Riobamba

Difficulty: high Elevation: 4.800 meters The guide will meet us at the Riobamba office at 10 a.m. Once everyone is gathered, we’ll load the gear into the 4x4 and drive about an hour to the Chimborazo Reserve. Get ready to take in the stunning views this area has to offer.

We’ll continue along the road to the Carrel Refuge, situated at 4,850 meters above sea level. There, we’ll spend the afternoon acclimating and getting ready for the Chimborazo climb. Our guide will also provide a briefing covering the route, safety guidelines, and rope-climbing techniques. After that, it’s time for dinner, rest, and preparation for the climb!

After a few hours of rest, it’s time to begin the climb to Veintimilla Summit. We’ll start at 10:30 p.m. since it’s safer, and we’ll face rocky, snowy, and icy terrain all the way up to the El Castillo rock formation at 5,350 meters. The climb follows the glacier ridge, featuring steep slopes between 30 and 40 degrees, with some icy sections reaching up to 45 degrees. After about 7 hours of climbing, we’ll reach the Veintimilla summit. Goal accomplished!

Mount Chimborazo

Once we arrive, if we still have the energy and motivation—and the weather cooperates—we can continue climbing to the summit of Chimborazo volcano. After about one more hour of climbing, we’ll reach the Whymper Summit at 6,263 meters, the point on Earth’s surface farthest from its center!

Riobamba

We’ll take in the amazing views of the Ecuadorian sky, and when we’re ready, we’ll start the 3 to 4-hour descent back to the Carrel Refuge. Once there, the 4x4 will be waiting to drive us back to Riobamba. After two intense days, our Chimborazo climb will come to an end.