Central Highlands - Adventure Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - page 175

Metropolitan Touring , at Bolívar 19-22 and Castillo, 3-824-084,

fax [phone], has an office in the Centro Comercial Caracol, Av. de
los Capulies and Mirabeles.

Riobamba

3-942-
215, [e-mail] - from equipment rental and photog-
raphy to horseback riding, biking and mountain climbing/trekking,
they have it all.

AltaMontaña , Av. Daniel Borja 35-17 and Diego de Ibarra,

Expediciones Andinas , a couple of miles outside town on the road
to Guano,

3-964-915, offers climbing services.

Well recommended is Andes Trek , Colón 22-25 and 10 de Agosto,

3-940-964, F 3-940-963. In addition to climbing and trekking, they
have mountain biking and equipment rental.

Julio Verne Travel , at Calle 5 de Junio 21-46 and 10 de Agosto, 3-

963436, [e-mail], www.julioverne-travel.com, of-
fers adventure travel into the surrounding region, including hiking,
trekking and climbing volancoes.

Eco-Travel
Ilinizas Ecological Reserve
A recent addition to the parks and reserves of Ecuador is
Reserva Ecológica Los Ilinizas, encompassing a massive
370,500 protected acres. Blanketing high altitude páramo
grassland and humid subtropical (cloud) forest, the re-
serve is a welcome addition to protected areas in Ecuador. Highlights
include the namesake volcanic peaks and the famous emerald-
colored Lake Quilotoa, both of which offer plenty of hiking and climb-
ing adventures. See Adventures (page 170) for more. The cloud forest
habitat can also be explored from Lake Quilotoa, at 12,426 feet, and
down the western Pacific slopes to an elevation of 5,232 feet.

Cotopaxi National Park & Volcano

Ecuador's mainland showpiece is Cotopaxi (meaning “neck of the
moon”), a beautifully symmetrical, snowcapped, active volcano. The
entire park, at just under 84,000 acres in size, is one of the country's
major natural attractions and a tourist destination for both foreign-
ers and nationals. At 19,283 feet, Cotopaxi is the country's second-