Despite being a charming little colonial town, Riobamba often gets overlooked by travelers in Ecuador. Perhaps that’s because Riobamba is literally overshadowed by the mighty Chimborazo Volcano. In fact, if any travelers are going to bother stopping in Riobamba, it’s probably to use it as a base to visit Volcán Chimborazo.

The volcano and surrounding countryside are definitely good reasons to visit Riobamba. However, the town itself also has a certain understated and un-touristy charm, and is home to one of Ecuador’s best local accommodations. And there are also some stunning natural areas that don’t involve climbing up the side of a volcano at thousands of feet above sea level.

How to Get to Riobamba

Riobamba is right on the main highway that runs down Ecuador’s central spine. That is to say, it’s pretty easy and painless to get to by bus. From Quito, buses leave every fifteen minutes or so from the Terminal Terrestre and the trip takes about four hours. If you’re coming from the other direction, you can arrive from Cuenca in about five hours from the main bus terminal there. Check locally for schedules and times.

We came to Riobamba from Baños. If I remember right, buses left fairly regularly. We just showed up and bought our tickets from the station without much of a wait. The whole bus ride took only about an hour and a half.

Generally speaking, the public buses in Ecuador are safe, reliable, comfortable and inexpensive. If you’re somehow anti-bus, you could, in theory, also make it to Riobamba by taxi or private transfer. These are expensive, though. I say stick to the bus.

Where to Stay in Riobamba

One of the best reasons to visit Riobamba might be the wonderful little hotel we stayed at. The Casa de Marmól is a small, family run establishment located right in the center of town.

The owner is incredibly nice, and you wouldn’t guess it by looking at her, but she’s grandmother to an adorable, precocious little girl. Her husband works for a local non-profit that helps build eco-friendly housing and bathrooms. They’re almost too good of a family. But they were all very friendly, welcoming and helpful.

The facilities themselves are comfortable. There’s a rooftop where you can get views of Chimborazo on a clear day. The hotel is located centrally and easy walking distance from anywhere in town. They also include breakfast, which is becoming a must have for me when it comes to booking accommodations.

Really, if you are going to come to Riobamba, you have no excuse to stay anywhere else. Click this link to book at Casa de Marmól. By doing so, you’ll also be supporting this blog at no extra cost to you. However, I would recommend Casa de Marmól no matter what. We really had a great time there.

What to Do in Riobamba

While Riobamba doesn’t have the non-stop attractions of Quito or Baños, there’s enough to keep a person busy for a couple of days. We heard that the Saturday market is pretty impressive. People from the surrounding villages, many of them indigenous, come to Riobamba to sell and trade their wares. You can supposedly get good deals on handicrafts and souvenirs, too. I enjoy the local markets, but it just didn’t work out for us timing wise. If you’ve gone to the market, leave a comment below and let me know how it was.

One thing to keep in mind: you’ll see a lot of indigenous people in their traditional, native outfits. Remember that this is just how they dress, and it’s considered very rude to take photos of people without their permission. If you want to take a picture, just ask. They might ask for some money in exchange, or they might say no. Either way, it’s their decision whether they want their photo taken, not yours.

Visit Chimborazo Volcano

Chimborazo Volcano is the highest peak in Ecuador, reaching 6,263 meters (20,548 ft) above sea level. Interestingly, its summit is also the point on earth closest to the sun and farthest from the earth’s center. While Chimborazo isn’t nearly as tall as Mount Everest, it’s further from the earth’s core due to the fact that the earth is wider in the middle due to a phenomenon called “equatorial bulge”. I’m sure bulging in the middle is something we can all relate to as we get older.

The snow-capped volcano is pretty impressive and a must-see when visiting Riobamba. In fact, I’d bet that visiting Volcán Chimborazo is probably the whole reason you’re interested in visiting Riobamba in the first place.

You have a few options on how to visit Chimborazo from Riobamba.

The first option is to take the public bus. Head to the bus station and find a bus going to “Guaranda.” You’ll then have to let the bus driver know you want to get off at Chimborazo. From there, you’ll need to hitchhike, taxi, or walk the rest of the way into the park. This option is inexpensive, but not so convenient.

Option two is to take a tour. Click here to see a list of tours offered with Get Your Guide. The tour option is, unfortunately, going to be the most expensive. Group tours are around $50, and a private tour is over $100. (Maybe more by the time you read this.)

The good people at Casa de Marmól introduced us to a local tour guide who offered to give us a private tour for $65 a person. Now, I can’t guarantee that price hasn’t increased due to inflation, but it might be worth checking just in case.

Climbing up to the summit is only for experienced mountaineers. Most everybody else just takes a short hike from the parking lot up to a little lagoon.

Our Volcán Chimborazo Experience

We didn’t do any of the above, to be honest. We were still feeling pretty worn out after our other high-altitude hikes around the Quilotoa Lagoon and the Cotopaxi Volcano. Another strenuous day slogging uphill through barely breathable air just didn’t sound very appealing, and we weren’t sure we’d even be able to do the hike. Paying $65, let alone $100, was just more than we wanted to spend for an activity we weren’t even that interested in in the first place.

