Urbina Train Station, Lookout & Museum

The Urbina parish station is the highest in the route of the Ecuadorian railway. It is located at 3,600 meters above sea level, at the foot of the Chimborazo and Carihuairazo volcanoes.

 

In the Urbina station, as it is known, there is an Interpretation Center or Ice Museum. Its main character is Baltazar Ushca, of the Puruhá indigenous nationality, known internationally as "the last ice maker of Chimborazo". He tells the tourists how he extracts fossil ice from the volcano's glacier and goes down to sell it in the markets of Riobamba, for the preparation of ice cream and fruit juices. The life and unique activity of Baltazar has been recorded in films such as "Los hieleros del Chimborazo", in documentaries and videos of the most important international television networks. The ascent to Chimborazo is another option, following the route of Baltazar. It is the "Walk of the Ice cream Makers". The landscape with its diverse colors can be appreciated from the height of this viewpoint. Due to the low temperatures, which can reach zero degrees, warm clothes will be of great help.

 

The High Mountain Refuge of Urbina offers accommodation. It is the center of operations for visitors to learn about the culture of the Ecuadorian Andes. As in every place of the moor, paper trees grow here, alpacas, grazing animals such as cows and horses and the frailejones can be seen. Nature photography is an unavoidable activity.

 

In the recreation of a small hut, the habits and culture of the Chimborazo Indians are represented. Next to the stone fire, the guinea pigs and rabbits with a good supply of grass to feed them. The mat serves as a bed. In the souvenir shop there is how to buy scarves, ponchos, gloves, wool hats, handicrafts.

 

The route is not complete without visiting La Moya, a community of indigenous Puruháes, dedicated to community tourism.

 

To get to Urbina by train, you must board the train in the city of Riobamba. The Riobamba station has a museum about the history of the railway. It explains through a model the obstacles that had to be overcome at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, in order to unite the sierra with the coast. Because of these difficulties, the Ecuadorian railway came to be called "The most difficult train in the world". The Avenue of the Volcanoes unfolds all its splendor. On a clear day, from Riobamba you can see the volcanoes Sangay to the southwest, Altar to the east, Chimborazo and Carihuairazo to the northwest and Tungurahua to the north.