Chimborazo and the Devil’s Nose
Bite-sized trip
Day 1 – Mount Chimborazo – Alausi
OK, let’s explain. At 6263m above sea level, Chimborazo is huge, but some 2.5km smaller than Everest. However, the world is not perfectly round, and due to the ‘Equatorial Bulge’ around the centre, Chimborazo is actually the furthest land point from the Earth’s centre and the closest to stars! You won’t be climbing to the top, but on your transfer to Alausi you’ll make a stop in the beautiful, desolate national park, where a local guide will take you to a mountainside refuge with wonderful views, and you can choose to hike up to an even higher refuge if you like.
Afterwards, your driver will take you the remaining couple of hours to the sleepy railway town of Alausi, and you’ll settle into your cosy Hosteria on the edge of town where you can relax in the colourful courtyard and enjoy a well-earned drink. There’s not too much to do in Alausi, but it’s a pleasant place to spend an evening, with some nice places to eat dotted around the town.
Day 2 – Nariz del Diablo railway journey
After breakfast at your hotel, it’ll be time to head to the train station for a journey with spectacular views. Translated as ‘Devil’s Nose’, the railway is an ingenious piece of engineering built at the turn of the 20th century and descends over 500m across a 12km stretch, as it zigzags down the steep cliff-face. The views of the valley are wonderful and at the bottom you can visit a small museum dedicated to the railway.
Afterwards, you’ll hop back on the train for the ascent back to Alausi. The whole experience takes around 2.5hrs, and we’ll usually book you onto the morning service so that you can continue on to your next destination after lunch. We’ll also pre-arrange your train tickets for you.
Accommodation
