It is the third-highest mountain in Ecuador, at an elevation of 5,790 m (18,996 ft) above sea level.

[2] Cayambe, which has a permanent snow cap, is a Holocene compound volcano which last erupted in March 1786.

The main route runs through a much-fissured terrain of moderate inclination, and only in its final part does the slope increase to 45°.

On the final stages, there are many cracks and seracs to be overcome, and there are extensive views from the summit.

[5] Cayambe was considered especially beautiful by Alexander von Humboldt, whose writings in turn inspired Frederic Edwin Church to paint the peak, setting the stage for his painting The Heart of the Andes.