Description of the attraction
Orizaba volcano or, as it is also called in the Aztec language, Sitlaltepetl ("star mountain") deservedly bears the title of the highest point of Mexico, its relative height is 4922 m. According to GPS data - 5636 m
Today the volcano is at rest, but there have been several eruptions in the past centuries. The latter is in the 19th century.
Difficult relief, altitude, strong winds - all this gave rise to several climatic zones on the volcano. At its foot there is mainly tropical vegetation, higher up it looks more like Alpine. On the east side, the mountain is often flooded with rains brought by winds from the Gulf of Mexico. It is often foggy, and about 1600 mm of precipitation falls annually. Autumn and winter are snowy here, but in the south and southeast the snow melts quickly in the sun.
As a rule, tourists get to Orizaba from Puebla by bus to the village of Tlachichuca, which is located near the resting giant. No permits are required to climb Orizaba. The most popular month for climbing is December. The dry period is from November to April. The ascent will take 6-10 hours and another 3-4 hours for the descent.
Technically, the route is not difficult (category 2A). They begin to ascend more often at night in order to be at the top until noon. Start - from the Piedra Grande shelter. The first 1, 5-2 hours of the route pass along a rocky path. The second part of the path is through snow and ice between stones and rocks. The next 4 hours - on an open ice field.
It is important to stock up on water, at least up to an altitude of 4900 meters, where it can be obtained from snow and ice.
