Cayambe Volcano, situated in the Cordillera Central of the Ecuadorian Andes, is the third-highest mountain in Ecuador, towering at 5,790 meters above sea level. This Holocene compound volcano, adorned with a permanent snow cap, experienced its last eruption in March 1786. Positioned 70 km northeast of Quito in the Pichincha Province, its south slope at 4,690 meters is the highest point on the Equator with snow cover. The ice cap spans 22 km2, with glaciers on the eastern and western flanks. Cayambe Volcano is within the Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve.

First climbed in 1880 by British adventurer Edward Whymper and his Italian guides, Cayambe Volcano is a popular destination for mountaineers. The ascent involves traversing a fissured terrain with a steep slope, reaching 45° in the final part. Challenges include crossing a crevasse at 5,500 meters and navigating cracks and seracs. Alexander von Humboldt found Cayambe Volcano particularly beautiful, inspiring Frederic Edwin Church to paint it in "The Heart of the Andes." The volcano's significance extends beyond its natural beauty, encompassing its ecological importance and historical mountaineering achievements.