Climbing beautiful peaks of Illinizas

The Illiniza is a non active volcano approximately 55km (34mi) in a southwestern direction from Quito. There are actually two summits the Illiniza Sur which is about 5348m (17545ft) high and with a glacier on its top.   Compared to the southern summit is the Illiniza Norte with its 5126m (168179ft) not that high and therefore there is only rocks but no glacier.

On a 4700m (15419ft) situated in the middle of both summits there is a refuge called Nuevos Horizontes where most of the climbing tours to Illiniza Sur or Illiniza Norte begin. For experienced climbers the Illiniza Sur will be challenging because its technically more difficult to crest this peak because of the glacier. Of course it is only possible to go there with specialized equipment and a guide.
For the northern peak it is not necessary to have particular glacier equipment but it is recommended to use helmet and rope because of abruptly changing weather conditions.

Gulliver Expeditions is a tour operator for hiking and climbing tours such as the Illinizas tour is one. Of course it is not a tour to start off just after arriving to Quito or heights like this. Gulliver Expeditions therefore offers some acclimatization tours to well-prepare their clients for the next step higher.
Because I am not a well-trained hiker on those heights I will go for volcanos like corazon which is on a more comfortable height for me. But of course it must be a spectacular thing to climb and enjoy the view after reaching the summit.

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Between waterfalls, soccer and brownies: lovely weekend in Mindo

As an intern from Gulliver Expedition which is actually a tour operator in Quito it is possible to go on several trips they offer. I took the chance by heart that we had a 3-days weekend because of the Indepence Day of the biggest city in Ecuador Guayaquil. If I haven’t had to leave my passport in the General Office of Migration I could have gone by plane to some jungle or beachtrip. Never mind, I took the first bus to Mindo on Friday. The trip was like this: 

And my neighbor had to eat some of them cheese things with some hot sauce which was in a tiny little pot. Of course this guy has to drop this thing exactly on my backpack and pants. Thank you!

Finally I arrived in Mindo, bought a ticket for las cascadas and went from hostel to hostel to find an available room. In the Caffekasku I liked it the most so I wanted to spend my night here. Cheap and quite cozy, nice people and good fresh juice. There I met some people who just finished their biking tour from Nono to Mindo.

Soon I was on my way to the waterfalls. Because of the holidays there were so many people I had to wait like 45 min, but the nice guy took me a bit earlier because I was travelling alone. The view out of the cage was stunning and was looking forward to hike and take a swim. The first waterfall was only 15min of a hurrying walk with a family from Quito. It was quite nice to see but as expected this one was absolutely crowded. On the other side there was a another way down to some more waterfalls, they were much nicer and it was so refreshing to take the swim in the clear water. 

After this super hike I went to the chocolate tour as everyone else and enjoyed – altough I’m Swiss and always surrounded by delicious swiss chocolate – the still warm and melting brownie, not for the last time this weekend.

Actually I wanted to go for a shower and then maybe have a drink somewhere. On my way back I passed a bar in the centre and I guess each habitant of Mindo was here to see the soccer game between Ecuador and Urugay which was actually the entering game for the World Cup Qualifying. There I met a young couple from Irland – they know how to party – and a guy from Switzerland, that incidentally used to live in the same street back home in Switzerland as I do. 

Traditional dinner, a special kind of openair cinema and those funny people made this trip unforgettable – even without canopying. It’s a unique experience to travel by yourself. Enjoy! 

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Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

The Yasuni National Park is located in the western part of Ecuador and the richness in species is nowhere bigger than here. Even the USA and Canada together doesn`t have a biodiversity like this part of the ecuadorian rain forest has.

And unfortunately under this reserve are some huge oil resources to drill. With an approximate amount of $ 7 bn this is of course something that would help Ecuador to develop and improve things like infrastructure and children's education. The ITT-initiative which was created by President Correa was thought to save the Yasuni National Park. Therefore UN-Members should have paid $ 3.6 bn which is half of the oils value but in august it was collected only 13.3 m. For this reason Correa disclosed that the world has failed Ecuador and that he has no other opportunity to abandon the ITT-initiative. That means that the oil drilling in Yasuni National Park is now going to be permitted.

On thursday there was held a big demonstration in the old town of the capital, Quito.

It is a really difficult decision to make. On the one hand there is a natural reserve which houses so many species and it would be a big misdoing to destroy those living creatures environment. On the other hand there is really a need to this income Ecuador earned through this sell of his oil. As I work in the tourism industry and cannot stand it when there is such a damage in environment that obviously will take many lives I would certainly appreciate if they wouldn`t  explore those resources.

Hopefully I will get the chance to visit the Yasuni National Park during those four months of internship with Gulliver Expeditions. There are some beautiful ecolodges where you can observe the lovely nature. Maybe yourself will get the chance aswell to visit the Park.. Have fun and take care of it!

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