Pico de Orizaba climbing guide: summiting Mexico’s highest peak
The highest volcano and 3rd tallest mountain in all of North America, Pico de Orizaba is a challenge that you might not expect to find in Mexico. Although not overly technical, glacier conditions above 5,000m can be absolutely wild and this mountain is a real mental game, a breathless ascent up snow and ice that threatens to rob you of sanity and possibly toes, but that’s exactly why it’s such an adventure.
As most climbers can confirm, your joy on the summit is directly proportional to your suffering on the ascent— and we stifled tears standing on the top of Mexico, watching the sun burn across the ice below like the entire world was on fire just for us. This post describes everything you need to know about climbing Pico de Orizaba, including difficulty, entrance fees, a detailed route description, essential gear & more!
For a complete Mexican volcano itinerary that includes the acclimatisation my friends and I followed to successfully summit Pico de Orizaba, Iztaccíhuatl, Nevado de Toluca & La Malinche (Mexico’s 1st, 3rd, 4th & 6th highest mountains), check out this post: COMING SOON
What's in this travel guide
A massive thank you to the expert guides at Orizaba Glacier Climbers for sponsoring my climb! As always, all opinions and recommendations expressed within this post are entirely my own.
Pico de Orizaba hiking stats
- Summit elevation: 5,636m (18,490ft)
- Estimated climb time: 9-12hrs
- Distance: 7km (4.3mi)
- Elevation gain: 1,400m (4,593ft)
- Difficulty: very difficult
How hard is Pico de Orizaba?
The difficulty of Pico de Orizaba varies widely based on your own experience: for mountaineers, this is a great non-technical summit that is feasible without a guide (and even without a rope team, if you have strong navigational skills), but for those who’ve only ever hiked, it bears emphasising that a non-technical climb is STILL a climb— you’ll be ascending 30-40° snow slopes across a glacier with crampons and ice axes, largely in the dark and in temperatures cold enough to get frostbite.
Pico de Orizaba has broad appeal beyond experienced mountaineers and it’s not uncommon to tackle this as your first high-elevation summit under the careful supervision of a mountain guide. My friends had never worn crampons or used ice axes before, so we hired guides through Orizaba Glacier Climbers who transported us to the hut, outfitted them with glacier gear, and safely guided us up to the summit.
If you don’t already have a handful of glacier climbs under your belt, it is absolutely worth considering a guide!
Pico de Orizaba elevation
Aside from the cold, the most challenging aspect of climbing Pico de Orizaba is undoubtedly the elevation. The entirety of the climb, from Refugio Piedra Grande at 4,260m to the summit at 5,636m, is extremely high, and most climbers will experience some effects of the altitude once on the glacier above 5,000m. DO NOT expect to come directly from sea level to the hut and successfully climb Pico de Orizaba.
Regardless of your fitness, age, or previous experience with high-elevation climbing, there is absolutely no substitute for acclimatisation! Here are some ways you can prepare for the elevation of Pico de Orizaba:
- Before arriving to the hut, you can begin your acclimatisation with something as simple as hanging around Mexico City (2,240m) or Puebla (2,135m).
- Ideally, climb a few other volcanoes in Central Mexico to log some hours above 4,500m. We started with Nevado de Toluca (4,680m) in Estado de México, then La Malinche (4,461m) in Tlaxcala, and finished with Iztaccíhuatl (5,230m) in Puebla— all of these high elevation scrambles/climbs were essential for successfully making it to the summit of Pico de Orizaba!
- Sleeping at Rifguio Piedra Grande (4,260m) before the climb is fairly non-negotiable and you might even consider staying 2 nights to further acclimatise before pushing towards the summit.
- I’d also suggest arriving to the hut around midday on the day before your climb to allow time for an acclimatisation hike— we did a short 1hr hike to a viewpoint since we were feeling pretty prepared, but others in the hut went all the way to the base of the glacier before dropping back.
I put my PhD to good use by writing a super detailed post about high-altitude mountaineering that will help you understand the difference between normal adaptations to altitude vs altitude sickness, ways you can prevent serious complications, acclimatisation strategies & more: High-altitude: a climber’s guide to preventing & treating altitude sickness
Practical information
When to climb Pico de Orizaba
Although somewhat counterintuitive, the main hiking and climbing season in central Mexico is during the winter, specifically November, December, January, or February — this is the dry season and the time of year most likely to have bright, clear days without precipitation.
