Day 15: Cotopaxi

We arose early to meet our tour bus at 6:45am for a day tour up Mount Cotopaxi. On our journey out of Quito we were greeted by the sight of this imposing volcano, with a 5900m summit, in the distance. After a few stops we reached the top car park (altitude 4500m) at about 10am - literally breathtaking!

Our first goal was to ascend to the climbers refuge at 4800m. Unfortunately the altitude quickly took its toll on Sarah. After a third of the way to the refuge she succumbed to shortness of breath and dizziness and decided it was best to return to the bus where she recovered quickly. We kind of knew we were pushing it with only two days acclimatisation in Quito but this tour was our best option and there are no guarantees with altitude sickness.

I continued to the refuge, and after a short rest set off for the base of the glacier at 5025m. The crazy German guide maintained a brisk pace up the steep scoria slopes. After a lot of pain and determination I reached the glacier!! Only five of the original nine in our group made it this far.

After a quick descent I caught up with Sarah again and we drove downhill a little way before disembarking and mountain biking down to the plateau! This was a cool experience and a great way to soak in the surroundings!