Rucu Pichincha

Rucu Pichincha is the rocky summit of the volcano that Quito climbs the flanks of, and the TeleferiQo cable car from the city lifts visitors from about 3,000 to nearly 4,000 metres at Cruz Loma, from which the trail runs along a paramo ridge and up a final scramble of sand and rock to the summit at 4,698 metres, five to six hours round trip. The route is straightforward in good weather but it is a real high-altitude walk, and the city below, spread along its valley with Cotopaxi and Cayambe on the horizon on clear mornings, is the reward. The neighbouring Guagua Pichincha is the active crater, which erupted ash over the city in 1999. Weather turns fast, and afternoon cloud and hail are routine.

History

The volcano was sacred to the peoples who lived around it for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived. The first recorded ascent of Guagua Pichincha was made in 1582 by a group of locals led by José Ortiguera. In 1737 members of the French Geodesic Mission, among them Charles-Marie de La Condamine, Pierre Bouguer and Antonio de Ulloa, spent 23 days on the summit of Rucu Pichincha as part of their survey to measure a degree of latitude, and on 17 June 1742 La Condamine and Bouguer climbed Guagua Pichincha and looked into its crater, last active in 1660, which La Condamine likened to the underworld. Alexander von Humboldt climbed and measured the mountain in 1802, and his writings drew the painter Frederic Edwin Church to paint it; on 24 May 1822 the Battle of Pichincha was fought on its south-east slopes (Wikipedia, Pichincha (volcano)).

What's there

• The cable car to four thousand metres - the city lift onto the paramo.
• Quito along its valley - the capital seen from directly above.
• The summit scramble - sand and rock to 4,698 metres.
• Cotopaxi and Cayambe on the horizon - the volcano line on clear mornings.

When to go

June to September for the driest weather, and mornings always; cloud builds by noon. A day. Acclimatise in Quito first; the altitude is serious. Weekends bring many Quito walkers.

Good to know

Altitude sickness is common in visitors fresh from sea level. Weather changes fast and hail and lightning happen; start early and turn back at cloud. The final scramble is loose. Robberies were once a problem on the lower trail; go accompanied.

Nearby

Quito is below; Guagua Pichincha lies behind the summit.

Key facts