Due to the terrain and high elevation of Pico de Orizaba, it is NOT safe to attempt a climb in anything but agreeable weather. After we reached basecamp ahead of our proposed climb day, an updated forecast showed overnight snow and 90km/hr winds, so we ended up pushing back a day for a better weather-window— unsurprisingly, we later learned that not one climber successfully submitted during those conditions (and most were forced to turn around before the glacier).
Our actual summit day still delivered 40km/hr winds and I can honestly say it was the coldest I have ever been in my mountaineering career; I feared frostbite on my toes, suffered windburn on my face, and it was true agony to be that cold for so many hours. I cannot fathom climbing in 2.5x more wind or lower temperatures… All this to say, it is VITAL that you check the weather ON the mountain (not just in Tlachichuca) prior to setting out on your climb.
Getting to Pico de Orizaba
Getting to Tlachichuca, Puebla
Pico de Orizaba straddles the border between the states of Puebla and Veracruz in Central Mexico and your first step in getting here will be to drive to the small town of Tlachichuca, Puebla, which is ~
- 2hrs (100km) from Puebla City (in the state of Puebla)
- 2.5hrs (130km) from Xalapa, Veracruz
- 4hrs (230km) from Mexico City
All of these routes are on good-quality, paved highways that lead into town, so your direction of travel will depend on where you’re flying into or travelling from elsewhere in Mexico. Ideally, you should plan to spend a night in Tlachichuca prior to continuing onwards towards the mountain.
Travelling without a car? There are a few public transport options to reach Tlachichuca, the easiest being from either Puebla City of Huamantla. Visit the bus station in Puebla to check out the current bus schedule— as far as I know, this is not posted online!
Where to stay in Tlachichuca
In all likelihood, you’ll need to stay a minimum of one night in the small town of Tlachichuca before transiting a further 2hrs up the mountain to base camp at Refugio Piedra Grande. If you’re climbing with friends, the absolute best spot is this Airbnb operated by Orizaba Glacier Climbers— it has 2 bedrooms, a massive lounge room perfect for organising backpacks before the climb, and a kitchen where you can easily prepare meals!
Two nights (one before and one after the climb) are included in the price of guiding services from Orizaba Glacier Climbers; at the time of writing, this was 5500p ($320USD) per person for a group of 3 climbers with 2 guides (on 2 ropes).
Getting to Refugio Piedra Grande (basecamp)
Once in Tlachichuca, you’ll need to organise 4WD transport for the additional 2hrs from town up to Refugio Piedra Grande basecamp at 4,260m. This dirt track becomes increasingly rough and, even if you have your own vehicle, it’s not advisable to drive up the rutted, rocky road yourself.
Tlachichuca is the main town providing access to Pico de Orizaba on the west side of the mountain, so you’ll have no trouble finding companies that offer transport services— you can expect to pay about 3,000p ($180USD) for the entire vehicle, split amongst however many climbers you manage to cram in, or 1,000-1,400p ($60-80USD) for a single seat, both up and back.
If you’re climbing with guides through Orizaba Glacier Climbers, they’ll organise your transport from Tlachichuca to Refugio Piedra Grande and all you have to do is agree on a departure time from town (usually 10am)!
Entry fees for Pico de Orizaba
As of early 2024, entry to Parque Nacional Pico de Orizaba is 58p ($3.5USD) per person, payable in cash before you reach Refugio Piedra Grande. Since you’ll need to organise 4WD transport with a local company to access basecamp on this road, they will know where to stop for you to pay for the CONANP bracelet and sign in with a few details.
Cost of climbing with Orizaba Glacier Climbers: in December of 2023, our group of 3 was quoted 5500p ($320USD) per person for 2 guides (on 2 ropes) + 2 nights at the Airbnb in Tlachichuca (details above) + transport from Tlachichuca to Refugio Piedra Grande + park fees for Pico de Orizaba. This is a fantastic deal considering everything that’s included, so if you’re a novice climber, definitely contact Orizaba Glacier Climbers!
Basecamp at Refugio Piedra Grande
Although it’s possible to camp in your own tent at Base Camp, there’s also a very basic (but surprisingly cozy) mountain hut located at Piedra Grande that is entirely free to stay in! You’ll need to haul up your own food and water, plus bag out all waste (including toilet paper), but it’s wonderful to stay inside and depart for the climb warm and semi-rested.
