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 T1 CONDOR This high altitude trek of 5 days starts near Papallacta and leads past the high Andes regions of Antisana, ending at Cotopaxi National Park. The hike is always between 3000m to 4000m and on clear days gives great views to the snow-covered volcanoes. It also gives ample opportunity to study the high alpine vegetation of the paramo ecosystem and its animals, like the famous condor, from which the trek got its name as it might be seen on some stretches. The trek is suited to most people as we take packhorses with us but still adequate physical condition is required but more often a tougher mental attitude is needed as the weather sometimes can turn nasty with intermittent rain showers, cold foggy conditions, strong winds and occasional snow. T 1 : 5 days / 4 nights Day 1 We leave Quito in the morning and head east up the Cordillera Real towards El Tambo, a small village close to Papallacta and situated at 3400m, where packhorses await us. After loading our equipment on the horses we then start out on our trek. This day is spent mostly on muddy trails and crossing small rivers, where rubber boots are a must. Our first campsite is located at small lagoon, called Laguna del Volcan and the hike takes us 4 hours to complete. Day 2 After breakfast we begin our ascent towards our second base camp at the foot of Antisana at 4100m. The first two hours still take us through muddy areas and small forests until we reach higher paramo regions, void of trees but with much drier ground.. After another 4-hour hike passing the magnificent and massive Antisana glacier and the Santa Lucia lagoon, we reach our second camp located in a sheltered valley with a small creek running through it. Day 3 In the morning we leave our camp site at the foot of Antisana and head to our next camp site which is located at the foot of Sincholagua mountain. This hike takes us through high paramo regions, crossing twice roads, which come up the valley to La Mica lake, a water reservoir for the city of Quito. This hike takes around 7 hours and is the most tiring day of our trek. Day 4 We leave early in the morning and begin the steep hike up to the highest point of our tour ( 4500m ), the pass at Sincholagua which leads into the Cotopaxi National Park. From then on we descend to our last camp at the River Pita, which is located at the limit of Cotopaxi National Park at 3800m. This stretch of the trek on solid and dry paths takes about 5 hours. Day 5 At around 10 am the jeep picks us up and we visit the Pre-Inca site of El Salitre and then we head up to the parking area of Cotopaxi refuge. After a 40-minute climb up to the refuge hut "Jose Ribas" we reach the altitude of 4800m. After lunch in the hut we head back down to the jeep and return to Quito with an optional stop at the Laguna Limpiopungo, a small lagoon famous for its nesting birds.
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