National Parks and Foreigners

Sunday I visit el Cajas and it was a couple of foreigners groups walking by themselves.

This rule makes no sense, but notice some of the trails are long and risky, then you need an experience guide and this apply to other National Parks located in the rainforest or volcanos.

Vinny

Thanks, my boss and his American wife (not resident yet) were denied entry into Cotopaxi NP last weekend because they didn't have a guide.  They were told that this is the new rule.  Perhaps it's only enforced in the more popular parks.

And I remebered like a month ago a tourist died on Cotopaxi, she was hiking alone, get lost and fall down from a clif.

Maybe this's the reason of the new rule.

Vinny

I think you are correct.  Her accident was on the mountain Rumiñahui located inside Cotopaxi National park.  I met her the week before.  She was supposed to climb with our group up Volcano Cotopaxi that weekend. 

The new regulations seemed to have started with a 5,000 meter limit after 3 deaths on Illiniza Sur in October.  The rule was, anyone going over 5,000 meters above sea level needed a guide.  I hope the regulations stop expanding with this newest one.  I was planning on taking friends and family to some easy trails in Cotopaxi NP without the structure, time limits, excess people, and added cost of guided tours out of Quito.  This won't be happening now.     

I hope these rules don't hurt the climbing tourist industry in Ecuador.  I've already heard from a couple of climbers in the States who have now decided to skip their trip to Ecuador and are choosing places like Bolivia or Peru for their climbing vacation.