Chimborazo

Mount Chimborazo is considered the highest mountain and volcano in the entire country of Ecuador, with approximately 6263.47 meters above sea level. The highest point of Everest is highest, when a few meters above sea level it refers, however the tip of Mount Chimborazo is the site with the greatest distance as far as the center of the planet is concerned.
This effect is possible because the planet is ellipsoid in shape, making it a spherical shape but with achesive poles, causing the central part of the earth to be wider, that is, where Ecuador is located. The ellipsoid shape of the planet is caused by its rotational movement, causing the diameter of any pole to be 43 kilometers smaller than any point in Ecuador.

Until the 19th century, Chimborazo was considered as “the highest peak in the world.” This reputation led to many attempts to conquer its peak, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries.

In 1802, Baron Alexander von Humboldt, accompanied by Aime Bonpland and the Ecuadorian Carlos Montufar, tried to climb to the summit, but gave up at 5875 masl because of the soroche (discomfort felt at the heights due to thinning air, also called pointing). At that point, the baron was at the highest altitude reached by any European in written history.

The first man who reached the summit was Edward Whymper with cousins ??Louis and Jean-Antoine Carrel in 1880. As there were many people who doubted this success, Whymper climbed again, on a different path the same year with the two Ecuadorians David Beltran and Francisco Campana.

Fun facts :
The Chimborazo volcano can be seen on the national shield of Ecuador, meaning how beautiful and rich the sierra that is in the territory of Ecuador is.
The Venezuelan liberator, Simon Bolivar, made a poem where he was inspired by the Chimborazo volcano in 1822. The poem was entitled “My delirium on the Chimborazo.” The volcano also served as inspiration for Miguel Angel Leon, who wrote “Canto al Chimborazo”. Another poem inspired by Chimborazo was “Romance” by Australian-born writer Walter J. Turner.
In 1819, El Chimborazo was mentioned in the writings of Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo and Emily Dickinson.
Mount Chimborazo has been climbed approximately 1,000 times by Marco Cruz, becoming the man who has climbed this mountain the most.
According to studies it has been determined that the name of the volcano referred to the “God of ice” and “Sacred Wind of the Moon”. This mountain was appreciated as a God by the ancient settlers.
Sandy Patch carried out a short film that measures all the activity carried out by what is considered the last ice maker of Chimborazo.
Reinhold Messner, who is considered the greatest climber that has existed in mankind, climbed Mount Chimborazo in 1992.

Access : Coordinates: -1.469167, -78.8175 / It is located in the Republic of Ecuador, limiting the Northeast of the city of Quito with about 150 km away and the Southeast of the city of Riobamba with 20 km away.
/ From Riobamba catch the bus to Guaranda ($2.50). Once the bus leaves ask them to drop you of at Chimborazo – don’t ask before the bus leaves because they’ll say no! Buses leave hourly./
Taxi from Riobamba should cost around US $ 35 to the Hermanos Carrel shelter / Getting to Chimborazo is not difficult. From Riobamba you can take the bus ($ 1.50) that goes to the town of Guaranda, and halfway down you will get off at the entrance that leads to Chimborazo.

Highlights :

•  Point closest to the Sun : The top of the Chimborazo volcano is considered the site closest to space, because if measured from the center of the earth to all its high points, the largest will always be on Mount Chimborazo, beating the famous Mount Everest by approximate 2,000 meters This makes the Chimborazo known by the name of the “closest point to the Sun”.
•  The biggest attraction : One of the most common routes made by tourists is the walk that passes through the Carrel and Whymper refuge, and ends with a look at the Condor Lagoon, which is elevated to 5,100 meters and is formed by the thaw of the mountain.
  In all the tours there are shelters where you can get cafeteria and lodging services for visitors who have the desire or need to adapt to the weather before reaching the top of the mountains.
•  Chimborazo, Ecuador’s volcano taller than Everest : According to studies, it is scientifically determined that the highest point of Mount Everest is the maximum peak in the entire planet as far as meters above sea level is concerned, however it is not the furthest from the center of the world.
  The record for the furthest point from the center of the earth belongs to the top of the Chimborazo volcano, which is located in Ecuadorian territory, according to the latest investigation by the Military Geographic Institute of Ecuador and the French Institute for Development Research.
  The last measurement that was made from the center of the earth, had the support of a GPS and gave a result that the highest point of the Chimborazo volcano is 6,263.47 meters exactly away from the center of the earth, with a margin error of about 3 centimeters.The top of the Chimborazo volcano is 6,384.4 km away from the center of the planet, making it the most distant site to the heart of planet earth.
• Devil’s Nose Train : The Ecuadorian railway was really one of the most difficult engineering feats of the “steel era” that built railroad tracks around the world. Today, it must also be recognized as one of the most beautiful trains in the world.
  The reason why Riobamba is a tourist attraction is because a train leaves from the train station that runs through the ‘Nariz Del Diablo’ (Devil’s Nose) area. The Devil’s Nose is a form in the yellow rocks where a nasty man’s nose can be taken out with some imagination, and is surrounded by a fairly dry and mysterious mountain landscape.
•  Traditional use of Chimborazo ice : A tradition of the communities near this volcano was to bring the ice from the mountain glaciers to the town to prepare their drinks. These people were known as “the ice makers of Chimborazo.” Today, only one person is engaged in this activity, Baltazar Ushca, called by the Ecuadorian people as “The last ice maker of Chimborazo”
•  Trekking to the “Chimborazo”, Trekking to the snowy El Altar, Trekking to the “Pyramid of Punay”, Trekking through the “Camino el Inca” or the Route of the ice maker in Chimborazo.
•  The Condor Cocha Lagoon : A small lake at 5,100msnm ,with very good view of the Chimborazo / Chimborazo volcano :  The Landscape: In the access road you can see unique landscapes such as the sunset in the moor while crossing / Chimborazo Lodge
  The only place at the foot of Chimborazo where it allows you to spend the night. Your comfortable rooms, food service. restaurant and hotel.
•  shelters:the Carrel cabin at 4850 meters and the Whymper cabin, 5000 meters. Due to the altitude and its low temperatures, it is recommended to hire a professional mountaineering and hiking guide, who will provide you with the indications and safety measures to ascend to  volcano.

Activities : Adventure tourism: camping / horseback riding / cycling ecological tourism / Mountaineering / Explore all our routes and discover Ecuador by train / sightseeing / photo opportunities / trekking / photography, environmental interpretation, landscape observation. / Chimborazo Volcano Hiking Tour

Go next : Riobamba is a city in the Andean highlands of Ecuador. It is known locally as the “Sultan of the Andes”.