Riobamba

Riobamba sits at 2,750 metres in a basin surrounded by more volcanoes than any other Ecuadorian city, Chimborazo, Carihuairazo, Tungurahua, El Altar and Sangay all within sight on clear mornings, and it is the practical base for climbing and walking among them. The city was destroyed by earthquake in 1797 and moved to its present site, and the centre is a grid of nineteenth-century squares and churches with a good Saturday market that fills several streets. Its railway station is the terminus for the surviving tourist trains of the Ecuadorian Andean railway, whose services have run intermittently in recent years. The Museo de Arte Religioso holds a celebrated colonial gold monstrance.

What you actually see

• Five volcanoes from one city - Chimborazo to Sangay on clear mornings.
• The Saturday market - streets filling with the surrounding communities.
• The railway station - terminus for the Andean tourist services.
• The religious art museum - colonial silver and the gold monstrance.

When to go

June to September for the clearest volcano views, and Saturday for the market. A day. Train services have been intermittent; check before planning around them.

Honest expectations

The Andean railway services have been suspended and partially restored repeatedly; do not assume they run. The city itself is plain and cold. Volcanoes are cloud-covered most afternoons.

Nearby

Chimborazo is north-west; Colta and Guamote lie south.