday we may eat a warm dish inside the refuge or warm up with a hot beverage.

If it is a working day we may use the mountain hut only to escape from wind and weather to have a rest.

If the weather is very rough or you don't want to continue with the program at high altitude for any reason, we may visit and enjoy thermal springs not very far from Lloa, but they are open only on weekends.

Later we may return to Quito with stops everywhere we want to enjoy the landscape, some flowers or other interesting vegetation, where a bird takes our attention or to make a stopover in the nice village of Lloa.

An exciting day tour with the opportunity to climb a truly high summit of the Andes will go to it's end.

We say goodbye.