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 T5 EL REVENTADOR This active volcano of 3485m is located in the higher Amazon region and therefore an entirely different trekking adventure ( for more information about the volcano click to information.volcano.reventador ). The route begins at an mighty waterfall, which is located at around 1500m in a tropical cloud forest region and leads through a primary mountain forest, which abruptly ends at an old volcanic caldera, which boasts of extensive lava flows of rocks, which are now overgrown with small bushes and other plants and eventually ends in sparser vegetation at the volcanic cone itself, which are more similar to the plants of the Andes mountains. On this trek you may expect rain, muddy trails and slippery paths so you should be surefooted and not afraid of falling occasionally on your butt but otherwise it is suited to anybody in a halfway good physical shape and with a healthy mindset. T 5 : 4 days / 3 nights Day 1 We leave Quito in the morning and drive east up the Eastern Cordillera and then down towards the Amazon basin. After a 5 hour drive we reach our starting point, the San Rafael Waterfalls, Ecuador's highest and mightiest cascades. The afternoon is spent exploring the area around this beautiful waterfall, which apart from spectacular views boasts of a rich flora and fauna, especially interesting for birdwatchers. Day 2 After breakfast we begin our hike towards the volcano. After a short stretch on the road we enter the hiking trails, moving first through some agricultural land and crossing some small rivers. Later on we enter the cloud forest and move along muddy paths till we reach our second camp, a primitive hut located at over 2000m and near two creeks, the Rio Azul and Rio Blanco. The hike takes around 5 hours on muddy trails moving gradually higher with some steeper stretches to be conquered. Day 3 After breakfast we get ready for our climb up to the summit of El Reventador. First we have a steep climb through the last part of the forest till we reach the old caldera area of the volcano, which consists of rocks overgrown with mosses and small bushes. After passing carefully through this amazing zone we reach the base of the new volcanic cone, which rose out of the old crater. There we begin our climb up to the peak on mostly gravel and rocks. The whole climb from the hut to the peak takes about 4 hours and on a rare clear day we have a fantastic view of the entire Amazon jungle area with its green expanse broken up by huge meandering rivers. After having lunch on top we begin the hike back to our camp, which takes another 3 hours. Day 4 Early in the morning we walk back from the hut to our first camp at the San Rafael Waterfalls, where we arrive after a 4 hour hike down on the same trail, we came up two days earlier. After a quick lunch we pack up and drive back by jeep towards Quito. On the way there we stop at the Hot Springs of Papallacta, where we take a well deserved break, relaxing in the pools. The hot waters of the springs hopefully bring life back to our old bones and steam out the dirt from our pores. Refreshed and clean we end up in Quito later in the evening.
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