About Sierra Nevada Expeditions

In addition to our Agency, in 1997 we opened a small but beautiful tourist class hotel in the heart of the Mariscal district of central Quito. "Hotel Sierra Nevada" is the perfect place to relax with all of the comforts of a large hotel, but with the personal touch of your hosts, Family Ramirez.

The reconstruction of this classic style house began in 1996 and after a passionate hard work, we opened its doors in summer 1997. Since then, many tens of thousands of satisfied customers honored this house with their presence and enjoyed our hospitality.

Freddy Ramirez is an internationally experienced and accredited adventure guide. He bears certifications from the Ecuadorian Mountain Guide Association (ASEGUIM), Ecole National du Skie et Alpinisme (ENSA-Chamonix), Ecuadorian River Guide Association (AGAR), and from the Hotel Management Institute Klessheim (Salzburg, Austria) as professional hotelier.

His experience includes high-altitude rescue courses in Tirol, Austria (OeAV - Austrian Alpine Club- 1992 and 1996) as well as in Chamonix, France (ENSA - Ecole National du Skie et Alpinisme 1994) and several private and commercial expeditions all over the Andes including Aconcagua and Mount Mc. Kinley (2001) as well as in Nepal- Everest trek up to camp I and Island peak (2006).

Part of what makes going to the mountains such an adventure is getting to know other cultures.

On our journeys in the mountains, we travel to many different places and interact with people of different beliefs and ways of life. We strive to be culturally sensitive and open minded, curious and involved- an attitude that has taught us many a thing and brought us friendships from all over the world. Commonly, we hire local expedition staff in support of the local economy.

After so many years in business, we still have a cero percentage of no-injury record, something we are very thankful and fiercely proud of. Equally, we strive to ensure that quality of experience; safety, fun, and adventure are an integral part of your trip in the mountains. With a flawless safety record, an intimate knowledge of the mountain environment, and an ability to truly accommodate your goals, Sierra Nevada expeditions, sets a standard only few other outfits can match.

Nature is the place where we play and work; it's a special place and dear to us.

In our function as guides we perceive ourselves as mentors and role models in caring for the environment. We adhere to "See at it is and leave as it was" principles and cooperate with National Parks and Natural Reserves regulations land managers efforts to keep our land clean and wild. Our guides take pride in sharing this respect and love for nature with their guests.

All our guides have a certification from ASEGUIM (Ecuadorian Mountain Guides Association).

From Sierra Nevada you can expect nothing less than the most experienced and the highest performance group of guides, all them have undergone rigorous training with ASEGUIM (Ecuadorian Mountain Guides Association) which is supervised by UIAGM. All guides working here are handpicked considering their experience, training, skills, honesty, friendly etc. Each of our guides has completed medical training and certifications.