The hut has three levels of wooden bunks (essentially just long sheets of plywood) that sleep 40-50 people, but it can get extremely busy right before a weather window, so I’d recommend arriving by midday to score a good spot— additional time at elevation is never a bad thing (and Piedra Grande is 4,260m)! Plan to spend the afternoon hanging out, chatting with other climbers, and resting up for an alpine start.
*Pico de Orizaba: route description
Jamapa Glacier Route
Although there are several routes by which you can climb Pico de Orizaba, far and away the most popular (and enjoyable) is the Jamapa Glacier Route, which ascends from Refugio Piedra Grande through 3 main sections:
- the approach on scree: the route typically begins with a rocky ascent, but depending on conditions, this section might be completely covered in snow; this will either make it much easier OR much harder to follow the trail (depending on how many people have climbed since the snowfall)
- the Labyrinth: after about 2hrs of ascending, you’ll likely put on crampons and pull out ice axes to help navigate the snow and ice through this section; there are 2 ways to ascend the Labyrinth, either the steeper/shorter route that sticks to the right or a more gradual/longer route that leads off towards the left (we took the direct route, it was too cold to faff around outside on some “easier” path!)
- the Jamapa Glacier: approximately 3.5hrs from the hut, you’ll reach the base of the Jamapa Glacier and it’s here where you’ll rope up and begin the true climb to the summit!
My Canadian companions and I took off from the hut at approximately 1am, climbing steadily through the snow-covered scree field with the use of poles. Conditions were such that we didn’t even need to wear all of our layers on this part of the early ascent and the sky was clear, promising a beautiful sunrise!
Unsurprisingly, very few photos were taken in the hours between departing the hut and the sun coming up about 6hrs later, but we passed through the Labyrinth (a notoriously challenging maze of ice and rock) fairly uneventfully with the use of crampons and ice axes, and then reached the base of the glacier at approximately 4.30am.
The temperature shift (and wind chill) between the early stages of the climb and what we encountered by the time we reached the Jamapa Glacier were marked— I had piled every single layer onto my body, added hand harmers, a balaclava, zipped my down hood up around my face, and still struggled to even stand for a second without trembling wildly.
We climbed for about 2hrs in the dark before nearing the summit and it was among the most uncomfortable hours of my life. At no point in my mountaineering career had I EVER been as cold as I was on Pico de Orizaba in -18C with substantial wind chill (granted, I’d soon top that with -28C on my solo ascent of Aconcagua, but either way, it was agonising).
Suffering aside, there’s still something so magical about climbing a glacier in the dark, nothing but the gentle crunch of snow and ice beneath your crampons, no idle conversation (since everyone is separated by a rope-length and also intently focused on their own climb), only the whip of wind in your ears and the sight of an entire world stretched below you.
And then just below the summit, the sun starts to burn across the horizon, reflecting off the snow like small crystals, illuminating an ocean of clouds beneath you. When we finally crested onto the tallest volcano in North America, the very top of Mexico, it was with equal parts relief and awe.
The iconic shadow cast by Pico de Orizaba seemed almost fantastical, hard to believe even right in front of me, but we’d made it! And to a breathless 5,636m— even with extensive preparation by way of climbing Mexico’s 3rd, 4th & 6th highest mountains (Nevado de Toluca, La Malinche & Iztaccíhuatl), the elevation was certainly noticeable in the final hours of the climb.
Between trying to manage the intense cold and the dizzying effects of low effective oxygen, Pico de Orizaba presented a greater challenge than I might have expected, but what a truly spectacular one.
It was with enormous pride that our tiny climbing club arrived on the summit of Mexico’s highest peak and you better believe we celebrated wildly once back on solid ground.
Complete Mexican volcano itinerary
Climbing Nevado de Toluca was part of a larger itinerary through central Mexico that included an intentional acclimatisation program to summit Pico de Orizaba, Iztaccíhuatl, Nevado de Toluca & La Malinche (Mexico’s 1st, 3rd, 4th & 6th highest mountains). I wrote a super-detailed post with all my recommendations, but here’s a quick look at the itinerary we followed!
- day 0++: fly into Mexico City & spend a couple days exploring (at 2,240m, even eating tacos in the city is acclimatisation!)
