South America - Page 2

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.

The 7 Summits Club President Alexander Abramov reports from Peru:

The ascent of Chachani was a success! Yesterday our Alpacas team climbed to the top of the Chachani volcano, 6070m high. 11 participants reached the highest point. Three participants did not reach the top, but were satisfied. For most of them, it was their first six-thousander in their lives.

The condition of the route and the weather could have been better. We climbed through wet snow, which lay in a 10 cm layer on the ice, on the descent it began to snow, turning into rain.

But we did it. Hooray!

Hello from Peru to everyone from the Alpacas team! Yesterday we left our cozy city of Cusco and flew to Arequipa, where our adventures continue!
This morning we visited the main local attraction - the Santa Catalina Monastery. This monastery, founded in 1579 and located in the city center, is one of the best examples of colonial architecture in Arequipa. It is built from white ash mined from the Chachani volcano and pink ash mined from the Misti volcano.
Then we walked around the center of Arequipa and had lunch in a cozy restaurant overlooking the main square of the city. It is very cozy, very tasty and very colorful here! We never tire of admiring this hospitable country!
And after lunch we went to the base camp of the Chachani volcano, located at an altitude of 4900. Now we will have dinner and discuss the plan for the assault. At night we go to the mountain. Tomorrow is the key day of our trip! Wish us luck, amigos!
Guides: Alex Abramov and Sveta Kotlyar.

While the Alpacas team was walking past the "seven lakes" to the hot springs, Sveta Kotlyar went to climb Maria Peak with local guides. We decided to establish for ourselves the seasonality of ascents to this peak, which is included in our programs in Peru.

We left the camp at 4600 at 3.00 in the morning and reached the pass at 5200 in 4 hours. The whole morning there were simply gorgeous views and a cloudless sky! On the way, we met three vicunas descending the slope.

At the pass, we dropped off unnecessary things and began to climb the ridge. Already in the first hour of the ascent, it became clear that in this wet season there is a lot of snow on the mountain. We had to trek knee-deep, and in some places waist-deep, which increased the planned time for the ascent by an hour. We were at the top at 11:20, Alex Abramov turned on “Coco jambo” on the radio, we danced a victory dance at the top and ran down.

President of the 7 Summits Club Alexander Abramov reports from Peru:

With the approach of the new month, March, the group, which was called “Februaryists”, decided to change its name. Now we are “Alpacas”. Today our team spent the night in a gorgeous place surrounded by snowy mountains. It was raining. But that didn’t stop us. The tents are new and hold up well to the rain. The food is good. We have Starlink Mini Internet with us. Everyone is happy. We passed the 5100 Pass. We bathed in hot springs. And now we are already in Cusco celebrating the halfway point of the expedition. Tomorrow we fly south to the city of Arequipa. And from there is an exit to storm the Chachani volcano, 6200 meters high.

The adventures of the 7 Summits Club "Februaryists" team in Peru continue! This morning we left the camp at 4600 and climbed the Palomani Pass 5200. The weather was sunny throughout the first half of the day, and the surrounding nature was full of magnificent views. After lunch, we were slightly hit by hail, and we arrived at our camp in the rain. But nature has no bad weather!

Everyone is in a great mood. By the way, yesterday we started a tradition - now in the evening at dinner each of us shares impressions of the past day, it brings us very close. This is a pioneer camp for adults!

Guides: Alex Abramov and Sveta Kotlyar.

 Hola amigos! The "Februaryists" team spent another wonderful and adventurous day in Peru! Today we went to the Rainbow Mountains, which are located 100 km from Cusco. The weather was quite cloudy, it was drizzling, but this did not stop us from riding quad bikes with the wind in our hair.

We reached 4900, from there we walked to the top of Mount Vinicunca (5036 m). For two members of our large team, this is the first summit!

During the ascent, the clouds dispersed, and we saw the Rainbow Mountains in all their glory!

After that, we headed towards our camp at the Ausangate volcano lagoon at an altitude of 4600. The views around are simply space, impressing even the most inveterate travelers: the huge white Ausangate glacier, bright green hills and red mountains - an incredibly bright picture!

In the camp we have almost all the benefits of civilization, including starlink, so we will be in touch with you.

Guides: Alex Abramov and Sveta Kotlyar.

