Ecuador Volcanoes Expedition Dispatch
November 14, 2012 – Change of Plans with Chimborazo
After a very successful summit day in Cotopaxi, the team is now resting in the city of Baños; a small town just under the smoke of the Tungurahua volcano. Luckily the volcano is quite calm right now, but we can still see signs of recent eruptions around the area.
Tungurahua was listed as an active volcano again in 1999, and has been going strong ever since. It displayed major eruptions on August 16, 2006, February 6, 2008, May 28, 2010, December 4, 2010 and most recently April 26, 2011. Our route is not in the lava’s pathway, but it would be a spectacular sight to see this eruption:
We spent last night in a beautiful hacienda and the next morning we were out and about visiting local attractions. Chimborazo was scheduled as our last climbing goal, but at this point, the teams is seriously considering leaving that for next trip’s itinerary, and touring more of this amazing country. Ecuador may be small, but with countless attractions, it is really hard not to come back.
One of the amazing attractions we visited was the beautiful waterfall named, “Manto de la Novia.” We decided to ride the cable car in order to see its wonders up-close. We then made our way to “Pailon de diablo,” where we were able to hike to the source of the waterfall. We had a great time and ended our day eating pizza in Baños, and do a little more shopping.