Once again, the lovely owner of Casa de Marmól came to our rescue. She introduced us to our neighbor, a taxi driver, and we were able to negotiate a ride to the volcano. I believe we paid about $35 a person, although I can’t remember for sure and even if I could, I can’t guarantee the going rate hasn’t gone up since we were there.

And I’m happy we didn’t pay for a full tour, or deal with the hassle of the bus. We arrived at the base of the volcano, and began the hike up from the parking lot. It was cloudy and cold, and we didn’t even get any good views. We trudged up the trail for about ten or fifteen minutes, huffed and puffed for a bit and realized today just wasn’t our day.

Thankfully, our new taxista friend was very sympathetic. We still wanted to do a hike, just not one so steep and definitely not one at such a high altitude. She took us to an alternative hiking spot that ended up being fantastic. You can read more about it below.

Visit Cañon de la Chorrera

The Cañon de la Chorrera, or “canyon of the chorrera,” is a beautiful little gorge that cuts through the landscape below Volcán Chimborazo. A hiking trail runs through the area, where you can get some beautiful views, see a waterfall, and watch the birds fluttering around the cliffs. You could also, in theory, do some rock climbing. It’s quite nice.

I’d never heard of El Cañón de la Chorrera before, and a quick google search only turns up Spanish language results. You might be among the first English speakers to read about it. Congratulations!

If you want to feel like an intrepid explorer and visit (which you should, because it’s very nice), you’ll find the canyon on the road between Riobamba and Chimborazo. If you don’t have a helpful taxi driver friend, you could also, theoretically, take the bus that runs between Riobamba and Guaranda. The same bus you’d take to visit Chimborazo. It’s far easier to make a taxi driver friend. There’s a small fee to enter, but nothing that’ll break the bank, and a few restaurants and shops nearby.

While El Cañón de la Chorrera isn’t necessarily a bucket list canyon like Colca in Peru or the Grand Canyon in the U.S., it’s still a great place to take a hike and enjoy the beautiful Andean landscape. Plus, in these days of travel influencers and pretentious bloggers, it feels all the more special when you discover a new hidden gem attraction. Let’s hope this pretentious blog post doesn’t spoil it.

Wander Around Town and Admire the Architecture

Whether you’re exploring the canyon or climbing up the side of the volcano, once you’ve returned from the wilderness, you’ll find that the town of Riobamba itself is a very lovely place for an afternoon stroll. The city is old, dating way back to 1534.

Unfortunately, an earthquake in the late 1700s destroyed pretty much all of the really old buildings. However, Riobamba still has a number of gorgeous colonial and republican style edifices to admire. The cathedral is especially beautiful.

When you’re finished wandering around, take a break in one of Riobamba’s parks. Parque Maldonado and nearby Parque Sucre are the two main plazas. They’re both lovely places to sit and people watch. The city also has various restaurants, markets and coffee shops to explore.

Should you Visit Aluasi and the do the Nariz del Diablo Train Ride from Riobamba?

I’ve seen a lot of travel blogs and tourist sites recommending the Nariz del Diablo train ride from Riobamba. I wish you could actually do this. I’m a big fan of trains, and the Nariz del Diablo was one of the main reasons we came to Riobamba. But, here’s the thing…

The Nariz del Diablo train ride doesn’t actually leave from Riobamba. The train departs from the nearby town of Aluasí. We spent a couple of nights in Aluasí, though, and it’s worth visiting as a destination in its own right. I’ll write up a post about it soon.

Maybe more importantly, though, is that the trains might not even be running. In fact, the trains were completely out of service when we visited. They may be back running when you read this. They also might not be. Ecuador is a developing country, and is dealing with a number of socio-economic and political issues. Tourist trains probably aren’t top priority, which is fair.

If you’re a train fan you should by all means ask about taking a train ride while you’re in Riobamba. Trains are cool, after all, and I’m sure the ride is beautiful. Just don’t get your hopes up.

Final Thoughts on Riobamba

Trains or no trains, I thoroughly enjoyed our stop in Riobamba. A big part of that was our accommodation, and the wonderful, welcoming people at Casa de Marmól who really made us feel like we were visiting long lost relatives rather than passing through as tourists. Riobamba is also a cute town, and a pleasant place for a stroll. Snow-capped Chimborazo Volcano is magnificent, and discovering the Cañón de la Chorrera made us feel like we were really getting off the beaten path.

Would I spend a week in Riobamba? No. I think a few days is plenty. Although, I imagine that there are probably a number of villages, hiking trails and scenic areas just waiting to be discovered by future intrepid travelers with lots of time and decent Spanish and Kichwa language skills.

For the rest of us, Riobamba is a great place to stop for a few days as part of a longer journey down Ecuador’s magnificent Andean spine.

Want to discover more of Ecuador’s amazing destinations? Click here for our Ecuador travel guide.