The "Februaryists" team visited Machu Picchu - the pearl of Peru, the ancient city of the mystical Inca civilization! In the morning we woke up in a hotel in the town of Aguas Calientes on the banks of the Urubamba River and then went to the entrance to Machu Picchu.

Everyone was delighted! The scale of the city is impressive. It is not surprising that this is the most visited Peruvian attraction, one of the "new wonders of the world"! The return trip to Cusco by train was fun - with the songs and dances of the Peruvians.

This is where the excursion part of our p rogram ends and tomorrow we are going on a trek to the Rainbow Mountains! Guides: Alex Abramov and Sveta Kotlyar.

Hello to everyone from Peru from the 7 Summits Club "Februaryists" team! Yesterday the excursion part of our program began. In the morning we left Cusco towards the sacred valley of the Incas and first stopped by a family-run cooperative of hospitable locals, where we were treated to mint tea and shown the process of making thread from alpaca wool.

 Then we visited Chinchero - an archaeological site, an Inca fortress and the fortress of Ollantaytambo. We had lunch in Rio Sagrado - a very cozy restaurant on the river bank, surrounded by greenery. And in the evening, we took the train to Aguas Calientes, a cozy town at the foot of the most famous landmark of Peru - Machu Picchu, which awaits us tomorrow!

Guides: Alex Abramov and Sveta Kotlyar.

Hola amigos! Hello everyone from Peru! Yesterday our large group "Februaryists" gathered in Cusco - the ancient capital of the great Inca Empire! The city is located at an altitude of 3400 m and the weather here is very comfortable and a little cool. Our hotel is located in the historical center of Cusco and after we checked in, we managed to walk a little along the stone streets of the center - it is very atmospheric and very colorful here!

Part of the group managed to see the ancient temple complex of Sacsayhuaman, and then we stopped at a llama and alpaca farm to cuddle and feed these cutest creatures.

In the evening there was a welcome dinner, where we congratulated our men on "February 23rd Day", celebrated the past birthday of one of the participants - Anatoly and raised glasses for our upcoming adventures in Peru!

Guides: Alex Abramov and Sveta Kotlyar.

The 7 Summits Club President Alexander Abramov reports from Peru:

 The 7 Summits Club team, which called itself "Februaryists," gathered in the ancient Peruvian city of Cusco. Today we climbed a via ferrata to our overnight stop, the most unique hotel "Sky Lodge." Imagine, the rooms there are nailed to the rock with nails. On the way to the canyon where this hotel is located, we stopped by to visit the alpacas and llamas. All the participants, and even the guides, were delighted with the first day of adventure.

This is Peru, baby! That's why we also tasted an amazing animal called cuy. Ours, guinea pig. The meat is the most tender!

Greetings from sunny Argentina! Today our supergroup "4th International" completed the program of climbing Mount Aconcagua (6962m) with a final dinner. All of us participants were awarded certificates and medals. We climbed the summit in full force - this is a great end to the season on Aconcagua! Group guides Dmitry Semenov and Andrey Sheynov.

President of the 7 Summits Club Alexander Abramov reports from Peru:

 Our team is starting to gather in Peru. The program includes Cusco, Arequipa, Rainbow Mountains and Machu Picchu. With ascents to peaks higher than five and six thousand meters.

 Greetings from the slopes of Aconcagua! And again we are great! Yesterday, February 19, our supergroup "4th International", in full force, climbed the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, as well as in the Southern Hemisphere - the summit of Aconcagua (6962m). The weather during the climb was excellent, but on the night after the climb, nature tested us and our tents for strength. We survived. Group guides Dmitry Semenov and Andrey Sheynov.

And again, "Greetings from the slopes of Aconcagua!" Today, the group of the 7 Summits Club "4th International" climbed to our assault camp at an altitude of 5930 m, located on the areas called Berlin. Now we have an early light out, because we are going to the summit storm at night. The group's guides are Dmitry Semenov and Andrey Sheynov.

 Greetings from the slopes of Aconcagua! Today the 7 Summits Club "4th International" group set out to summit climb and moved to the Nido de Candores camp, at an altitude of 5500 meters. Tomorrow, according to the plan, we will climb to the Berlin assault camp and at night we will set out to storm the summit of Aconcagua. The group's guides are Dmitry Semenov and Andrey Sheynov.