ELEMENTAL


FIRE FIRE PEAK PERFORMANCE


When summited safely, volcanoes offer an exhilarating glimpse into the depths of the earth. Climbing these smoky summits offers a real taste of the intrepid


The main event in Ecuador’s awe-inspiring Avenue of the Volcanoes, Cotopaxi is the smouldering crown of the Andes. The stratovolcano last erupted in 2015, and constant ominous unrest means there’s the ever-present fear of ‘the big one’ wiping out much of the Ecuadorian capital, Quito. Still, it’s a red-hot ticket for hikers who can stand both the two-day trek and altitudes that reach 17,500ſt. There are various warm-up hikes around Ecuador’s surrounding volcanic peaks


to test your mettle before attempting this bubbling behemoth, but should you be up to it, the hike to Cotopaxi’s perfect conical shape is rewarded (by some game local operators) with the chance to mountain-bike down. Yet the headline here isn’t the joyride, but


the show-stopping, high-altitude views from the summit. On a clear day, these stretch for hundreds of miles across the Andes and Ecuador’s string of volcanoes. This should more than reward travellers who tackle


Cotopaxi’s ‘heart breaker’ route that summits the snow-capped mountain, usually in the early hours of the morning — aſter a cup of coca leaf tea to help counter altitude sickness — before a sunrise bathes the slopes. SB


Journey Latin America has Active Ecuador


itineraries, which include Andean hikes and several volcano crater treks, along with an expert-led climb of Cotopaxi, staying in local lodges. Nine days from £3,224 per person. journeylatinamerica.co.uk


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