Quito & Vicinity - Adventure Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - page 93

views. To get there, take a taxi west out of Quito to the upper reaches
of the city and start climbing via Cruz Loma. Allow about seven hours
for the climb. Keep inmind that these poor suburbs can be dangerous.
It is worth hiring a guide through a local outfitter (see pages 94-97).

The higher summit, Rucu Pichincha , at 15,676 feet, is the dormant
cone and a bit farther away than its sister. Your best bet is to catch a
taxi to the quaint village of Lloa. From the main plaza facing the vol-
cano, follow the sign-posted road to the summit. It takes about eight
hours to get to the refuge, where you can sleep and obtain water.
Bring a sleeping bag and ask the caretaker if he will share his cooking
facilities. The summit hike from the refugio is short, but the descent
back to Lloa, which takes about three hours, is steep and strenuous.
Once you are back on the main road in Lloa, walk down until you
reach a fork. Wait for a truck to the outskirts of Quito, and catch a taxi
from there.

Check around in Quito near Av. Amazonas for local outfitters or see
the Tour Operators & Guides section below, pages 94-97.

On Horseback
Hoofing it through Pululahua
National Reserve

Pulalahua offers perhaps the best riding within close
proximity to Quito, as it is a massive reserve that is a
world away from city life, nestled deep down in an extinct
volcanic crater (see Eco-Travel section, page 98, for more
details). Travel through geological history in this 4,000-year-old dor-
mant volcano and witness human history with remains that pre-date
even the Incas. For excellent horseback riding excursions in
Pululahua, including deep gorges, dizzying views, thick cloud forest
and local communities sunken at the bottom of a crater, contact the
Green Horse Ranch in Quito, 2-2523-856, fax [phone],

[e-mail], www.horseranch.de. Bring warm clothing
and rain gear. Lunch is provided on their one-day tours, and longer
excursions are available in and around the crater. For the intrepid
adventurer, Astrid at the Green Horse Ranch offers horse and trek
trips of up to six days on the Mojanda Trail, complete with portions of
a “nerve-wracking trail… through the most hallucinating and
breathtaking landscapes you can possibly imagine.” There are even
longer trips of up to nine days.