Backpack to El Altar

Local Ecuadorian outdoorspeople constantly tout El Altar as the best place in Ecuador for outdoor adventure.  Ecuador’s 5th highest peak, El Altar (17,451 ft.) is actually several peaks, the remnants of an ancient volcano that blew its top leaving a ring of glacial peaks surrounding a turquoise laguna.

The journey to El Altar can be a bit complicated, as not many people know where it is.  By bus, leave from Riobamba on one of the semi-daily buses headed to the tiny town of Candelaria.  If you’re driving, head towards Penipe and follow signs along the newly paved road for 13 km to Candelaria.  Once in town, continue through the town center until you see signs for Hacienda el Releche, which sits atop a dirt driveway.  Register at the Parque Nacional El Altar entrance station and continue up to the Hacienda.

If you arrive later in the day, consider staying in the Hacienda for the night.  Dorm-style rooms are $12 USD per person, though use of the kitchen is an additional $10 USD.  We suggest using your backpacking stove instead to avoid this ridiculous fee.  The trail to El Altar isn’t difficult by any means, but beginning around 11,000 feet above sea level, those not yet acclimatized may find the 11 km journey to be a struggle.

Horses and a rider are available to help ease your load by carrying your packs, but in recent years the fees have become exorbitant.  What was once a $10 service has ballooned to $80, so we opted to carry our own gear.  You can also cut down on weight by deciding to stay at the refugio deep in the valley.  This is privately owned as well and costs just $12 per night (with the ridiculous $10 kitchen fee in addition).

Once in the valley, take time to explore the vast, flat river basin.  Wild horses and bulls roam the verdant landscape within the confines of the near-vertical walls.  When the clouds part, enjoy views of El Altar’s many summits and the glaciers that hang from them, including the main glacier at the back of the basin, after which the mountain was named (early explorers thought the glacier looked like an altar and the peaks like worshippers gathered around it.)

Camp in the valley but continue on along the north side of the Rio Collanes to the steep, but short, trail up into the crater itself where stunning views of Laguna Collanes (or Laguna Amarilla) will take your breath away (if the 13,800 ft. altitude hasn’t already.)  Countless waterfalls drop hundreds of feet from the glaciers hanging above.  There are a few campsites at the opening to the crater as well, sometimes even supplied with firewood.

Hike back out the way you came and enjoy the gentle downward grade back to the hacienda.  The bus from Candelaria runs every three hours back to Riobamba, so try and time your descent accordingly.