Tungurahua 5016 Meters

  Seen from the town of Banos. The refugio can be seen in the lower right
                            corner


     Climbing Tungurahua: From the entrance to the park to the refugio allow
 anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on your condition and the weight of your
 packs. Hiring mules is cheap and not a bad option. The trail to the refugio is
 obvious and well-marked but fairly steep. If the trail is particularly muddy this
 becomes an adventurous hike. The refugio has all the basics for cooking and
 sleeping and water and can sleep about 20 persons comfortably. Bring your
 own utensils, sleeping bag and pad as there are no beds. A small fee is
 required. A new refugio is in the process of being built. Realistically you can
 climb Tungurahua at any time of the day. However, it is glaciated and so proper
 precautions should be taken. The glacier is small and represents only the final
 40 minutes of the climb. Crampons are recommended. The rest of the climb is
 scree and demanding, especially if it is muddy. Don't be fooled by descriptions
 of this mountain as "easy." People have died on this mountain and you need to
 be in good physical condition to climb it and enjoy it. Most people leave the
 refugio anywhere from 3am to 6am as the weather tends to deteriorate later in
 the afternoon. Allow anywhere from 4-6 hours for this climb and about 2 hours
 for the descent to the refugio. The trail begins to the left of the refugio (if you
 are facing the refugio) and heads up. It follows the rather prominent ridgeline
 just above the refugio. Eventually you will come to a rock band which requires
 some scrambling. You should see an obvious line up through the rock band. Be
 careful of loose and falling rocks here. If you are travelling in a large group stay
 close together to avoid launching rocks on those below you. You should come
 across a large iron cross to mark your way. From here it is about another 1-2
 hours to the summit. The best season is December to March but the weather is
 as unpredictable as Ecuador itself.

     Getting There: From the terminal terrestre take any number of buses heading
 to Banos. The ride is about 3 1/2 hours. The buses will let you off in the
 terminal terrestre in Banos about 2km from the center of town. In Banos you
 can hire camionetas (small trucks) to take you to Parque Nacional Sangay
 where Tunguraghua is located. The camionetas will take you to the entrance to
 the park where you must pay a $10 fee. In addition, this is where you can hire
 mules for the hike up to the refugio. If you are walking from Banos (this is a
 very long option) follow the road on the Ambato side of town, then take the
 first trail to the right of the store and follow this path to town of Pondoa --don't
 follow the road to the baths!