Top 10 Volcanoes in Ecuador
Ecuador is small but volcanically immense. A double row of snow-capped stratovolcanoes runs north–south through the country, the famous "Avenue of the Volcanoes" named by Alexander von Humboldt in 1802. Several are active; several are easily climbed; all are visible from a road.
1. Cotopaxi
The icon: a glacier-clad 5,897 m near-perfect cone an hour south of Quito. A national park, an active and closely watched volcano, and a mountaineering objective for acclimatised climbers.
2. Chimborazo
Ecuador's highest peak at 6,263 m and, measured from Earth's centre, the farthest point from the planet's core (due to the equatorial bulge). A dormant glaciated stratovolcano with a remarkable climbing history.
3. Tungurahua
The "Throat of Fire" above the spa town of Baños. Erupted continuously for years in the 2000s and 2010s, and its night activity from the Casa del Árbol tree-swing photographs is iconic.
4. Reventador
A jungle volcano east of the Andes that has been erupting almost continuously since 2002. Reached on a multi-day approach through cloud forest from Quito-Lago Agrio road.
5. Sangay
A perpetually active stratovolcano in the central Sangay National Park — remote, jungle-clad, and one of the longest-erupting volcanoes in the world.
6. Cayambe
A glaciated 5,790 m stratovolcano north of Quito and one of the few peaks on the planet whose summit is directly on the equator. A mountaineering classic.
7. Pichincha (Guagua and Rucu)
The Pichincha pair sits above Quito. Guagua erupted in 1999 and remains monitored; Rucu is reached by the TelefériQo cable car for hikes with the city below.
8. Antisana
A glaciated, almost-never-climbed volcano east of Quito, watched from the páramo of Antisana ecological reserve — condor country.
9. Iliniza
A double-summit volcano whose lower south peak is one of Ecuador's most popular high-altitude scrambles and a stepping-stone before Cotopaxi.
10. Wolf (Galápagos)
The highest point in the Galápagos, on Isabela Island, with periodic spectacular fissure eruptions and pink iguanas on its slopes.
How to plan an Ecuador volcano trip
The classic route is acclimatisation in Quito, the cable car up Pichincha, the Iliniza Sur scramble, and then a Cotopaxi or Cayambe attempt with a guide. Tungurahua viewing from Baños and a Quilotoa loop visit complete a two-week trip.
Hazard and access
Ecuador's Geophysical Institute (IGEPN) publishes daily volcano updates. Climbs require licensed mountain guides; equipment and acclimatisation are non-negotiable above 5,000 m.
See them on the map
Filter the map to Ecuador and the double row of the Avenue of the Volcanoes appears north-south across the highlands — a geography small enough to drive in days and high enough to take weeks of acclimatisation.