Riobamba - Ecuador!

Riobamba (full name San Pedro de Riobamba) is the capital of the Chimborazo Province in central Ecuador, which is located at the Chambo River Valley of the Andes.It is 200 km (120 mi) south of Ecuador's capital Quito and located at 2754 m on the Avenue of the Volcanoes. The city is an important regional transport center as well as being a stop on the Pan-American Highway that runs through Ecuador. Riobamba stands as one of the largest cities in the central portion of Ecuador's Sierra region.


Cityscape

Riobamba is a mid-level city in Ecuador, and the 10th largest in terms of population. It is the urban center of the Riobamba canton, with a historic center that has a number of well-preserved churches.
Festivals

The main celebration in Riobamba is Fiesta del Niño Rey de Reyes, which starts in December and ends on January 6. Another celebration is Riobamba's Independence Day on 21 April.
Museums
Tungurahua Volcano (2003).

    Ateneo de Chimborazo

It´s a cultural group whose main center is located on a privately museum "Córdoba Román" with sculptures, furniture, photographic equipment, documents and memorabilia, is at 24-25 and Veloz Velasco. Ateneo was founded by the poet Luis Alberto Costales.

    Armas

It exhibits a wide selection of uniforms, arms as well as religious materials which depict various epochs of Ecuador's history, located on Ave. Héroes de Tapi.

    Arte Religioso de la Concepción

This museum has a gem-encrusted gold monstrance. The art encased in this religious collection is comes from the 18th century. entry.

    Ciencias Naturales del Colegio Maldonado
    Casa de Bolivar
    Córdova-Román
    Antropológico del Banco Central

Riobamba have others universities such as Cisneros school, Anda Aguirre school.

Sports

Riobamba is the trekking and mountain climbing capital of Ecuador and is a base to climb Carihuairazo, Chimborazo, Sangay, El Altar, and the Lost Pyramid of Puñay. There is a ball game in Riobamba called "the mamona", which is played with a leather ball. It is usually played by the locals all afternoons at the Plaza Roja. Mountain biking is another common sport. Swimming can be practiced in CENAEST, where temperate swimming pools and Spa attract many tourists. Cockfights are usually seen during Riobamba's festivities and on weekends at the Gallera San Francisco.Riobamba is the home city of one top-level football club, Centro Deportivo Olmedo.
Sightseeing

The Train ride (Nariz Del Diablo) from Riobamba is extremely scenic, the highlight being the Devil's Nose and Alausí round trip, with zig-zags. The train departs from Riobamba's main station on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 07:00, arriving in Alausí around 10:00-10:30, hits Sibambe about 11:30-12:00 and regresses back to Alausí around 13:30-14:00. The costs of the former journey is around US$20 for foreigners while round trip from Alausí is US$15. Before 2009 passengers were permitted to sit on the roof. However, this practice was prohibited in 2009 for safety reasons.