Chimborazo Province

During our three years in Ecuador, we have been able to visit the Chimborazo Province twice. Once was a quick overnight trip on our way to Guayaquil. Quick trips shouldn’t hold you back… in fact, many of these photos came from a last minute decision to grab a taxi from the capital city of Riobamba up the slope of the highest mountain in Ecuador, Chimborazo.

The remainder comes from a long weekend stay at the Estrella del Chimborazo Lodge, one of the few lodging options available near the mountain. In fact, many climbers use the lodge as a base camp. It lies at 4,000 meters (13,123 feet).

Chimborazo Province is well-known in Ecuador for its native peoples and their traditional lifestyle. Many people still live in the countryside and make a living from their herds of llamas, alpacas, and their hybrids, collectively called “llamingos” by the locals. Potatoes and corn are the most common crops.

The people of Chimborazo are mainly Catholic. But, as in much of South America, Catholic traditions are often blended with native culture. For example, festivals for Carnaval often combine religious symbols of Christianity with fertility symbols from the Andean New Year.

Ecuador Por Mis Ojos

Recently, the Instituto Geografico Militar of Ecuador and I released a book of photography, Ecuador Por Mis Ojos. This post shares photos from that book.

It is impossible to truly know a place in only 9 photos, but I hope my choices encourage you to visit the province and discover Chimborazo for yourselves.

Click on any photo to begin a slideshow that includes descriptions that will better explain the where, when, why, and how of each one.

Over the next few weeks, I will share more sections from the book, beginning with the highest altitudes of Ecuador and traveling down steep Andean slopes to both the Amazon and to Coast until we finally cross the ocean to ourselves at sea level in the Galapagos.