Riobamba (Chimborazo)

A failed expedition

Getting from Baños to Riobamba

The journey from Baños to Riobamba is straightforward, with several daily buses making the trip from Terminal Terrestre. Tickets cost $2.50 per person and the trip took around 2.5h.

Riobamba has no Ubers, but taxis are super cheap. We paid $2 to get to our hostel. We stayed in Villa Bonita, which was on the pricier side. We paid around $15 per person. But it it was one of our favourite places in Ecuador. We highly recommend it.

 

We didn’t really like Riobamba. Out of all the cities we visited, this was the one we felt the least comfortable in. It’s chaotic, a little dirty, and packed with aggressive street vendors, some even trying to sell us “happy brownies.” So if you do visit, keep an eye on your belongings.

How to Get to Chimborazo National Park

To reach Chimborazo, you need to take a bus toward Guaranda from Terminal Terrestre Riobamba and ask to be dropped off at the national park entrance (called Reserva de Produccion Faunistica Chimborazo on Google Maps).

There’s a lot of misinformation online about bus schedules, some sites say you can go at 5:00 AM or 7:00 AM, but we didn't see these signs in the bus station.

 

The actual bus times we found were:

• 7:30 AM (confirmed)

• 10:30 AM (other options like Flota Bolívar or Atenas start around this time)

 

We took the 10 de Noviembre bus company. We paid $5,50 for 2 people and the ride takes about 1.5 hours.

There’s no entrance fee to the park, but do take your Passport with you as they ask for it.

Chimborazo: Hiking Plans Gone Wrong

Unfortunately for us, the weather was not amazing. It was snowing and icy, making the 8km hike up and back down way too risky.

 

The only way up was by car, which was very expensive: $15 per person to get to the first refuge. We didn’t even make it to the first refuge before the snow became too dangerous and made us turn back. Here you normally start your hike up to the second refuge and Laguna Condor Cocha. Normally, if the weather is good, you can also hike down via the green trail, which starts at Refuge 1. This trail is good for spotting wildlife and leads to a more accessible bus stop where you can take a ride back to Riobamba.

 

Our target species for this trip (which unfortunately we did not see):

  • Vicuñas
  • Llamas
  • Wolves

Unfortunately, no condors are living at Chimborazo anymore.

 

Here are the GPX files for offline GPS (although the paths are pretty straightforward and are well-marked):

Green hike from refuge 1:

https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/chimborazo-lodge-refuge-carrel-28955808

 

To refuge 2 and the lagoon:

https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/chimborazo-refuge-2-laguna-37770149 

Getting Back to Riobamba

There’s no official bus stop at Chimborazo, so you just have to wait on the highway for a bus heading back. Buses pass about once an hour, but standing in the cold waiting wasn’t ideal. We decided to start hiking back toward Riobamba and tried our luck with hitchhiking. No success for a long time, until we gave up and suddenly a family stopped and offered us a ride. So you might be able to catch a free ride back.

Our Final Thoughts

Riobamba wasn’t our favorite city, but if you’re heading to Chimborazo, it’s a necessary stop. Double-check bus schedules, because a lot of online info is outdated.

Be prepared for bad weather at Chimborazo, and budget extra in case you need a car, February or March might not be the best time to go. When you head back to Riobamba, start walking, you never know who might stop to pick you up!