Guided climbs · Ecuador's volcanoes, 6,263 m
Guided Cotopaxi and Chimborazo climbs, compared
The same two volcanoes cost $1,275 from a Quito outfitter and $4,950 to $6,700 from a US expedition company. The gap buys hotels, haciendas, a longer acclimatization schedule and an English-speaking trip leader. It does not buy a different mountain.
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What kind of trip do you want?
Copied from each company’s own pages on Oct 22, 2026. Every “See dates” button opens the page we used. Where a page says which season a price is for, we show it. Prices change; the operator’s page wins if it disagrees with this one.
Free · no guide
Climb Ecuador's volcanoes yourself
Everything above is for hiring a guide. If you have the skills, this is what you need to do it on your own, free. Facts come from the summit’s own page on PeakSeeker, with sources.
- Normal route
- Whymper Route (Normal Route)
- Grade
- PD
- How long
- 1-2 days from Whymper Hut
- Best season
- December-January and June-July
- Permits
- Climbers pay an entry fee for the Chimborazo Fauna Production Reserve and are generally required to climb with a certified local guide.
- Start from
- Whymper Hut, 16,404 ft (5,000 m)
- Climb from there
- 4,144 ft (1,263 m) of ascent
- Getting there
- Climbers typically fly into Quito, drive about 3.5-4 hours south to Riobamba, then continue by road into Chimborazo Fauna Production Reserve to the Carrel Hut (4,850 m) or Whymper Hut (5,000 m) trailheads. Nearest airport: Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), Quito.
- Hazards
- Crevasses, rockfall on the lower approach, altitude sickness, and increasing rockfall/icefall risk as the glacier retreats.
- Gear
- Standard glacier travel gear (crampons, ice axe, harness, rope) is required above the huts; several days of acclimatization in the Riobamba/Quito area is strongly recommended before a summit attempt.
A mapped way up: Vía normal (F)
Line from OpenStreetMap; profile approximate. Map and GPX download →
Sources: alanarnette.com ↗mountainmadness.com ↗alpineascents.com ↗
Read this before you pay a deposit
Both peaks from a Quito outfitter cost $1,215–$1,275 (Ecuador Open Tours, Ecuador Eco Adventure). The cheapest US-run trip that summits both, Madison's 12 days, is $4,950. The extra $3,600+ buys hotels, meals, airport pickups and a week of planned acclimatization, not a different route.
If you buy local, the short packages assume you arrive acclimatized. A 2-day Cotopaxi climb from $365 has no acclimatization days. Budget your own week of hikes above 4,000 m first, or you are paying for a likely turnaround.
Adding Chimborazo to a Cotopaxi trip costs $1,125 (Mountain Madness Express) to $2,250 (Alpenglow) at US companies. Madison sells both peaks in 12 days for $4,950, $700 more than the Cotopaxi-only trips from Mountain Madness and Alpenglow.
Alpenglow's 5-day Cotopaxi trip costs $4,250, the same as Mountain Madness's 9-day one. You do the missing four days at home in a rented altitude tent, and you need prior experience above 16,000 ft.
At Alpine Ascents the same 16-day, three-peak itinerary costs $1,050 more with a US-based lead guide ($6,700) than with an Ecuador-based one ($5,650).
Andean Trails' 15-day expedition and AndeanFace's 14-day Volcanoes Expedition list identical prices ($2,970, rising to $3,250 in 2027). Compare the itineraries line by line before assuming they are different trips.
- A 2019 Mountain Madness trip report says Ecuador requires a guide for any climb above 5,000 m, which covers the summits of Cotopaxi, Cayambe and Chimborazo. This is a climber's report, not the regulation itself; we could not reach the Ministry of Environment's text. alanarnette.com ↗
- An avalanche on Chimborazo in October 2021 killed four people, and the mountain was closed to climbers afterwards. Several operators below have run Chimborazo summits since, so it has reopened, but we did not find an official notice of when. alanarnette.com ↗
- Cotopaxi is an active volcano. Mountain Madness says that if it is closed for volcanic activity, the team climbs Antisana or the Illinizas instead. Alpine Ascents also climbs Antisana when one of its planned peaks is closed. Ask what your operator does and whether you get money back for a substitute peak. mountainmadness.com ↗
- Alpine Ascents says each of its 2024/25 teams summited all three of Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. This is the company's own claim. alpineascents.com ↗
The companies
Madison Mountaineering
- Programs
- 3
- Deposit
- Per program: USD 1,800 for the 12-day trip, USD 1,000 for the 9-day Chimborazo trip, USD 1,900 for the 16-day three-peak trip.
