Ecuador Climbing Expeditions

Where high-altitude mountaineering begins.

Learn on real glaciers, or climb Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo — small teams, clear prerequisites and private options.

Ecuador

One of the Best Places in the World to Learn High-Altitude Mountaineering

Cayambe · Cotopaxi · Chimborazo · Ecuador

Few places combine real glaciers, serious altitude and easy access the way Ecuador does.

Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo make an unusual mountain classroom. Here you can learn real mountaineering skills, find out how your body responds as the air gets thinner, and climb from one glaciated volcano to the next, each higher than the last.

If you’re new to mountaineering, Ecuador is a place to learn the fundamentals and meet high altitude in the right order. You don’t need to arrive as an experienced climber.

If you already have mountain experience, Ecuador lets you step into serious altitude on Cayambe and Cotopaxi, or build toward Chimborazo at 20,564 ft / 6,268 m.

Ecuador can be your first mountaineering experience, your first serious time at altitude, a major objective in its own right, or a step toward Aconcagua, Denali and the Himalaya.

You don’t need to know which volcano to climb before you start. Tell us what you’ve done and where you want to go, and we’ll help you choose.

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Choose your Ecuador

Which Ecuador Program Is Right for You?

You don’t need to know the difference between Cayambe, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo yet. Start with what you know about yourself.

Glacier skills training on Cayambe, Ecuador

Learn

Ecuador Mountaineering School

“I’ve never climbed a glaciated mountain.”

8 days · Cayambe · 18,996 ft / 5,790 m · Optional 7-day extension (15 days in total) adds Cotopaxi and Chimborazo

Learn real mountaineering skills on a real mountain. You start with crampons, ice axe and rope-team travel, build glacier skills and altitude step by step, then put it all together on Cayambe.

No previous mountaineering experience required. Maximum six climbers, one guide for every two.

$4,100 per person · Core Program, 8 days
Optional extension to Cotopaxi and Chimborazo: +$3,500

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Mountain refuge below Cotopaxi, Ecuador

Climb higher

Cotopaxi Express

“I have glacier experience and I’m ready for real high altitude.”

7 days · Cayambe · Cotopaxi · Max 4 climbers

Two glaciated volcanoes in a week. You acclimatize on Rucu Pichincha and Cayambe at 18,996 ft / 5,790 m, then take that experience higher on Cotopaxi at 19,347 ft / 5,897 m. For many climbers, Cotopaxi is where they first feel the demands of true high altitude: pacing, recovery, hydration, cold and sustained effort in thin air.

Glacier basics required.

$4,500 per person · 7 days

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Glaciated volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes

Go higher

Ecuador Volcanoes Expedition

“I want the complete Ecuador climbing experience.”

14 days · Cayambe · Cotopaxi · Chimborazo · Max 4 climbers

Three glaciated volcanoes, each higher than the last. Begin on Cayambe, take what you learn to Cotopaxi, then finish on Ecuador’s highest mountain, Chimborazo, at 20,564 ft / 6,268 m.

Previous glacier mountaineering experience required.

$6,300 per person · 14 days

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Four Questions. Answered Before You Book.

Can I do this?

Every program tells you what fitness, altitude experience and technical skills you need. New to mountaineering? That’s exactly why the School exists.

Which program is right for me?

Don’t choose by mountain name alone. Tell us what you’ve done, what you want to learn and where you hope the mountains will take you. We’ll help you choose.

What will it really cost?

Every program publishes its price, what’s included, what isn’t, and the other costs you should expect, so you understand the total before you pay a deposit.

When can I go?

Each program lists its scheduled departures. Need different dates, or have your own group? Ask about a private departure.

Why Ecuador?

Serious Altitude. Real Glaciers. Close Together.

Many ranges can teach crampons, rope teams and glacier travel. Ecuador adds something else: you can build those skills while moving into the 18,000- to 20,000-foot range.

On the School, a first-time mountaineer learns on real glaciers and starts to understand how body and judgment change at altitude. For climbers who already have glacier skills, Ecuador is an altitude classroom: Cayambe near 19,000 feet, Cotopaxi higher still, then Chimborazo above 20,000.

Your first 20,000-foot mountain

Chimborazo · 20,564 ft / 6,268 m

Twenty thousand feet is more than a number. For many climbers, it’s the first time they find out what sustained high altitude really feels like.

We don’t treat Chimborazo as a summit to collect. On our longer Ecuador programs, it’s the end of a progression: you arrive acclimatized, having already climbed on Ecuador’s glaciers. For some people, Chimborazo is the goal. For others, it’s where Aconcagua starts to feel real.

Especially when you’re learning

Small Teams Change the Experience.

The Ecuador Mountaineering School is limited to six climbers, with one guide for every two. That isn’t a luxury. It’s how we teach.

A guide needs to see how you move in crampons, how you handle the rope, how you respond to altitude and fatigue, where you’re confident, and where you need more time. The goal isn’t just to lead you up Cayambe. It’s for you to leave Ecuador a more capable climber than when you arrived. You will never disappear into the group.

Local Knowledge. Professional Standards.

Ecuador’s volcanoes are living mountains. Glaciers move, routes change, and weather and access change.

BBE works with experienced Ecuadorian mountain professionals, and pairs that local knowledge with the guiding standards and expedition systems built since 1992 in the Andes and on major mountains around the world. The strongest team brings both.

One Mountain Has a Way of Leading to Another.

Maybe Ecuador is the biggest mountain trip you’ll ever want to take. That’s fine. But sometimes your first real high-altitude experience changes the question.

Kilimanjaro→Ecuador→Aconcagua→Denali→Himalaya

There’s no required ladder and no mountain you have to climb next. But when you decide to keep going, what you learned on the last mountain should prepare you for the next one.

Your people. Your objectives. Your trip.

Private & Custom Ecuador

Coming with a partner, your family, a group of friends or an established climbing team? We can run any of our Ecuador programs privately, on your dates, with your own guide team and an itinerary built around your group. Private expeditions can be personally led by Willie or Damian on request, confirmed in writing.

Guiding since 1992

Experience Matters. Judgment Matters More.

Since 1992, Benegas Brothers Expeditions has guided people from their first serious mountain experiences to some of the highest summits on Earth. But the most important question isn’t how many mountains we’ve climbed. It’s whether this mountain is right for you now.

Where Do You Want to Begin?

Ecuador Mountaineering SchoolNew to glaciers and high altitude?Cotopaxi ExpressHave glacier experience and limited time?Ecuador Volcanoes ExpeditionReady for the complete progression?Private & Custom EcuadorHave your own group or dates?

Still not sure?

Tell us what you’ve done and where you’d like the mountains to take you. We don’t simply guide expeditions. We help people build a lifetime in the mountains.

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