Taking a cable car to over 4000 metres!

We woke up to the terrible news that Donald Trump has won the election to be the next president of the USA. It’s a very scary prospect for the world! The two Americans in our group are grieving this morning!

We had breakfast and then met Susan in reception to take a taxi up to the TelefériQo (from teleférico and Quito), a gondola lift, running from the edge of the city centre up the east side of Pichincha Volcano to lookout Cruz Loma. It opened in July 2005, both as a tourist attraction and a gateway to hike to the summit of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano. It is one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, rising from 3,117 metres to 3,945 metres. The ascent takes about twenty minutes, travelling 2,237 linear metres.

It cost us $9 each for the round trip. It was impossible to take photos or videos from inside the car as there was too much graffiti scratched into the windows, unfortunately. Once at the top, we could definitely feel the effects of the altitude, but it wasn't as cold as we'd feared it might be. We climbed another 150 metres to a height above sea level of 4100 metres. At this point, there is a swing, so we took a few photos and then made our way slowly back down. Susan walked a bit higher, but she hadn't come prepared to do the 6-hour circular hike around the top of the volcano, so it wasn't long before she rejoined us. We then sat having coffee and chatting for a couple of hours before taking the cable car back down.Read more