Best Hikes in Ecuador: 7 Multi-Day Treks Worth It

Q: What is the best hike in Ecuador?

For most people the Quilotoa Loop is the best hike in Ecuador: a 3-day village-to-village trek to a turquoise crater lake, moderate and non-technical. If you want a summit instead, Cotopaxi (5,897 m) is the classic glaciated climb, very doable for fit hikers who acclimatize well.

Q: When is the best time to go hiking in Ecuador?

The driest, clearest windows are December–January and June–September, the best months for both trekking and summit success. The Galápagos are good to hike year-round. Ecuador sits on the equator, so plan around wet and dry seasons rather than summer and winter.

Ecuador packs an absurd amount of hiking into a small country: glaciated volcanoes, crater lakes, cloud-forest trails and island trekking, almost all reachable within a day of Quito. The best hikes in Ecuador are the multi-day ones, where you sleep on the mountain and earn the view.

These are the ones we think are worth the trip, roughly from most accessible to most demanding, with a short note on each.

Hike	Type	Difficulty	Days	Guide required?
Quilotoa Loop	Village-to-village trek	Moderate	3	No (better guided)
Galápagos hiking	Island trails	Easy–moderate	4–6	Some trails
El Altar	Wilderness trek	Moderate–hard	3	Recommended
Iliniza Norte	Acclimatization climb	Hard scramble	2	Yes (above 5,000 m)
Cotopaxi	Glacier climb	Hard (altitude)	2–5	Yes (by law)
Chimborazo	Glacier climb	Very hard (altitude)	4–6	Yes (by law)
Avenue of the Volcanoes	Multi-summit expedition	Hard	8–12	Yes

1. The Quilotoa Loop

If you do one trek in Ecuador, make it the Quilotoa Loop. It is three days of village-to-village walking through the high Andes, sleeping in family-run lodges and ending at the rim of a turquoise crater lake at 3,914 m. There is no glacier and nothing technical. It’s beautiful, moderate hiking.

2. Galápagos hiking

Most visitors see the Galápagos from a boat. Hiking the Galápagos from land, island to island, is the alternative: Sierra Negra’s giant caldera, the Wall of Tears on Isabela, and coastal trails full of wildlife. Plan on 4–6 days, easy to moderate, and no cruise.

3. El Altar

The El Altar trek into Sangay National Park is the wild card. It’s a muddy, remote walk into a collapsed volcano with a turquoise crater lake, and few foreigners ever do it. Rate it moderate to challenging over 3 days. Pack rubber boots.

4. Iliniza Norte (5,126 m)

This is the step up from trekking into high altitude. Iliniza Norte (5,126 m) is a non-technical scramble and a good proving ground. It’s also the classic acclimatization climb before the big glaciated volcanoes, done in 2 days.

5. Cotopaxi (5,897 m)

Climbing Cotopaxi, the 5,897 m glaciated cone, is the peak most visitors picture when they think of Ecuador, and very doable for fit hikers who acclimatize well. Expect non-technical glacier travel, a midnight start and a sunrise on the summit. It’s hard because of the altitude and takes 2–5 days.

6. Chimborazo (6,263 m)

The big one. Climbing Chimborazo at 6,263 m takes you to Ecuador’s highest point. Thanks to the equatorial bulge, it’s also the farthest point from the centre of the Earth. It’s very hard (the altitude again), takes 4–6 days, and is best attempted after Cotopaxi.

Alpacas grazing in vicuña country on the páramo below Chimborazo

7. The Avenue of the Volcanoes

Have two weeks? String the volcanoes together. Our Ecuador volcano climbing programs build the acclimatization ladder (Iliniza → Cotopaxi → Chimborazo) into one multi-summit expedition of 8–12 days. It’s the safest way to climb high.

How to choose

For a trek with no climbing, pick the Quilotoa Loop or El Altar. For the islands, Galápagos hiking. For a summit, start with Iliniza Norte, then Cotopaxi, then Chimborazo.

We run every one of these as a guided multi-day trip with time to acclimatize. Tell us what you’re drawn to and we’ll build the right itinerary.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best hike in Ecuador?

For most people the Quilotoa Loop is the best hike in Ecuador: a 3-day village-to-village trek to a turquoise crater lake, moderate and non-technical. If you want a summit instead, Cotopaxi (5,897 m) is the classic glaciated climb, very doable for fit hikers who acclimatize well.

What is the best multi-day trek in Ecuador?

The Quilotoa Loop is the classic multi-day trek: three days through the high Andes sleeping in family-run lodges. For something more remote, the El Altar trek into a collapsed volcano is the standout, though it's muddy and harder to reach.

Do you need a guide to hike in Ecuador?

It depends on the route. The glaciated volcanoes above 5,000 m (Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Iliniza Sur) legally require a licensed mountain guide, and a few Galápagos trails need a naturalist guide. Lower treks like the Quilotoa Loop can be walked self-guided, but a local guide adds the villages, navigation and safety.

When is the best time to go hiking in Ecuador?

The driest, clearest windows are December–January and June–September, the best months for both trekking and summit success. The Galápagos are good to hike year-round. Ecuador sits on the equator, so plan around wet and dry seasons rather than summer and winter.

Can a beginner hike Ecuador's volcanoes?

Yes. Climbs like Cotopaxi are non-technical glacier walks, so no prior mountaineering is needed, but you do need good hiking fitness and several days of acclimatization. Most people start with an acclimatization peak like Iliniza Norte before a big summit.