That’s exciting…Ecuador is one of our favorite places with so many incredible hikes and adventures. The Condor Trek felt similar to Hornstrandir in that you’re completely alone in a seriously raw place without any other hikers to be seen. I’m sure you’ll love it, and we greatly look forward to your video especially the drone shots. One bit of advice…as silly as it might make you feel, for the first day and a half mud boots are an extremely helpful piece of gear to bring. Instead of avoiding mud and being worried about being soaked and filthy, you can stomp through the puddles and go anywhere without concern…makes you feel like a kid again and there's nobody around to judge. My wife and I joke sometimes that at some point, we’re going to see some guy in a hoodie in the middle of nowhere hiking near us and it’s going to be you. It looks like you seek out similar experiences, in fact I think we were arriving in Kathmandu for the EBC trek as you were on your way out so we just missed you in the Himalayas. If we see you out in the wild we’ll be sure to stop to say hi and thank you in person for all the amazing content you’ve put out. If you have any questions about the Condor Trek, or other hikes we’d highly recommend in Ecuador (like the Pululahua Crater), feel free to reach out. We also have Strava data on my website at Lylesuch.com and a little more detailed accounts. I know, at least when we were researching Ecuador, information was very difficult to come by. Good luck in your research!!
What an amazing Journey. I live in Quito. I hope I get the time and the balls to do it soon. Thanks for taking the time to share with the world our beautiful landscapes. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
We loved Ecuador...such a beautiful country and there are so many things to see! You definitely should try the Condor Trek...we were shocked that there were no other hikers, and that's hard to find on such an amazing trek. Living in Quito, you have access to so many great hikes...have you been into Pululahua Crater? We loved our short stay in the crater, hiking and exploring. So unique!
I walked this trail in 2006 en route to Cotopaxi and I have very fond memories of it - unspoilt and barely anyone else on it. All we had to go by was the basic route description from the Climbing and Hiking in Ecuador guide book which we transposed to photocopies of some very old 100k mapping. Thanks for posting.
Wow, that must have been quite an experience! Not an easy path to follow, I bet it was an interesting challenge if you didn't have guides, gps etc. Still today there are almost no people on the route, we only saw a couple farmers, and the check point guards to get into Cotopaxi National Park...shocking that it's such an amazing trail and you're still mostly alone. Hopefully our video helps take you back to your experience...thanks for watching!
We couldn't believe how amazing the trek was. One of the best in the world from our experience. Definitely need to go back and explore more of Ecuador!
You're lucky to live in Ecuador, such a beautiful country with so many mountains to explore! Have fun on El Camino del Condor, it really is a great adventure!
If you get a chance, this is definitely a unique trek. We had a wonderful time. What would you like to know about the drone footage? We had a blast using the drone on the Condor Trek. There were no other hikers so we weren't worried about bothering people. The landscape is incredible, I only brought 3 batteries, wish I had brought at least 6. Winds were a little rough at times up at higher altitudes. The lighting was also incredible...mostly sunny and very clear air makes for sharp shots.
It is an amazing trek, I'm sure you'll love it as long as you have mud boots. I have the gps track as .gpx files. What is a good way to send them to you?
4 ปีที่แล้ว
@@lylesuch4421 It`s ok as .gpx file! Maybe do you save it on any app??
@@lylesuch4421 Sorry to piggy back off of this comment thread, but I'm doing this trek later this month, and I'd love the .gpx file as well! I was actually inspired to try this trek because of this video, so I'm super excited!
Sorry for the late response, I just noticed this comment. We have a website with a more detailed account of this trek, and the Strava links are embedded where you can download the .gpx files. I split it up day by day so each day has it's own map. lylesuch.com/ecuadorpart-6/2019/12/11/ecuador-part-6-condor-trek Hopefully that helps, and good luck, it is truly an incredible trek! If you have any questions just let us know.
Thanks! I'm pretty sure you can do this without a guide, but there are a lot of complications that made us decide it was much simpler with one. The trek takes you through some national parks which involve check-points and permits, and it also goes through what looked like private land, so I think we had to get the owner's permission. Also, it begins and ends in somewhat remote places, so transport to and from the trailheads can be complicated. There's also the trail itself, oftentimes it gets difficult to follow because it's not very well-traveled (we didn't see any hikers the entire time). So having a guide familiar with the area is definitely a time-saver and you can focus more on the scenery rather than way-finding. So yeah, I think people do this on their own, but we highly recommend getting a guide, and wearing mud boots! (we went with Ecuadorecoadventure.com, they did a great job arranging everything and it was really reasonably priced).
Is there any chance you can do this without mud boots? Apparently they don't have my size in Ecuador 😂 and bringing them would be a huge hassle. What do you think?
