This is Chimborazo, the tallest volcano in Ecuador. Because of the Earth’s bulging shape around the equator, Chimborazo is actually the point furthest from the center of the Earth, making it technically the highest point on the planet in that sense. I climbed this volcano in November 2025 during an expedition to summit the three tallest volcanoes in Ecuador. The climb is brutal, mostly because the ascent starts around midnight and continues throughout the entire night so you can reach the summit at sunrise, when the weather is usually the most stable. But that timing also makes the experience incredibly special. After hiking through darkness for hours in freezing temperatures, watching the first sunlight slowly reveal the surrounding volcanoes and landscapes is such an incredible reward after all the effort. Absolutely worth it.