- day 1: drive 3.5hrs from Mexico City to Nevado de Toluca & camp ~4,000m at the trailhead
- day 2: climb Nevado de Toluca [7hrs; 4,680m summit] & camp a 2nd night
- day 3: drive 5hrs to Centro Vacacional Malintzi & camp ~3,100m
- day 4: climb La Malinche [7hrs; 4,461m summit] & camp a 2nd night
- day 5: drive 3hrs to Izta-Popo National Park & camp ~4,000m at La Joya
- day 6: climb Iztaccíhuatl [12hrs; 5,230m summit] & drive to Puebla City
- day 7: drive 2hrs to Tlachichuca, rest & packing day
- day 8: 4WD transport with Orizaba Glacier Climbers 2hrs up to Piedra Grande base camp & sleep in the free hut ~4,260m
- day 9: midnight wake-up to climb Pico de Orizaba [9hrs; 5,636m summit]
Essential gear for Pico de Orizaba
Climbing gear
25-35L backpack: Osprey Tempest 30L (women’s) or Talon 33L (men’s/unisex)
I climbed Pico de Orizaba with my beloved Osprey Aura AG 50L since it’s what I was travelling with, but you can reasonably carry a pack in the 25-35L range for this one-day ascent. Whatever pack you do choose, be sure it has sturdy hip belts, a good suspension system, and some back venting!
trekking poles: Black Diamond Trail Trekking Poles women’s or men’s
A set of trekking poles is absolutely essential for navigating snow and ice— be sure to screw on baskets! Once you pull out your ice axe, you can stow one pole in your pack and keep one out to help with balance.
ice axe: Black Diamond Raven Ice Axe 65cm
The Black Diamond Raven is a great all-rounder ice axe that works perfectly for the 30-40° slopes of Pico de Orizaba.
If this is your first experience with an ice axe, take some time to familiarise yourself with proper technique and the basics of self-arrest before the climb. This is no substitute for professional instruction, but it all helps!
climbing helmet: Black Diamond Half Dome women’s or men’s
On any glacier climb, a light climbing helmet is essential to protect against rockfall, icefall, or the chance that you fall and knock your head.
headlamp: Black Diamond Spot 400-R Headlamp
For a majority of the ascent from basecamp to summit, you’ll be hiking in complete darkness with only a headlamp to light the snow and glacier below. Make sure you are fully charged or have spare batteries.
sun glasses: Julbo Vermont
Although much of your time on Pico de Orizaba will be in the dark, it’s crucial to have glacier glasses when the sun comes out to protect your eyes against the intense solar radiation at elevation, further magnified by the snow reflecting light. Everyday sunnies are NOT sufficient!
mountaineering boots: La Sportiva Trango Tech GTX women’s or men’s
You’ll see a range of footwear on Pico de Orizaba, from hiking boots to expedition boots. I did the climb in my tried-and-true lightweight mountaineering boots and the support was excellent as always, but my feet were absolutely freezing.
I wouldn’t say it’s worth buying a pair of $1200 double boots just for the occasion, but be warned that you will need excellent gaiters, warm socks, possibly toe warmers, and a lot of determination to tackle the climb in lightweight hiking/mountaineering boots.
crampons: Black Diamond Contact
Crampons are essential to aid in your assent of icy terrain and provide traction on the glacier. These steel crampons are incredibly lightweight, only a few hundred grams more than aluminium crampons but with the benefit of greater durability on mixed terrain! (Note that I did actually climb Pico in my C.A.M.P. XLC 490 Universal Aluminium Crampons and they handled fine, but I recently upgraded and prefer the Contact overall).
I saw many climbers putting crampons on for the first time in their lives at 3am on the glacier— Pico is a good beginner mountain, yes, but do yourself a favour and at least size the crampons to your boot in the warmth of the hut the day before!
first aid kit: Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series
A well-stocked first aid kit is absolutely essential on any climb; Adventure Medical Kits has conveniently assembled a range of bandages and common emergency medications into a compact kit that I use on all my adventures. I personally add KT tape (my go-to blister protection), Naproxen for joint swelling, and a pair of spare contacts; make your own personal additions!
PLB: Garmin In-Reach Mini
Never set out on ANY adventure without a satellite communicator— whether you’re sending check-in messages back home, receiving weather updates, or communicating with emergency services, this small device can literally save your life.
water bottle: Nalgene Wide-Mouth Water Bottle 32 fl. oz.