I was dead set against wearing the mud boots at the beginning, but after experiencing the mud I was thankful we followed our guide's advice about wearing them. The mud is thick and tough to get through (at least at the time we were there). For all the hassle to get them there, I would say it's 100% worth it. However, we only needed them for the first day and a half, after that we switched to normal hiking boots. So if you go with maybe a change of shoes you can get the muddy sections out of the way then change into clean ones. Good luck, and hopefully you have great weather like we did, the condor trek is an amazing experience!!
@@lylesuch4421 Thank you for this. I think I will take your advice and maybe I can donate the boots because I'll never use them again lol. I'll also bring my regular hiking boots plus a light pair of running shoes. Quick question: I reserved dates with Wandy through Ecuador Eco Adventures. I basically picked my dates (?) because there weren't set dates to choose from. Did you do the same? I haven't received a confirmation about the dates I selected. What was your booking experience like?
We did the same, chose our specific dates because there were no set dates and we were a private group. We also had a similar experience with communication, not just Ecuador Eco Adventures but almost everything we planned in Ecuador. Tour operators and hotels were very good with communicating during the planning and booking, but once we booked any further correspondences had to be initiated by us. Not a big deal because everything went perfectly fine, but if you want to be sure you should it’s a good idea just reach out and ask for final confirmation. Good luck! If you're looking for other adventures, we have some excellent recommendations based on what we did on our trip...so many incredible things to do in Ecuador!
Hi, I have seen all your video,it is excellent, I would like to do this trek, please could you facilitate the contacts of the mules? I would like to make this trip with the same muleteers, thanks
We used a company called Ecuador Ecoadventure, this is their webiste. www.ecuadorecoadventure.com/. Wlady Ortiz is the owner...they are a great company and can assist with the Condor Trek. It is an incredible place to go hiking!!
Espectacular mi país Ecuador
Great video here. Researching for a wet May hike in 2022. Thanks
That’s exciting…Ecuador is one of our favorite places with so many incredible hikes and adventures. The Condor Trek felt similar to Hornstrandir in that you’re completely alone in a seriously raw place without any other hikers to be seen. I’m sure you’ll love it, and we greatly look forward to your video especially the drone shots. One bit of advice…as silly as it might make you feel, for the first day and a half mud boots are an extremely helpful piece of gear to bring. Instead of avoiding mud and being worried about being soaked and filthy, you can stomp through the puddles and go anywhere without concern…makes you feel like a kid again and there's nobody around to judge.
My wife and I joke sometimes that at some point, we’re going to see some guy in a hoodie in the middle of nowhere hiking near us and it’s going to be you. It looks like you seek out similar experiences, in fact I think we were arriving in Kathmandu for the EBC trek as you were on your way out so we just missed you in the Himalayas. If we see you out in the wild we’ll be sure to stop to say hi and thank you in person for all the amazing content you’ve put out.
If you have any questions about the Condor Trek, or other hikes we’d highly recommend in Ecuador (like the Pululahua Crater), feel free to reach out. We also have Strava data on my website at Lylesuch.com and a little more detailed accounts. I know, at least when we were researching Ecuador, information was very difficult to come by. Good luck in your research!!
Great video,..soo beautiful!!,..thanks for sharing 👍
What an amazing Journey. I live in Quito. I hope I get the time and the balls to do it soon. Thanks for taking the time to share with the world our beautiful landscapes. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
We loved Ecuador...such a beautiful country and there are so many things to see! You definitely should try the Condor Trek...we were shocked that there were no other hikers, and that's hard to find on such an amazing trek. Living in Quito, you have access to so many great hikes...have you been into Pululahua Crater? We loved our short stay in the crater, hiking and exploring. So unique!
Wow you are so brave.
Espectacular trekin 😎👌
It is a beautiful trek, the volcanoes and sunsets were incredible!
I walked this trail in 2006 en route to Cotopaxi and I have very fond memories of it - unspoilt and barely anyone else on it. All we had to go by was the basic route description from the Climbing and Hiking in Ecuador guide book which we transposed to photocopies of some very old 100k mapping. Thanks for posting.
Wow, that must have been quite an experience! Not an easy path to follow, I bet it was an interesting challenge if you didn't have guides, gps etc. Still today there are almost no people on the route, we only saw a couple farmers, and the check point guards to get into Cotopaxi National Park...shocking that it's such an amazing trail and you're still mostly alone. Hopefully our video helps take you back to your experience...thanks for watching!
Incredible journey across the Ecuadorian Andes!!!!! 🏔⛰🐎🦌🦅💪📸😍
We couldn't believe how amazing the trek was. One of the best in the world from our experience. Definitely need to go back and explore more of Ecuador!
@@lylesuch4421 some of the routes can be: Trekking El Altar, Oyacachi - El Chaco, and Capaq Ñan trekking!!!!! 🏔🚶🏻♂️💪📸😍
See you on the way.....
