What you need to bring for a Galapagos Islands trip
Featured Stories »
What you need to bring for a Galapagos Islands trip
April 24, 2012 – 10:34 am | 2 Comments

The “What to bring” question when travelling to Ecuador is not so easy to solve – Ecuador is a small country, but has various different climate zones! On a typical 14-day tour including highlands, jungle …

Read the full story »
Adventure Trips

From the Amazon Jungle to the Highest Active Volcano in the World. Ecuador offers the opportunity to make your adventure dreams come true. Hike a volcano, jump from a bridge, run a class V river. Everything is possible.

Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands continue to be a paradise for adventurers, biologists and turists seeking the thrill of visiting a place in Earth like no other. Exploring The Galapagos Islands is an experience that you will always remember.

Pictures

See breathtaking Andean locations, adventurous river runs and ancient Amazon Jungle people.

Amazing Adventures

Here you will find commentary and tips on how to find the Top Adventure Trips in Ecuador. These are unique trips that are far from the beaten path but still with comfort in mind. Waorani visits, Galapagos kayaking and more.

Upcoming Trips

Learn about the latest trips that are happening in Ecuador. The best way to explore Ecuador is through unique and personalized trips. In this section, we’ll give you a sample of the trips you could be part of.

Home » Featured Stories, Mountain Climbing, News

Ivan Vallejo (Ecuador) Conquers the 14 Eight-Thousanders.

Submitted by on May 5, 2008 – 4:57 pmShare 6 Comments

On May 1st, Ivan Vallejo reached the summit of Dhaulagiri (white mountain), becoming the seventh person on earth to climb the 14 eight-thousanders without supplied oxygen.For those of us that were following his expedition blog on his expedition to the Dhaulagiri, it was like being there, waiting for good weather conditions -for days-, feeling nervous about the summit attempt, and feeling fear thinking that he may not come back safe. But thank the gods of the universe that he is back safe.

What Ivan Vallejo did is amazing. Amazing not only at a personal level but at a global scale. However, Ecuadorian TV channels and the rest of the media only treated it like something unimportant and not worthy of good coverage. Instead they spent hours showing the mediocre local soccer championship over and over.

Newspapers did the same. They ignored Ivan Vallejo´s achievement and placed a short story in the sports section. In a comment (Spanish) in the newspaper website somebody said that it should be a front-page news, and I agree.

I think that this kind of achievements make people feel proud of their nationality and feel motivated in their jobs. Which is what Ivan Vallejo is trying to make us feel by making his dreams come true. But the communication channels are not helping to share this groundbreaking and inspiring news with the people of a country that need this kind of motivation.

Once again, congratulations to Ivan Vallejo. You make us PROUD!

I can´t wait when he is comming back to Ecuador to give him a big hug!

Related Adventure Posts:

  1. Ivan Vallejo: Climbing The World’s 14 Highest Mountains An inspiring soul. That is how I would describe...
  2. Ivan Vallejo, learning from his life story.   Last week at the climbing club of the...
  3. The Best of Ecuador Adventures 2008. New Trips, New partnerships, Bigger Location and more! Ecuador Adventures has helped us connect to our guests...

  • Diego

    Estimado Ivan,

    What you have achieved is amazing. I have been following the news and climbing with you in my thoughts as you have accomplished your dreams. You are the kind of person we need in Ecuador – inspiring, patient and hardworking. As you mentioned in one of your journals, what a great way to celebrate Labor Day (dia del trabajo) by reaching the summit of your 14th 8000 meter peak. It is sad that the media in Ecuador did not mention much about such an achievement – but is not a surprise. I thank you for carrying the Ecuadorian flag with you to all 14 highest peaks. You make us proud. I am a rock climber, mountain bike rider, and have attempted to climb a few mountains. I appreciate what you have accomplished and I really hope more people from our Ecuador recognize what have done, but more than anything I hope you get them inspired to work as hard as you have to bring our country together and to eliminate such a gap between poor and rich. Only hard work and human sensitivity will accomplish this.

    Congratulations and thanks for carrying the name of your country, our country to the highest peaks in the world.

  • Asim Gupta

    Dear Ivan Vallejo,
    You achieved a splendid feat being that rare 7th person to have climbed all the 14 8000ers of the world. It is a splendid acievement. Thousand kudos to you & your countrymen, the Ecuadarians.

  • http://ilovewalkinginthemountains.com aran

    wow! found this site thru michael pollock’s solostream site..it’s getting to be a social network all of it’s own.
    Ecuador looks just stunning and I think it is brilliant (and i don’t mean to be patronising in some colonial British way) that more and more exponents from more and more countries are achieving more and more amazing things. I write a blog about walking in the mountains, perhaps you might like to drop by some time or maybe even author an article (well here’s hoping)

  • Pingback: Ecuador - Wow ! : I Love Walking in the Mountains

  • Pingback: The Best of Ecuador Adventures 2008. New Trips, New partnerships, Bigger Location and more! | Ecuador Adventures

  • Marco Antonio

    Dear Ivan:
    Do you have or plan to write your biografy?
    If you do have where can be found?
    thanks a lot for all your efforts you don’t know how much I appreciate your achievements, since once I went to hear your adventures and motivational speech before I left the country.
    Congratulations!!!
    You are an example