The Carihuairazo volcano is located in the Province of Tungurahua, separated from Chimborazo by the beautiful Abraspungo valley. Its name is of Quichua origin: “cari” which means male and “huay-razo” which can be translated as strong and icy wind. This 5018m mountain had until recently important glaciers on all its flanks.
Category Archives: Ambato
Mountains and natural attractions near Ambato
The Cunucyacu natural hot springs and its twin Yancayacu springs are at the foot of Iliniza Sur inside Los Ilinizas Ecological Reserve National Park. This hiking trail begins next to the hot springs stream and climbs through the sandy slopes until it reaches Laguna de los Patos at 4724m, very close to the steep rocks of the South Iliniza. The biggest attraction is the dazzling view of the South Iliniza with its sharp and ice-laden edges…
Quilotoa is a beautiful volcanic crater with a lagoon of green waters inside. The volcano is in the Cotopaxi Province and has a crater of approximately 3 kilometers in diameter and the lagoon is 375 meters below the crater viewpoint, with a calculated depth of up to 250 meters. In the volcano surroundings have settled some ancestral indigenous communities, now distributed in the picturesque towns of Zumbahua, Chucchilán, Tigua, Isinlivi and Sigchos…
The Morurco is a rocky peak at the southern face of the Cotopaxi volcano. The peak was left after many eruptions of an ancient volcano near the actual Cotopaxi cone. The Morurco peak was formerly called “Cabeza del Inca” (The Inca Face), according to Humboldt, an appellation of uncertain origin, and founded on a popular tradition that claims this rock was once part of the Cotopaxi. This entire area belongs to the Cotopaxi National Park and has a great beauty, showing everywhere the evident results of intense volcanic activity, with volcanic sand slopes, ancient glacial valleys and the black Morurco rocks very inclined and tempting, sometimes covered with snow and ice…
The Chimborazo with its 6268m is the highest mountain in Ecuador. Its main summits are four: Veintimilla, Whymper (or Máxima), Politécnica and Nicolás Martínez. The first two are frequently climbed; On the other hand, the Politécnica and Nicolás Martínez summits have few ascents and a higher difficulty, especially the Nicolás Martínez summit, which is the lowest although the most attractive and difficult in the Chimborazo…
The Casahuala is an ancient and extinct volcano, highly eroded, formed by a long rock blade at the head of two ancient glacial valleys. These valleys accumulate water and have facilitated the construction of the Mula Corral and Chiquiurcu dams, which contribute vital liquid to the city of Ambato. The Casahuala has two rocky peaks, whose steep, rocky walls offer enormous potential for sport climbing…
The Tungurahua name comes from the two kichwa words “tungur” (throat) and “rauray” (burning). It’s an active stratum volcano whose almost perfect cone rises from the city of Baños at 1820m to the elevation of its highest summit at 5037m. This elevation change of 3,200 meters makes it probably the most prominent volcanic cone in Ecuador…
Cotopaxi is an active stratum volcano found in the Cotopaxi Province, Cordillera Oriental, eastern bastion of the Nudo de Tiopullo. It is a very photogenic volcano with a perfectly symmetrical cone and a glacial mantle that covers it from an approximate elevation between 4600 and 4900 meters to its summit at 5897 meters. Cotopaxi is probably the most visited mountain in Ecuador, and definitely the most climbed among the so-called “high mountains” over 5200 meters high…