Cayambe

Cayambe (or Volcán Cayambe) is the name of a volcano located in the Cordillera Central, a range of the Ecuadorian Andes. It is located in Pichinchaprovince some 70 km (43 mi) northeast of Quito. It is the third highest mountain in Ecuador.

Cayambe, which has a permanent snow cap, is a Holocene compound volcanowhich last erupted in March 1786. At 4,690 metres (15,387 ft) on its south slope is the highest point in the world crossed by the Equator and the only point on the Equator with snow cover. The volcano and most of its slopes are within the Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve.

Cayambe was first climbed by British adventurer Edward Whymper and his two Italian guides and companions Juan Antonio and Luis Carrel in 1880, and it is a favourite of mountain climbers today.