El Misti Volcano

There’s just something about scaling the slope of an active volcano that is hard to resist.  Perhaps it’s the promise of a sight of a fumarole spitting out steam, a mud pool bubbling or a molten lava flow inching ever closer… Whatever the motivation, those who do reach the mist-swirled summit of El Misti agree that it is extremely rewarding.

On Kuoda’s exclusive tours to Peru, visitors have the option to ascend the active El Misti volcano, which stands over 19,000 feet tall – its perfectly symmetrical cone towering over the city of Arequipa. Occasional wisps of smoke can sometimes be seen wafting up from its innermost crater and though it has had small events as recently as 1985, the last significant eruption was in the 15th century.

Climbers have two options when it comes to El Misti: the Pastores route or the Aguada Blanca route. Both take around two days and require an overnight camp. While El Misti is not considered a technically difficult climb, it’s no walk in the park either and those who do attempt it should be physically fit and accustomed to altitude climbing. These days, El Misti has little snow due to the warming effects of climate change.