Rucu Pichincha

Description of mountain:
Rucu Pichincha is a 4,698-meter mountain in the Andes above Quito, Ecuador. Neighboring peaks are Guagua Pichincha at 4,794 m and Padre Encantado at 4,685 m. The mountain is currently a dormant volcano. The highest mountains in Ecuador are often of volcanic origin, a typical and widespread phenomenon at equatorial latitudes worldwide.

The mountain is very popular among hikers, as a gondola takes you from 3,117 m to 3,947 m at the upper station Cruz Loma in 18 minutes. The gondola is called El TelefériQo, a catchy combination of "El Teleférico" (meaning gondola) and "Quito" (Ecuador's capital, from where the gondola ascends).

The gondola ascends through three microclimatic zones. First, it rises above the forest line, i.e., the Andean forest, predominantly composed of eucalyptus trees. Then, shrubs of various kinds replace the trees, with the following predominating:

(1) El pumamaqui (lat.: Oreopanax ecuadorensis), the name is of indigenous/Indian origin and translates from Quechua as "Puma's paw," reminiscent of the fleshy leaves of this plant.

(2) Achupallas (lat. Puya furfuracea). The plant has sharp leaves that concentrically protect its central part in all directions, which can grow several meters high.

Then, during the transition from flora to higher grassy areas, known as Andean páramo, a chamomile-like plant called romerillo appears. In the world below the glacial line, i.e., páramo, grassy terrain follows. Characteristic are chuquiragua flowers.

From the animal world, hikers can quickly spot rabbits and the Andean caracara (Span. curiquingue; pronounced kurikinge; Engl. carunculated caracara; lat. Phalcoboenus carunculatus), which is endemic only to the Andean highlands in the páramo belt of Ecuador and southern Colombia. The caracara is very skilled in flight.

The glacial line in this part of the Andes is at 4,800 meters.

The most recommended time to visit is from June to August and from December to February. The summit is best visited in the morning, as mists and clouds envelop it in the afternoon, and there is also a risk of thunderstorms. Visiting the mountain is safe from a safety perspective, though the altitude already causes some symptoms or signs of altitude sickness, which are even more pronounced if the mountain is visited in the first days after arriving in Quito without prior acclimatization.