Chimborazo Volcano

Discover

About Chimborazo Volcano

Chimborazo is an ice-covered volcano in the high western Andes, northwest of Riobamba. At about 6,260 meters (published measurements vary between 6,263 and 6,268 meters), it is Ecuador’s tallest mountain. Because the Earth bulges more at the equator than at the poles, the summit lies about 6,384 km from the planet’s center — roughly 2 km farther than Everest’s summit — making it the point on the Earth’s surface farthest from the center. In the region it is called Taita Chimborazo, father Chimborazo.

The volcano lies inside the Chimborazo Faunal Production Reserve, about 58,560 hectares of páramo spanning the provinces of Chimborazo, Bolívar and Tungurahua. The reserve was created to reintroduce vicuñas, brought back starting in 1988 with support from Bolivia, Peru and Chile. They are often seen in groups in the grasslands near the road, alongside llamas and alpacas from local communities.

From the gate, an unpaved road climbs to the Hermanos Carrel refuge, at about 4,850 meters, with parking, viewpoints, a restaurant and craft stalls. From there a trail of about 1.5 km leads to the Whymper refuge, at roughly 5,000 meters, a slow walk because of the thin air. A short trail departs to Laguna Condorcocha. Above the refuges the high mountain begins, and climbing to the summit requires authorization from the reserve administration.

The Englishman Edward Whymper reached the summit on January 4, 1880, and the higher refuge bears his name. In Riobamba the volcano appears on the horizon on clear mornings, and the poem “Mi delirio sobre el Chimborazo,” attributed to Simón Bolívar, helped make it a national symbol, present on the national coat of arms.