Banos to Alausi – We made a couple of stops :
- Mount Chimborazo
- Colta
We left Banos early in the morning and continued our journey south, driving to Riobamba to see Mount Chimborazo. Chimborazo Volcano, is the tallest peak in Ecuador and ranks 17th in the world. A curious fact about Chimborazo is that its summit is the farthest point on the surface of the Earth from the center of the Earth. Chimborazo sticks more than 7,000 feet farther into space than any of the Himalaya peaks do. Hence, its summit is considered by some to be the highest point on earth.
As Diego was driving us to the first refuge on the Chimborazo mountain, we got a clear view of the snow covered peak of the Volcano. We stopped to take some good pictures.
By the time we reached the refuge, the volcano was completely under clouds. The refuge on the mountain is at 15744 feet (4800 mt). A 10 min walk takes you up to a memorial monument which commemorates the battle with Spanish in 1922. It was windy at that elevation and we were getting out of breath while walking up to the memorial because of the elevation that we were not used to.
Colta – we stopped for lunch at this place. The plaza where we had lunch also has the oldest church in Ecuador. Constructed in 1534, La Iglesia de Balbanera is one of the earliest examples of colonial architecture in South America and the first Catholic church in Ecuador. The church has survived centuries of earthquakes and volcanic activities, and has been renovated a few times.
Colta also has a beautiful lake surrounded by lush vegetation, native bird species, colorful boats, and a playground for kids.
We reached Alausi late afternoon. Alausí is a small town located in the Chimborazo province, Ecuador. The descent into the valley to Alausí is spectacular and we were driving in dense fog/cloud for at least 20-25 minutes.
Tourists used to flock to Alausi to ride the Devil’s Nose train, about 2 hours down from Riobamba. The train ride was supposed to be scenic and spectacular. But it is not operating currently as Ecuadorian government closed down the country’s railways in 2020 to reduce expenditure. Now, the Alausí train station which used to be a tourist attraction, has an abandoned look and the cafe at the station was closed. There are a couple of trains for show.
We stopped by the viewpoint of San Pedro “Mirador” (St. Peter viewpoint) which offers a panoramic view of the town. The viewpoint is located on the top of a hill on the edge of Alausí and has a statue of St. Peter which is also visible from the town.
There were only a handful of restaurants in this small town and the ones we found did not have any vegetarian option. They had a bakery shop close to our hotel where we bought some bread and cheese for dinner. You will not be missing much if you skip visiting this place and drive directly to Cuenca.