Day 1.  Arrive in Quito, private transportation from airport to hotel, located in the Mariscal section of Quito.

Day 2.  Tour of historic Quito.  This will be our first day of acclimatization. We will spend the morning and part of the afternoon visiting historic downtown.

Day 3. Acclimatization hike in the Pasochoa reserve.  This is a beautiful hike through a protected Andean alpine forest, then to the summit of the extinct Pasochoa volcano (13779 ft.).  The climb affords beautiful views of the surrounding countryside south of Quito.

Day 4. Ruco Pichincha. The next acclimatizing hike will be the Ruco Pichincha, which at 15,256 ft. offers incredible views of Quito and the surrounding areas.

Day 5. Otavalo. On this day  we will visit the famous Indian market of Otavalo.  That afternoon we will take a stroll around 3 – 5 hours at the beautiful Lake Cuicocha.

Day 6. Day of Rest: Papallacta volcanic pools.

Day 7. Ruminahui.  Our Third acclimatizing climb will be Mt. Ruminahui, a vigorous six-to-eight hour climb to the summit at 14,764 ft.  We will have incredible vistas of Cotopaxi and the other strato-volcanoes of the Avenue of the Volcanoes.

Day 8. Rest day at Tambopaxi.  Day of relaxation and recuperation at Tambopaxi, a beautiful hosteria located in the Cotopaxi National Park.

Day 9. On day seven we will arrive at the Jose Rivas Refuge of Cotopaxi, where we will participate in a short climbing course on the fringe of the glacier.

Day 10.Summit day on Cotopaxi!  After an early alpine start, we will summit Cotopaxi at around 8 a.m.  After our photo session on the top, we will have a celebratory dinner back in Quito.

Day 11. Private transportation to the Quito airport, flight out.