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.

Suggested Reading: Climbing and Hiking in Ecuador, 4th Edition

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!

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Created by SAEC member Tim Tadder
Changes or updates? Please email ttadder@fcaq.k12.ec