Ecuador 2025

Greetings from sunny Ecuador! Today was a challenging, but enjoyable, day of climbing. Our team, though not full, stood at the summit of Cotopaxi Volcano. We were lucky with the weather; it was clear and sunny all day. However, a few days earlier, there had been a fresh snowfall. This required some work. Everyone in the group is satisfied and happy, not only with the climb but with the overall experience of traveling in Ecuador. Your guides, Alexander Dorojukov and Viktor Volodin.

Ecuador in touch. Hello everyone! Yesterday we had a rest day, everyone doing their own thing. Billiards, quad bikes, horses, massages. We had a great rest. Today we'll ascend to the summit camp and set off for the summit tonight. The forecast is good by local standards. Good luck!
Guides: Viktor Volodin and Alexander Dorojukov.

Hola from Ecuador, from the slopes of Cotopaxi Volcano (5,897 m)! Cotopaxi is one of the most beautiful active volcanoes, ranked among the top 10 most popular mountains in the world for guided climbing. Just a year and a half ago, it erupted and was closed to climbers. Now, the 7 Summits Club group is there, and it is the main destination of the expedition.

Today, our group had a day of altitude acclimatization on the Cotopaxi Glacier. We reached the mountain slopes and ascended to approximately 5,000 meters. The weather was unfavorable—wind, sleet, and the possibility of a thunderstorm—so we decided to descend earlier than expected.

A little later, the weather improved, and even the summit was open, but here, things can change every 15 minutes. Generally, the weather in Ecuador is very changeable and diverse, just like the rest of the country! It's never boring!

Guides - Alexander Dorozhukov and Victor Volodin.

Greetings from Ecuador! Yesterday we checked into a luxurious hotel at the foot of the Cotopaxi volcano. We woke up this morning to a beautiful view. We went to Lake Quilotoa, located in the crater. The views there are simply magical. Some people even went for a swim in the lake. For lunch, we stopped at a very beautiful restaurant with all sorts of old gadgets. Overall, it was a great day!

Guides: Viktor Volodin and Alexander Dorozhukov.

Greetings from Ecuador! Our cheerful team had a great day today. We checked out of the hotel, visited a few local attractions, including a supermarket and restaurant. The restaurant had a beautiful view and was near the Virgin Mary monument. Today we went on an acclimatization climb to Guagua Pichincha volcano (4,784 m). We drove up to the trailhead in jeeps and walked and walked. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the crater due to the fog. But the views were still stunning. After descending, we finally saw our destination – Cotopaxi volcano.
Guides: Viktor Volodin and Alexander Dorojukov.

Greetings from Quito! Our group arrived in Ecuador yesterday evening, and we're really looking forward to visiting Cotopaxi Volcano. Today, we began our gradual acclimatization, took the cable car to 4,100 meters, walked around, and enjoyed the views of the city nestled between the mountains.

Afterward, we traditionally visited the "Place of the Equator." Everyone was thrilled to watch the water swirl in different directions as it drains, on opposite sides of the equator. Today, we'll have a welcome dinner, and we'll discuss plans for tomorrow and beyond.
Guides: Viktor Volodin and Alexander Dorojukov.

Hello everyone! We mentioned earlier that our unique program, in addition to Orizaba in Mexico, included another ascent for acclimatization before Chimborazo (our main goal). It's time to reveal that the third planned summit was Antisana Volcano—a solitary beauty standing at the gateway to the Amazon jungle.

Antisana, also a five-thousander (one of 10 in Ecuador), at 5,704 meters, is the fourth highest in Ecuador, but it's wilder, less visited, and more technically challenging. There are no shelters there; you have to set out from a tent camp, and you need to bring everything you need with you.

The idea of climbing the technical Antisana (immediately after Orizaba and Chimborazo) arose as preparation for future projects, namely, as a preparatory stage for Alpamayo (a beautiful, technically challenging peak in Peru).

BUT! The thought of Chimborazo was nagging at me! Our friends Rustam and Franklin, continuing to monitor the weather and the slopes on Chimborazo out of habit, saw a weather window emerging. The slopes had thawed and frozen, the steps to the summit had been cut, and there was a chance of reaching the coveted summit.

Forgetting about Antisana, our friends rushed back from Quito to Chimborazo Base Camp at 5,300m and prepared for another summit attempt!

BUT! Once again, the weather turned nasty, and this time it was a complete disaster with thunderstorms and lightning. The downpour turned to snow, and the trail began to snow before our eyes again. We had to wait out the main squall in the shelter.

Then, several more attempts were made to ascend higher, and at the same altitude of 5,750m, we decided to turn around! And yes, this was already our fourth attempt at Chimborazo! But you can't say that any opportunity was wasted!

