Things to do in  Riobamba

A long, rocky spine running south of Quito, the Avenue of the Volcanoes is a 124-mile (200-kilometer) corridor between two parallel mountain ranges. German explorer Alexander von Humboldt gave the byway its name in the 18th century, after observing that eight of Ecuador’s 10 highest points are found here, including some of the world’s tallest snow-capped mountains and active volcanoes.

Covering three provinces of Ecuador, Sangay National Park is home to three volcanoes, two of which are still active, and a range of ecosystems including glaciers, tropical rainforests, cloud forest, wetlands, grasslands, and over 320 lakes, where many protected indigenous species live. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park contains important pre-Inca archeological traces.

Located in Sangay National Park, in the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes, El Altar Mountain is an extinct volcano whose cone collapsed centuries ago, leading to the formation of an altar-shaped ridge. Today nine peaks of over 16,400 feet (5,000 meters) form a central basin containing a green glacier crater lake known as Laguna Amarilla or Yellow Lagoon.