Depending on your own water consumption, pack 2-4L of water in large bottles for the climb. Even with an insulated hose, your bladder WILL freeze, so it’s not a good choice for this climb!
To keep the water in your bottles from freezing completely (they will freeze a bit no matter what), store them inside your pack wrapped in wool socks or other warm layers OR in an insulated thermos that will not freeze.
snack food
Although it will not feel appealing to eat when it’s freezing cold in the middle of the night at high elevation, be sure to pack some appetising snacks so you don’t bonk!
Clothing
beanie: Arc’teryx Mallow Toque
Expect to wear every single warm layer you have throughout the entire climb, including a toque!
gloves or mittens: Black Diamond Super Light Mitts*
Thick expedition mittens are absolutely essential for the brutally cold conditions and high winds on Pico de Orizaba. I also used hand warmers in my mittens for extra warmth!
wool base layer: WoolX Remi Long Sleeve women’s or men’s
A long-sleeve wool shirt is an excellent base to your layering system, helping to hold in heat right against your skin.
light mid-layer: Arc’teryx Rho Hoody women’s or men’s
As your next layer, you’ll want a lightweight wool or fleece pullover that provides some warmth without considerable bulk so that it still fits nicely under other layers. I especially like the built-in hood and balaclava on this mid-layer that can be worn under the helmet and over the face for extra warmth and wind protection.
down jacket: Arc’teryx Cerium Hoody women’s or men’s
A down jacket is absolutely essential on Pico de Orizaba and I actually brought 2 to layer together. I wore this lighter down jacket under my rain shell on the slightly warmer approach to the glacier and then swapped the shell out for my heavy down jacket (see below) once things got sub-arctic around 3am. The combination of these 2 down jackets together was crucial to keeping (I can’t say warm here, because I was still freezing, but let’s say…) alive.
rain jacket: Arc’teryx Beta LT Jacket women’s or men’s
As mentioned above, I wore my rain shell as the outer layer over my lighter down jacket on the first several hours of the climb, and it does a good job protecting against wind and holding a bit of heat in before things get extremely cold.
Make sure your shell doesn’t fit too snuggly over your down jacket or it will actually reduce the down’s ability to trap heat!
heavy down jacket: Arc’teryx Thorium Hoody women’s or men’s
A heavy down parka is absolutely essential on Pico de Orizaba, particularly in high wind and the freezing hours before sunrise. I wore this over my lighter down jacket (without the shell) for a majority of the climb, from about 3-9am, and I can honestly say I wouldn’t have been able to summit without BOTH of these jackets due to extreme cold!
hiking tights/baselayer: Arc’teryx Essent Warm High-Rise Tights women’s or Arc’teryx Proton Pant men’s
A base layer of hiking tights or long underwear are absolutely essential under your shell pants. Have I mentioned how cold this climb is?!
softshell hiking pants: Arc’teryx Gamma Pant women’s or men’s*
A pair of softshell hiking pants are great for a top layer over tights, helping to insulate against the cold and wind on Pico de Orizaba.
If you get extremely cold like me, consider an extra mid-layer of thick wool tights. If I was to climb Pico again, I’d wear 3 layers on my bottom half!
wool socks: REI Co-op Merino Wool Expedition Hiking Crew Socks*
These heavy-weight wool socks are great on cold climbs. I wore lighter socks myself and deeply regretted not bringing my expedition socks, which may have helped a bit with the cold!
Hut gear
sleeping bag: Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 0 Sleeping Bag women’s or men’s*
With temperatures below freezing, a 0°C sleeping is absolutely essential! If you’re sleeping in the hut, you may not need to wear all your layers in the bag if it’s warm enough.
sleeping pad: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT (Short)
I love the short version of this cushy yet compact sleeping pad and use it on all of my adventures!
pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros Premium
This pillow packs down smaller than a fist and makes sleeping on wooden bunks feel positively luxurious.
stove: Jetboil Zip
The best quick and dirty way to boil water in the hut for dinner and maybe a hot beverage in the morning.
mess kit: Sea to Summit X-Set
Plan to bring your own bowl and cup to enjoy dinner and hot drinks in the hut. Remember that you also need to bring all of your own cooking water to the hut!
Read more about climbing Mexico’s volcanoes
Pico de Orizaba climbing guide
High-altitude: a climber’s guide to preventing & treating altitude sickness