My dear friends Thu & Lyle you need to do el Altar trekking, really nice, I'm sure you'll enjoyed 👏🏻👍🏻
wow...
Beautiful Places! Wow
Ecuador was even more beautiful than we expected...a great place to go trekking!
What an awesome video. I live in Quito and actually, I am looking at Cotopaxi Volcano right now. "El camino del condor" will be the next adventure.
You're lucky to live in Ecuador, such a beautiful country with so many mountains to explore! Have fun on El Camino del Condor, it really is a great adventure!
this is like "wow, im gonna do just that."! thanks for sharing! can you tell me about the drone footage? thanx
If you get a chance, this is definitely a unique trek. We had a wonderful time. What would you like to know about the drone footage? We had a blast using the drone on the Condor Trek. There were no other hikers so we weren't worried about bothering people. The landscape is incredible, I only brought 3 batteries, wish I had brought at least 6. Winds were a little rough at times up at higher altitudes. The lighting was also incredible...mostly sunny and very clear air makes for sharp shots.
Looks brilliant buddy love it there
It looks amazing! I'll do this trek on august! Do you have the gps track?
It is an amazing trek, I'm sure you'll love it as long as you have mud boots. I have the gps track as .gpx files. What is a good way to send them to you?
@@lylesuch4421 It`s ok as .gpx file! Maybe do you save it on any app??
@@lylesuch4421 Any chance I could also get the .gpx file?
@@lylesuch4421 Sorry to piggy back off of this comment thread, but I'm doing this trek later this month, and I'd love the .gpx file as well! I was actually inspired to try this trek because of this video, so I'm super excited!
Sorry for the late response, I just noticed this comment. We have a website with a more detailed account of this trek, and the Strava links are embedded where you can download the .gpx files. I split it up day by day so each day has it's own map. lylesuch.com/ecuadorpart-6/2019/12/11/ecuador-part-6-condor-trek Hopefully that helps, and good luck, it is truly an incredible trek! If you have any questions just let us know.
Awesome video guys. Do you know if you can do this trek self-guided?
Thanks! I'm pretty sure you can do this without a guide, but there are a lot of complications that made us decide it was much simpler with one. The trek takes you through some national parks which involve check-points and permits, and it also goes through what looked like private land, so I think we had to get the owner's permission. Also, it begins and ends in somewhat remote places, so transport to and from the trailheads can be complicated. There's also the trail itself, oftentimes it gets difficult to follow because it's not very well-traveled (we didn't see any hikers the entire time). So having a guide familiar with the area is definitely a time-saver and you can focus more on the scenery rather than way-finding. So yeah, I think people do this on their own, but we highly recommend getting a guide, and wearing mud boots! (we went with Ecuadorecoadventure.com, they did a great job arranging everything and it was really reasonably priced).
Is there any chance you can do this without mud boots? Apparently they don't have my size in Ecuador 😂 and bringing them would be a huge hassle. What do you think?
I was dead set against wearing the mud boots at the beginning, but after experiencing the mud I was thankful we followed our guide's advice about wearing them. The mud is thick and tough to get through (at least at the time we were there). For all the hassle to get them there, I would say it's 100% worth it. However, we only needed them for the first day and a half, after that we switched to normal hiking boots. So if you go with maybe a change of shoes you can get the muddy sections out of the way then change into clean ones. Good luck, and hopefully you have great weather like we did, the condor trek is an amazing experience!!
@@lylesuch4421 Thank you for this. I think I will take your advice and maybe I can donate the boots because I'll never use them again lol. I'll also bring my regular hiking boots plus a light pair of running shoes. Quick question: I reserved dates with Wandy through Ecuador Eco Adventures. I basically picked my dates (?) because there weren't set dates to choose from. Did you do the same? I haven't received a confirmation about the dates I selected. What was your booking experience like?
We did the same, chose our specific dates because there were no set dates and we were a private group. We also had a similar experience with communication, not just Ecuador Eco Adventures but almost everything we planned in Ecuador. Tour operators and hotels were very good with communicating during the planning and booking, but once we booked any further correspondences had to be initiated by us. Not a big deal because everything went perfectly fine, but if you want to be sure you should it’s a good idea just reach out and ask for final confirmation. Good luck!
If you're looking for other adventures, we have some excellent recommendations based on what we did on our trip...so many incredible things to do in Ecuador!
Please could you write the drone model you used
Thanks
We use an older model Mavic 2 Pro. Not the best choice for hiking because it is large and heavy but images come out great.
Hi, I have seen all your video,it is excellent, I would like to do this trek, please could you facilitate the contacts of the mules? I would like to make this trip with the same muleteers, thanks
We used a company called Ecuador Ecoadventure, this is their webiste. www.ecuadorecoadventure.com/. Wlady Ortiz is the owner...they are a great company and can assist with the Condor Trek. It is an incredible place to go hiking!!