Two volcanoes in the Ring of Fire are worth investigating if you want to test your mettle on a climb. Volcan Telica takes between two to three hours to summit (1060 meters). The two Telica craters produce gassy eruptions every five years, but hasn’t had a big eruption since 1765. There is a small, overgrown campsite at the top of the volcano within walking distance of the crater. From the edge, beyond a 600- to 700-foot drop, you can see lava. Volcán San Cristóbal is the highest, youngest and one of the most active volcanoes in the Ring of Fire. The hike up 1,745 meters (5,725 ft) to the smoking top of the stratovolcano takes between six to 16 hours (depending on where you start), requires the assistance of a guide and meanders over privately owned fields. San Cristobal erupts regularly including producing ash and gas in 1997, 1999 and 2008. Area towns were dusted with ash as recently as September 2009. Neighboring Volcan Casita is also active, enough to bury a small village in 1998.

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By Rachael Hanley

A sometime newspaper journalist with a heavy side of wanderlust, Rachael moved to Quito in November to work on the V!VA staff. She is currently...