So you want to climb a Volcano?
Two-Day El Misti Climb for £295pp
The beautiful, snow-capped volcano of El Misti towers over the White City of Arequipa and is one of Peru's most iconic landmarks. Everybody looks at it and photographs it but not many tourists realise that you can climb the volcano in just two days...
So long as you're properly acclimatised, the ascent to the summit, 5,822m above sea level is achievable even by those with little trekking experience, and standing at the crater lip gives you one of the most spectacular 360-degree views that Peru has to offer. Even better, this hike is easily included in almost any of our holidays since your base is the beautiful city of Arequipa.
Detailed Itinerary
Day One – Arequipa to Base Camp
We will leave Arequipa in the mid-morning and proceed by minibus to the base of the volcano, before setting off on a steep 4-hour hike up to the “Eagles Nest” base camp, where we will camp for the night. We will eat an early evening meal before heading to bed for an early night, with the lights of Arequipa far below us, glittering in the darkness (Lunch and Dinner included)
Day Two – Summit of El Misti
We will get up at around midnight, and start our climb to the summit, which will take around 6 hours. It is a real hard slog but the views from the slowly smoking summit are worth it! After a short time to recover and appreciate the view, we will head back down by an alternate route (about 4 hours) before returning to Arequipa in the minibus. (B/L)
What's Included?
Our standard price for this El Misti Ascent is £295 per person, and we can fit it into just about any of our holidays in Peru.
That price includes top-class trekking equipment including cooking equipment, sleeping bags and sleeping mats; all transport between Arequipa and El Misti, the services of an expert guide, and all meals while on the climb.
You won't need to carry anything except for a day pack, but the high altitude means that you must be properly acclimatised before considering starting to climb El Misti - a short trek in Colca Canyon would be a good idea to prepare, and ideally some time spent in a higher-altitude environment such as Cusco or Lake Titicaca would be beneficial.