Everything that could be done, and even more, was done to achieve the goal! What can I say? In Rustam's opinion, everything was great, except the weather!

 Further goals have already been set! And when Rustam reaches Alpamayo, he'll still be keeping an eye on the weather in Chimborazo!

 To be continued!

Greetings to everyone from Rustam and Franklin, still from North America!

As a reminder, Rustam is returning for the third time to climb Chimborazo (6,310 m, Ecuador's highest peak and the farthest point from the center of the Earth), but decided to acclimatize in Mexico. The plan was to climb Mount Orizaba, North America's highest volcano. Rustam had already been to Ecuador twice and climbed all of the country's most interesting volcanoes. Don't go the same old route!

 Well, what can I say! After wonderful acclimatization trips in Mexico on smaller volcanoes, Orizaba herself decided to show what she's capable of when she's not in the mood! Before reaching the summit, there was sunshine, then storms began somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, and snow fell over Orizaba, and then it started raining. All the other teams turned around, but ours continued on!

When we reached the glacier, at 5,000 m, we finally decided that acclimatization was sufficient and that it was time to turn back. We returned to base in splendid isolation, alone with the mountain and the storm in the Pacific Ocean.

At the hotel, we finally wrung out all our belongings, dried off, rested actively, recharged, and before flying to Ecuador, we stopped to see the famous pyramids in Mexico City. But we didn't climb them because it was still raining!

 Goodbye, Mexico! Hola Ecuador! Chimborazo is still waiting!

Hello everyone! We have news. Our friend Rustam Makharramov is flying to America to make his third attempt at Chimborazo Volcano 6310. The one in Ecuador is the furthest peak from the center of the Earth and the highest peak in Ecuador. What can I say, the volcano has a truly unique, powerful, incomparable energy; it captivates and captivates.

Rustam was definitely captivated by it, and he says this time he won't leave Ecuador until he reaches the summit!

But this time, it's not that simple. To diversify his acclimatization and plan for the future, a unique program has been developed, the likes of which we've never seen before.

Orizaba and its associated volcanoes in Mexico (that's North America, mind you) were chosen for acclimatization!

For those who may have forgotten or don't know, Orizaba is the highest volcano in North America and is part of the "Seven Volcanoes" project. Many consider Orizaba to have one of the most beautiful craters among the many volcanoes.

And after Chimborazo, there's another peak planned, less well-known but very inviting and a wonderful preparation for new projects. We'll tell you more about it later!

Now our team, Rustam, and his friend, Ecuadorian guide Franklin, are already in Mexico. All documents have been verified (carefully check the required set of documents before leaving for Mexico; without them, entry into the country can be problematic), all formalities have been completed, and a gastronomic tour of the capital has already been completed. Our team is also acclimatizing on the volcanoes La Malinche (4461 m) and Sierra Negre (4580 m).

It was a beautiful day on La Malinche. The climb is relatively steep, but the guys made it without any problems. Sierra Negra is home to one of the world's largest telescopes. Our team reached the summit without any problems, enjoying every step.

Rustam is acclimatizing and gaining strength every day! And the team is ready to move on!

The 7 Summits Club  guide Boris Egorov reports from the Elbrus region:

Hello to everyone from Elbrus! The 7 Summits Club group "14 peaks" yesterday made the absolutely right decision to postpone the climb to a reserve day, that is, to today, due to weather conditions. And today everything worked out well, the weather was close to ideal and at dawn we were all standing on the top!

Hello everyone from Ecuador! Today we reached the Cotopaxi National Park and climbed the slopes of the Cotopaxi volcano to hold ice training and check our equipment before the climb. The weather continues to test us. There was rain, snow, and wind. But at the same time there was sun and beautiful views.

We climbed to the refuge, where we will spend the night before the climb. Then from there we climbed even higher - to the snow and there we practiced the skills of using mountaineering equipment.

And today on the way to the refuge we saw many huge condors that were soaring very close to us. And an Andean wolf that came to the refuge. But the wolf turned out to be very timid and immediately ran away.

For the night we went down to a comfortable hotel, but tomorrow we will return to the refuge again to go on the climb at night.
Guides Olga Rumyantseva and Boris Egorov.

Greetings from Ecuador! Today we went for a walk to a very beautiful ancient lake in the crater of the Quilotoa volcano. We split into two groups: the "hurryers" walked around the lake along the edge of the crater, and the "contemplators" went down to the water. Everyone had a good walk, according to their wishes. We bought some souvenirs once again and finally adjusted all the equipment.

