Volcanoes & Legends: Journey Through the Avenue of the Volcanoes

Stretching for 200 miles south of Quito, Ecuador’s “Avenue of the Volcanoes” is a stunning route between two parallel cordilleras. This remarkable avenue is home to seven peaks surpassing 17,000 feet, showcasing Ecuador’s geological diversity. The volcanoes, including Cotopaxi and Chimborazo, offer captivating vistas and opportunities for mountaineering. Travelers can also explore the unique ecosystems, indigenous communities, and charming towns along the way, immersing themselves in Ecuador’s culture and natural wonders. The Avenue of the Volcanoes is an unforgettable destination for nature lovers, adventure enthusiasts, and those seeking a taste of Ecuador’s vibrant heritage.

Cotopaxi National Park which is located just a 90-minute drive south of Quito down the Pan-American Highway. A perfectly symmetrical 19,348-foot snow cone, Cotopaxi could well be the world’s most beautiful volcano. It stands in majestic and solitary splendor, surrounded by the tawny and wind-swept páramo (highlands). It is possible just to admire the celebrated view, cougars can sometimes be spotted as ducks, rabbits, and weasels.

The Quilotoa is a water-filled caldera with a 3-kilometer (2 mi)-wide caldera that was formed by the collapse of the volcano following a catastrophic eruption about 600 years ago, The caldera has since accumulated water, which has a greenish color as result of dissolved minerals.

The tallest, 20,565-foot Chimborazo, was long thought to be the highest mountain in the world. (In fact, it is, when measured from the center of the earth, owing to the planet’s equatorial bulge.) The term Avenue of the Volcanoes was coined by the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt, “the greatest scientific traveler who ever lived,” according to Charles Darwin — who journeyed through Ecuador in 1802, climbing to 19,286 feet on Chimborazo, a world record at the time.

Ecuador’s Central Andes

Plan Your Journey Along the Avenue of the Volcanoes

Tell us your travel dates, group size, preferred activity level, and accommodation style. We will help you connect Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, and Chimborazo in a guided Andean journey adapted to your pace and wider plans in Ecuador.

Plan My Volcanoes Journey Explore the Quilotoa & Cotopaxi Trek

Choose the scenic 3-day volcano route or a more active trekking journey through Quilotoa and Cotopaxi.

The Avenue of the Volcanoes is a 3-day/2-night trip.

Cotopaxi

In the morning, we will head to the Cotopaxi National Park, where you can appreciate one of the highest and most dangerous volcanoes in the world that was recently active; we will visit the Limpiopungo lake and then drive up to the refuge to 4,800 m (15,744 ft), from there is possible to hike to the glacier. After Cotopaxi, we will stay in a mountain lodge in the highlands.

Quilotoa

In the morning, we will start with a delicious breakfast and start our drive to the Quilotoa; once we get to the Quilotoa village, we will descent to the shore of the lake and it’s possible to rent a horse to get back to the border of the caldera where the car will be waiting for us to head to the Chimborazo area where we will spend the night

Chimborazo

Today, after breakfast, we will drive up to the Chimborazo Refuge located at 4,800 m (15,744 ft.) altitude. We will start a trek up to the second refuge. the peak has an elevation of 6,263 m (20,548 ft), and Chimborazo is the highest mountain in Ecuador. Chimborazo is not the highest mountain by elevation above sea level. Still, its location along the equatorial bulge makes its summit the farthest point on the Earth’s surface from the Earth’s center. Afterward, we will return to Quito and arrive around 7 p.m. after a great highlands experience.

Ecuador’s Central Andes