|
|
| Other sites of interest |
|
|
|
 Antisana
The
Antisana, known as one
of Ecuador’s most
beautiful volcanoes,
rises to 5 704 masl
west of Quito. It has
a central summit that
is the highest and a
southern summit that
reaches 5 570 masl. A
shallow ridge links up
the two cones and the
entire complex is
covered by huge masses
of ice with deep
cracks that make it
very difficult to
climb to the summit.
Sharp ice-covered
spurs descend from the
two mountain tops in
an eastward and
northeastward
direction, forming the
northeastern and
eastern summits. The
base of the volcano
extends about 14
kilometers from the
Media Luna hill to the
Chulcupaillama River. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Many
protected natural areas are to be found in
Ecuador’s Andes, which contain volcanoes and
mountains, lakes, valleys, rain forests and
tropical forests, together with an endless
variety of plants and animals.
|
 |
Access |
 |
|
The
entire circuit is covered by land and contains
well-marked paths. The Andean adventure will
allow tourists to enjoy the untamed attraction
of these landscapes.
|
|
Tourist Attractions |
|
|
 Cotacachi
Cotacachi
is crowned by a steep, sharp pointed lava
peak. A native legend tells us that it is a
female hill, wife of "Taita
Imbabura", another of the nearby summits.
Some of the surrounding hills are children of
the pair. It is the only mountain covered by
perpetual snow in Imbabura province. Pyramidal
in shape, Cotacachi rises 4 939 masl and from
its crown small glaciers plunge like icy
waterfalls northward and westward.
|
|
 Pichincha
The
Pichincha volcanic massif, consisting of
several mountains and isolated smaller
elevations, is located in the western
cordillera. Ecuador’s capital city of Quito
nestles on its western slopes and in a narrow,
broken valley. From north to south, the
mountains have the following elevations:
Guagua Pichincha (4 794 masl), Padre Encantado
(4 500 masl), and cerro Ladrillos (4 600
masl), the highest part which links up the
latter two mountains with the foothills of the
4 698 masl high Rucu Pichincha. Northwest of
the latter peak, a spur descends and is
crowned by the rocky peak Quebrada de los
Cóndores, at 4 090 masl. A series of
fumaroles are indicative of the volcano’s
seething activity. It is an ideal site to get
acclimated.
|
|
 Carihuairazo
The
Carihuairazo volcano lies to the north of the
snow-covered Chimborazo. Its approximately 2
km wide crater is cracked as a result of
glacial erosion. The volcano has three sharp
peaks, including the Mocha, which is difficult
to climb. At the center lies another rocky
summit that descends toward the Abraspungo
valley and to the northwest the highest peak,
at 5 020 masl, soars upward, covered by snow
and ice at all times.
|
|
|
