Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pro Bici strictly offers cycling tours around Chimborazo Province and its best paths. This
part of the country just outside Riobamba is rich with llamas, wild horses and the high-
alpine terrain known as
páramo
, and cycling through it is one of the best ways to experi-
ence the landscape.
The Devil's Nose
The companies behind Tren Ecuador have spent the last few years renovating the
Riobamba portion of the Devil's Nose train line, which steams up the steep switchbacks of
a large nose-shaped mountain (seriously.) For now, the train departs from the nearby indi-
genous village of Alausi to Simbabe and back. Alausi itself is a charming village with one
ancient main street crammed with brightly painted houses supported by a colonnade.
Reserving your ticket online or by phone beforehand is strongly recommended:
www.trenecuador.com
Food
Though there are plenty of great restaurants (a surprising amount of good pizza places,
specifically) in the city, the must-try dish is
hornado
(or roasted pig), which Riobamba
does best. It can be eaten with a small salad or as part of the typical dish
fritada
which in-
corporates white hominy, salad and potato patties. At
La Merced
market (Guayaquil
between Espejo and Colón) hornado gets its very own room, lined with about 20 women
in booths selling the exact same thing. Once you enter, they begin yelling at you to try
their hornado while waving pieces of meat in the air.
•
Natural Food
Tarqui Town Hall area
$
Natural Food is a good option for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, serving sizable
lunches at affordable prices.
•
El Delirio Restaurant
Primera Constituyente 28-16