- Private
- Published prices assume a minimum group of 4.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit Madison ↗Policy from: madisonmountaineering.com
Alpine Ascents International
- Based
- Seattle, WA
- Programs
- 2
- Deposit
- $700 at registration, of which $300 is non-refundable. Balance due 120 days before the start. Credit cards carry a 3% surcharge.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit Alpine Ascents ↗Policy from: alpineascents.com, alpineascents.com
Mountain Madness
- Based
- Seattle, WA
- Programs
- 4
- Private
- Single rooms: $700 (hotels only) on the Cotopaxi Express, $800 with the Chimborazo extension; on the Volcanoes Expedition $700 for hotels only or $1,200 including Tambopaxi.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit Mountain Madness ↗Policy from: mountainmadness.com, mountainmadness.com
RMI Expeditions
- Based
- Ashford, WA
- Programs
- 3
- Deposit
- $900 on each Ecuador program.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit RMI ↗Policy from: rmiguides.com, rmiguides.com, rmiguides.com
International Mountain Guides
- Based
- Ashford, WA
- Programs
- 2
- Private
- Single supplement $300 on the Classic trip.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit IMG ↗Policy from: mountainguides.com
Climbing the Seven Summits
- Programs
- 3
- Private
- Private Ecuador climbs are sold separately, starting at $8,495.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit CTSS ↗Policy from: climbingthesevensummits.com, climbingthesevensummits.com, climbingthesevensummits.com, climbingthesevensummits.com
Alpenglow Expeditions
- Programs
- 2
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit Alpenglow ↗Policy from: alpenglowexpeditions.com
American Alpine Institute
- Based
- Bellingham, WA
- Programs
- 2
- Private
- Single supplement $520 on the Cotopaxi Skills Expedition.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit AAI ↗Policy from: alpineinstitute.com, alpineinstitute.com
Andean Trails
- Based
- UK
- Programs
- 1
- Private
- Group capacity 10.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit Andean Trails ↗Policy from: andeantrails.co.uk
AndeanFace
- Based
- Ecuador
- Programs
- 3
- Private
- A solo climber pays $5,500 for the 14-day Volcanoes Expedition, against $2,970 each for 2 or more. Single room supplement $550. Its 2-day Cotopaxi climb runs at 1 guide to 2 climbers.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit AndeanFace ↗Policy from: andeanface.com, andeanface.com, andeanface.com
Ecuador Eco Adventure
- Based
- Ecuador
- Programs
- 2
- Private
- Cotopaxi: $640 with a guide to yourself, $395 each with 2 climbers per guide.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit Eco Adventure ↗Policy from: ecuadorecoadventures.com, ecuadorecoadventures.com
Ecuador Open Tours
- Based
- Ecuador
- Programs
- 3
- Private
- Prices assume you share a guide with one other climber (it will pair you with a partner). Climbing alone costs more: Cotopaxi $590 instead of $365, Chimborazo High Camp $600 instead of $395, both peaks from $1,450.
Cancellation terms not published where we looked. Get them in writing before you pay.
Visit Open Tours ↗Policy from: ecuadoropentours.com, ecuadoropentours.com, ecuadoropentours.com
Get an email when bookings open
We’ll email you when next season’s dates and prices are posted.
Before and after the trip
Most programs start in Quito, Ecuador. Lodging is extra on nearly all of them.
Ecuador's volcanoes on PeakSeeker → routes, live summit weather and permits.
More comparisons
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Sources
- alanarnette.com/blog/?p=32307
- alanarnette.com/ecuador-volcanoes/
- mountainmadness.com/trips/ecuador-volcanoes-climbing-expedition
- alpineascents.com/climbs/chimborazo/
- madisonmountaineering.com/expedition/ecuador-volcanoes/
- alpineascents.com/climbs/chimborazo/price-schedule/
- mountainmadness.com/trips/cotopaxi-climb
- rmiguides.com/ecuador-volcanoes
- rmiguides.com/cotopaxi-express
- rmiguides.com/programs/ecuador-seminar-chimborazo
- mountainguides.com/ecuador.shtml
- climbingthesevensummits.com/ecuador-volcanoes/
- climbingthesevensummits.com/ecuador-team-climb/
- climbingthesevensummits.com/ecuador-chimborazo-team-climb/
- climbingthesevensummits.com/ecuador-private-climb/
- alpenglowexpeditions.com/expedition/cotopaxi-rapid-ascent
- alpineinstitute.com/programs/ecuador-cotopaxi-skills-expedition/
- alpineinstitute.com/programs/ecuador-chimborazo-climb/
- andeantrails.co.uk/tour/ecuador-volcanoes-climbing/
- andeanface.com/tour/mountainclimbing-in-ecuador/
- andeanface.com/tour/climbingcotopaxi/
- andeanface.com/expeditions/
- ecuadorecoadventures.com/product/climb-cotopaxi-and-chimborazo/
- ecuadorecoadventures.com/product/climb-cotopaxi/
- ecuadoropentours.com/tours/climb-cotopaxi-and-chimborazo/
- ecuadoropentours.com/tours/climb-cotopaxi/
- ecuadoropentours.com/tours/climb-chimborazo-high-camp/
- Each climb’s own page, linked from its “See dates” button.