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Best months: Sep – Nov
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Quito & Cotopaxi — 5 days

4.5(52 reviews)9 daysStart and end in
4 photos
Condor Overland
Runs this trip
9 Days · 8 Nights
Fully planned multi-day journey
Accommodation
Hostel, homestay or tent, shared
Fully guided
A guide travels with the group for the whole trip.
Trekking
Nine days from Quito to Baños, with a night at 3,500 m
High Intensity
Travelers can expect 6-8 hours of challenging high-altitude trekking
Group Size 1 - 22
1 guide per 15 ratio
Ages 14+ Welcome
The operator's minimum age for this trip is 14
4,864 m at the highest point

Where this operator goes

9 days · 16 stops

Itinerary

9 days, planned by Condor Overland

Pickup point

Day 1 · Fri, 18 Sept, 2026

Meet atQuitoMariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), Quito
Reporting time00:00 - 23:59
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What the price covers

Included in the price

You arrange yourself

Most of these can be added to your booking later — the operator confirms within a day.

Where you'll stay

Published by the operator. Nights on the ground can move with weather and permissions.

Quito Camp

Hostel, homestay or tent, shared

Night 1

Otavalo Camp

Hostel, homestay or tent, shared

Night 2

Cotopaxi Camp

Hostel, homestay or tent, shared

Nights 3–4

Quilotoa Camp

Hostel, homestay or tent, shared

Night 5

Chugchilan Camp

Hostel, homestay or tent, shared

Night 6

Banos Camp

Hostel, homestay or tent, shared

Nights 7–8

What you'll eat

8 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 6 dinners across 9 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 9.

  • DinnerServed on days 1–6
  • BreakfastServed on days 2–9
  • LunchServed on day 6

15 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking

One other operator runs this trailThe same trail, at their own price, group size and refund window.Pumice & Pine₹2,11,999See all 2
BEFORE YOU GO · CAUTIONARY DETAILS
Break the boots in before you come
The single most common reason a trek stops being enjoyable. New boots on day one means blisters by day two and a descent on ruined feet by day four. Walk fifty kilometres in them at home first, on hills if you can find any.
Deal with a hot spot immediately
The moment something rubs, stop and tape it. Everyone on the trail will wait two minutes for that and nobody wants to wait an hour later while it is dressed properly.
The group moves at its slowest walker
That is not a courtesy, it is how groups stay together and how nobody ends up alone on a ridge in cloud. If that person is you on a given day, say so early rather than falling quietly behind.
Never leave the group to go ahead
Almost every serious incident on a marked Indian trail starts with somebody moving faster than the guide and taking a turning that looked obvious. Waiting at junctions is the whole discipline.
Treat your water
Streams above the villages look clean and mostly are; below them they are not, and giardia will ruin a week. Filter, boil, or use tablets — and drink more than you feel like.
Weather turns faster than you can descend
An afternoon build-up in the Himalaya arrives in under an hour. That is why days start early and why a guide who wants to turn back at eleven in the morning is not being cautious for the sake of it.
A stream is not the same in the afternoon
Snowmelt peaks with the day's heat, so a crossing that was ankle-deep at eight is thigh-deep at three. Cross early, unclip your waist belt, and face upstream.
Carry original photo ID
Forest and park entry in the Indian Himalaya is permitted through the district administration and checked at the gate against the permit your operator holds. A photocopy is not always accepted.
The medical certificate is not a formality
Several states now require a doctor-signed fitness certificate on higher and glacier-bound routes, and more ask for one over 55 or with a pre-existing condition. Get it early; it is a reason people are turned back at the road head.

Who runs this trip

Operated by
Condor OverlandVerified

“Latin America by public bus, the way most people actually do it”

Based in La Paz Running treks since 2014
Rating
4.5(52 reviews)
Response time
—

About Condor Overland

Overland routes on scheduled buses and public ferries. Slower, cheaper, and closer to how the continent moves.

View Operator Profile
Cancellation policy: Full refund up to 14 days before departure

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Customer reviews

Overall rating
4.5/5
Based on 52 reviews
Review summary
Food
4.2/5
Guide
4.3/5
Itinerary
4.4/5
Transport
4.3/5
Accommodation
4.2/5
Tour operator
4.2/5
Sort by:Recommended
5
J
James Whelan – Lisbon2026-07-17 · Verified booking

Ecuadorian Andes in the right season is something else, and the team knew exactly where to camp. Tents were warmer than expected and the camp was set up before we arrived. Simple food, well made, and enough of it.

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5
O
Owen Clarke – Berlin2026-07-17 · Verified booking

Second trek with this operator and they've kept the standard up. Camp was pitched and the kitchen going by the time we walked in each evening. Plenty to eat and they were happy to work around a gluten allergy. Would send friends their way.

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4
A
Ananya Gupta – Nagpur2026-07-17 · Verified booking

Second trek with this operator and they've kept the standard up.

Reply from Condor Overland

Thank you. We've taken the point about the transfer and are reviewing it.

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5
J
James Whelan – London2026-07-17 · Verified booking

Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Camp was pitched and the kitchen going by the time we walked in each evening. Good value for what's included.

Reply from Condor Overland

Thank you. We've taken the point about the transfer and are reviewing it.

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5
A
Ananya Gupta – Kolkata2026-07-08 · Verified booking

Ecuadorian Andes in the right season is something else, and the team knew exactly where to camp. The campsites were well chosen — sheltered, and close enough to water. Plenty to eat and they were happy to work around a gluten allergy. Solid operator.

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3
S
Sameer Khan – Chandigarh2026-07-08 · Verified booking

The trek itself is good but the group was too large for the trail on the summit day. The lead was calm and knew when to slow the group down.

Reply from Condor Overland

Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.

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5
I
Ishita Ghosh – Chennai2026-07-08 · Verified booking

The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb. Camp was pitched and the kitchen going by the time we walked in each evening.

Reply from Condor Overland

Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you on another trip.

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4
H
Hannah Lindqvist – Zurich2026-07-08 · Verified booking

Did this over 9 days and it was the best walking I've done in years.

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Questions people ask

Not on this trip. The summit is a roped glacier climb starting around midnight from the refuge, needs crampons, ice axe and a certified guide, and is a serious undertaking at 5,897 m. What this does is walk to the refuge and the glacier edge, which is what most visitors mean.

One other operator runs this trail. See all 2 side by side →