Tomorrow we are going to look at the snow on the slopes of Cotopaxi. We will conduct snow lessons and walk in crampons.
Guides Boris Egorov and Olga Rumyantseva.

Hello everyone from Ecuador! Today our mountain adventures finally began. Moving slowly and enjoying the fog, we climbed our first volcano, Guagua Pichincha 4784m. The relatively short trek to the top was spiced up with rock climbing elements. And the snow on the top and the peals of thunder also added to our pleasure. But the main thing is that we acclimatized well and were not very tired. We spend tonight in an old hacienda from the seventeenth century closer to our goal - the Cotopaxi volcano. Tomorrow is a quieter day, we will go for a walk to the lake in the Quilotoa crater.

Guides Boris Egorov and Olga Rumyantseva.

Olga Rumyantseva, the 7 Summits Club guide, sends from Ecuador:
Hello to everyone from Ecuador, where our group continued its exciting acclimatization today! Early in the morning we went into the jungle to look for birds. We didn't find many birds, but a lot of different hummingbirds flew to the site of our hotel. They flew around us and buzzed with their wings. Then we went to the butterflies.

An amazing place where thousands of different butterflies fly, but the most beautiful are the big blue ones. You can also feed the butterflies there and see how they hatch from their cocoons.

And finally, the final event of the day is a visit to the equator line in Quito. We visited the Museum of the Middle of the World, where we learned a lot of interesting things about Ecuador and the equator.

This is such a wonderful acclimatization. But tomorrow we will finally go to the mountains.

Olga Rumyantseva, the 7 Summits Club guide, sends from Ecuador:

Greetings to everyone from Ecuador, from the group that has not yet found a name for itself! Today, all the participants finally got together and early in the morning we went to get to know Ecuador, acclimatizing at the same time.

We climbed to the observation deck of the Pululau crater and, having looked at it from above, went down to the crater where people live. Previously, they were engaged in breeding cattle, but now they mainly receive tourists, organizing small hotels and offering various types of activities.

Having risen from the crater, we continued on our way to the area of the "cloud" forest of Mindo. And although the forest promised to be cloudy, and not rainy, on the way, when we went to see the waterfall, we got caught in a downpour. But we saw a very beautiful waterfall and walked through the jungle, which everyone also really liked.

And finally, we arrived in Mindo, where we visited a chocolate factory. We watched the entire process of making chocolate, and then tasted it. This is how we acclimatized.

Olga Rumyantseva, the super guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Ecuador:
Hello to everyone from Ecuador! The big adventures of one small and still nameless group begin here. Today, the group members flew to the capital of Ecuador, Quito, and despite the long flight, immediately went for a walk around the city center.

That is, first they walked around the city center, and then went up to the observation deck, where the statue of the Virgin Mary is located. We looked at Quito from above, at the statue towering over the city from close by, and even looked inside the statue.

At the same time, we combined the walk with acclimatization. After all, Quito is located at an altitude of 2800 meters, and in order to climb to the observation deck, we had to gain another 200 meters in altitude.
Tomorrow, when all the participants of our adventures gather in Quito, we will begin an exciting journey and acquaintance with the country.

Hooray! There is a summit! On February 9, Olga and Alexander stood on the summit of Cotopaxi volcano (5897 m) - the most beautiful volcano in the world, included in the TOP-10 most popular ascents with guides. The active Cotopaxi volcano was reopened for ascents after another eruption about six months ago. After the eruption, the terrain changed significantly, became more technical, requiring more effort and special training.

The couple did it! And now they are waiting for a well-deserved rest at the thermal springs surrounded by blooming mountains.

Greetings from Ecuador from Olga and Alexander! Today was a rest day before heading out for high-altitude acclimatization on the Cotopaxi Glacier. Our team climbed by car to the wonderful Quilotoa Lake, located in the crater of a volcano at an altitude of 3900 meters. It was wonderful! Great views and great company!

Greetings from Ecuador from Olga and Alexander! We had a great day. We met the guide Diego and had a great acclimatization trip to the top of Pichincha. Now we have moved to La Cienega. This is an ancient hacienda in the Cotopaxi region with eucalyptus alleys surrounded by roses. We are resting in anticipation of further interesting activities and locations.

Hello to everyone from Ecuador, the country of volcanoes and flowers, from Olga and Alexander! The couple flew to Quito and began their acquaintance with this colorful country, located in the mountains in the equatorial region somewhere on the South American continent.

Yesterday, there was a deeper penetration into the history and culture of the colonial center of the capital and, of course, it was not without closing several gestalts: standing on the equator line simultaneously in different hemispheres and trying a local delicacy - kuya (guinea pig, in our language).