Cerro Mandango — Attraction in Vilcabamba

Ran/walked to the top of Mandingo in Vilcabamba Ecuador this morning. Short hike, but grades were about 20 - 40 degrees from start to finish. Beautiful 360 degree view at the top. Reported robberies up there couple of months ago so didn’t take phone to take any pictures. Ughh. Robbers must have been in good shape trail was steep with a lot of talus in places and sometimes pretty narrow. Can’t see why people are recommending hiring a guide except for maybe safety. The trail direction is very obvious. Now I would recommend you be in decent shape and have good hiking shoes. I don’t recommend this for kids say under 13ish. Trail is narrow with loose rock in places with cliff on one side so move cautiously. I would never do this trail to the top if it had recently rained. Most of these cautions are after you have reached the cross and want to proceed on to the top of Mandingo. You should be in decent shape, but there are beautiful 360 degree views from the cross just below the...

A challenging, some would say scary hike. Steep ascents on narrow Rocky well marked trails. Not recommended for those with fear of heights. Once at the top you are rewarded with 360 degree views of Vilcabamba Valley. Best to return the way you arrived. If you continue along the Ridgeline the trail is hard to find once you drop off the ridge. Best to go left of the farm with the barking dogs. Once you pick up the trail again you are home free with a well defined trail into the creek valley back to...

We agree with the other reviews - challenging but relatively short and rewarding. We read that you should use a guide (we did not) but found the trail very easy to follow. Please stay on the trail and pack all your trash out! We passed a number of couples and women hiking and we felt very safe but use your own judgement. Spectacular views of the town and valley from the cross. My GPS said we went from ~5,200 to 6,400 feet and it took us...