By our 4×4 car we leave Quito and go approximately 90 minutes in southern direction.

The mountain of Pasochoa offers different routes inside the forested crater, to the edge of the crater and to its different summits.

Depending on your level of fitness and acclimatization we will choose the adequate route, so that you really enjoy this day.

The aim is to trek to the main summit at 4199m.

There are different starting points. The most diverse and beautiful, but most challenging route starts inside of the Natural Preserve "Pasochoa" at 2800m. First we cross the truly impressive Tropical Cloud Forest. Tanagers (colorful birds) are chatting in the vegetation, flowering trees attract Hummingbirds, we listen the loud voice of tiny Wrens and hugh Andean Guans fly away. Orchids grow everywhere and epiphytes a blooming in the trees. At 3500m we cross the forest boundary and continue inside the Páramo vegetation. Our trail follows now the edge of the crater and offers nice views to its forested interior.

Later in some parts we have to climb short, but very steep rocky sections. You should bring a harness with you. I provide the rope and carabiners for you. The rock is solid, but may be wet.

At this route we have to cross several lower summits, before we finally stay at 4199m.

The second route starts at 3300m and the third, shortest one starts at 3600m. Using these two routes we skip the part of the Cloud Forest and there's no climbing part. Instead we cross a hacienda and pastures.

The last part of all mentioned routes crosses the unique Páramo. This is the highest covering vegetation zone of the Andes in Ecuador. You find Páramo only between 3500 and 4200m. It's a wet grass land without trees, but between the grass there are still flowers.

This part of the trek is the best to enjoy the wide open view to the surrounding mountains, some of them glacier capped, some of them still active volcanoes.

We may see five mountains higher than 5000m. Cotopaxi, a still active volcano of 5897m is quite close. Cayambe (5790m) and Antisana (5758m) are strongly glaciated volcanoes of the Eastern Range of the Andes and the third and fourth highest mountains of my country. Iliniza Sur (5245m) and Iliniza Norte (5126m) are eroded volcanoes of the Western Range of the Andes and have almost lost their glaciers due to the global warming.

As higher we climb, as more expansive are the views. But sometimes clouds are quicker and cover the landscape.

The most spectacular view we may enjoy from the border of the crater of Pasochoa, shortly before we arrive at the summit, if we use the second or third route variation.

Pasochoa is an extincted volcano. A big eruption thousands of years ago destroyed the crater in western direction and now the inside of the caldera remains covered by dense Tropical Cloud Forest due to the wind that brings slightly higher temperatures and more rainfall to this part of the mountain meanwhile the outer, drier and colder part shows Páramo vegetation.

Around 1pm we should arrive at the summit.

As there are different summits at Pasochoa we have the opportunity to shorten our trip if we are late for any reason or if you feel to tired to climb the main summit.

Congratulations, anyway!

This is a tough day trip and we have to consider the way back to the car.

We will use the same trail.

Often we see some birds of prey soaring in the open landscape.

Normally the afternoon is more cloudy and even rainfall is possible. So we have to be prepared for colder weather, when we go back.

Tired but happy you will arrive at the car and we go back to Quito.

The capital of Ecuador is not far and we saw the big town even most of the time from the mountain, but the traffic may be heavy now and often traffic jam makes the return longer than expected.

If you feel good after this trip you are prepared to climb even higher mountains in my country and you may ask me about the next more demanding destination. Pasochoa belongs to the most accessible 4000m peaks of Ecuador, but there are much more....

After a thrilling adventurous day we say goodbye wherever you want in Quito or nearby.