We head into New Town (backpack area Mariscal Sucre) to see what info we can get on the trek to Cotopaxi and the mountain bike rides. You can bike down Cotopaxi - that could be fun. The trek doesn't take that long, its the acclimatization that could. We found one company that seemed quite good. They had their own hostal out by the mountains and did a 5 day trip that included several other peaks to help acclimate. Only problem was when I check them online they had received several bad reviews about the hostal. That got me thinking and looking a little more closely at what was offerred, what we were likely to get and what we wanted. Most important to us was the qualifications of the guide. Cotopaxi is at 5800 or 19,300 feet above sea level and it requires mountaineering or use of ropes, ice axe and crampons - something we have never done. The company we had met with said their guides were professional and were bilingual but that only the guide for Cotopaxi was certified. The reviews questioned the bilingual qualification and I didn't like the idea that we would get a different guide for the big day. So off to the South American Explorers Club to get more beta.
The SAE is essentially a climber's resource. They have books of trip reports, info on tour companies, etc. There we found a write up on Compania de Guias which was also mentioned in Lonely Planet. Compania de Guias is essentially a company owner-operated of very experienced guides. The key selling point was the emphasis on the qualifications - all with no less than 10 years experience and all certified. We walked over to their office - not as glitzy as the other company and not on the main drag - but we were impressed and decided to do their 5 day trip. But first we will do our own acclimitazing climb up local Volcan Pichincha.
