The Pichincha summit

The Pichincha Summit is a very popular place to visit due to it is very near Quito city. To do this trip you don´t need to be in an excellent physical condition, but it´s better if you had had experience hiking. Besides, thanks to the cable railway the climbing can take 3 or 4 hours. The landscapes are spectacular and it´s a good chance to have a close encounter with nature.

The start point is the cable railway station. There are busses to the station that go from many parts of the city, especially malls. The tickets are USD$4 (plus USD$2 garage fee) and it starts working at 9:30 am. Don`t forget to bring warm clothing and raincoat because it´s normal that snows near the summit.

Depending on the weather, the cable railway take from 12 to 30 minutes to get Cruz Loma, showing a great panoramic view of the city. The hiking starts in the shelter (13120ft S 00° 11.103´ W 78° 32.22´) then take the path that climbs small hills until a detour. The left way crosses through the “the death pass”, which is risky if you don´t have experience doing andinism. To the right there is a path that crosses through a sandy ground, which is a better option.

During the trip you can see typical plants and flowers from the highland like the chuquiragua. There are 3 places, where small brooks flow, that you have to cross through carefully and if it´s possible use security ropes. Once you pass through eh sandy ground you reach a rock wall to be climbed. From the summit ( 15416ft S00° 09.722´ W 78° 33.971´) you have an amazing view of the Metropolitan District.