Volcán El Reventador, “the Exploder”, lies about three hours by road from the capital, Quito. Perched on the eastern slopes of the Andes, the summit may be about 3,500 m high, though recent eruptions have rearranged the mountain top. The central cone rises about 1,300 m above a caldera 6 km in diameter.
Eruption History
The Geophysical Institute of Ecuador has documented El Reventador’s activity. The eruption of 2002 followed a 35 year period of dormancy, and showered ash on Quito, 90 km away. The explosion was enormously powerful, producing far-reaching ash flows and lava streams.
Smaller events in 2004 and 2007 pushed streams of jagged rock debris from the vent and sent plumes of gas and ash high into the sky.
How to Visit El Reventador
A guide is essential to navigate the trails leading through tangled forest on the volcano’s flanks. Quito agency Ecuadorian Journeys takes regular tours to the volcano and surrounds. Expert advice is available to ensure safety and despite the very wet climate, weather usually permits camping overnight in the caldera. It has generally not been safe to climb the summit since 2002.
An alternative is to enquire at the Hostería El Reventador, just west of the settlement of the same name on the Quito-Lago Agrio road (there may be little English spoken).
Viewing the Lava Flows
After a steep and slippery hike, the moonscaped lava flows of the caldera are a stark contrast to the lush and tangled greenery of the forested slopes. The first glimpse on emerging from the forest is breathtaking and eerie, the bare rocky surface surrounded by black tree trunks scorched to death by the 2002 lava flows. Close inspection shows signs of rapid recovery – dead trees are cloaked in lichen while a huge diversity of tiny plants have colonised the older lavas. Lichens, mosses, ferns and bromeliads are represented. It is not surprising to reflect that these are plants with tiny, wind dispersed spores and seeds that are readily carried into the bare areas and are able to establish in the constantly wet conditions. Pockets of ash trapped between jagged rocks are good sites for establishment of larger plants.
The 2004 lava flows remain essentially bare as are the 2007 rockpiles pushed from behind the cone. While the surface rocks cool quickly, heat retained at greater depths is evidenced by rising steam merging with the mist.
Explorations will lead to the edge of the caldera, for views of the Amazon basin spreading infinitely into the distance.
More Activities
Good levels of fitness are required to climb to the caldera, but other attractions are more accessible. Near the volcano are spectacular waterfalls (the nearby San Rafael is Ecuador’s highest at 160 m), a Cock-of-the-Rock roost site and an Oil Bird cave. The pool and water slide at the Hostería El Reventador are fed from mineral-rich fresh water constantly flowing from the slopes of the volcano.
