Nariz del Diablo (Devil's Nose)

Empresa Pública Municipal Ferrocarril Turístico Alausí - Sibambe
Ecuador
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The Journey

Navigate from Alausí Station (Chimborazo Province) to Sibambe Station (Chimborazo Province) across a span of 12km.

Scenery Highlights
  • Curva del Diablo (Devil's Curve) — the iconic Z-switchback
  • Pullman catwalk and Confesionarios viewpoints
  • Sibambe village and Afro-Andean community reception
  • Panoramic views across the Chimborazo province
  • Hand-carved 1899–1902 tunnel portals along the switchback descent
  • Traditional Andean dance performance at Sibambe station
Quick Facts
  • Duration

    2.5 hours

  • Distance

    12 km

  • Est. Price

    Budget to moderate — USD 30 (foreign adult) / USD 18 (Ecuadorian resident adult) / USD 15 (foreign reduced) / USD 9 (resident reduced). Prices generally exclude IVA.

Official Booking Provider
Classes & Accommodations

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

Diesel-mechanical / diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotives typical of mid-20th-century EFE roster (e.g. GE / ALCO heritage units)

Track Gauge

1,067 mm (Cape gauge, 3 ft 6 in) — Ecuador's national rail gauge inherited from the 19th-century Trans-Andean Railway

Braking Technology

Compressed-air train-line brakes on the locomotive and rolling stock; heritage handbrake backup

Route Engineering Challenges

  • Curva del Diablo Z-switchback — drops ~500 m over 12 km through near-vertical canyon walls

  • Steep sustained gradients estimated at 5–6% on the descent through the Cóndor Puñuna range

  • Tight reverse curves and tunnels hand-excavated 1899–1902 through the Andes

  • Ongoing landslide and rockfall exposure on the gorge approach in the wet season (Oct–May)

  • Single-track alignment with limited passing loops — timetable is sensitive to the day's first descent

  • Heritage 1,067 mm Cape-gauge alignment with curves too tight for modern rolling stock

  • Locomotive and rolling-stock parts sharing with the former EFE/FEEP national roster — finite spare pool

  • Municipal budget constraints after the 2020 EFE/FEEP national-railway liquidation

Elevation drop

~500 m over 12 km round trip

Maximum gradient

~5–6%

Round-trip duration

~2 h 30 min including photo stop and Sibambe reception

Construction period

1897–1908 (Trans-Andean Railway / Ferrocarril Transandino, built by Archer Harman for the New York-based Guayaquil & Quito Railway)

Switchback completion

1899–1902 (Z-switchback carved into the Cóndor Puñuna canyon wall)

Current operation

Municipal (Empresa Pública Ferrocarril Turístico Alausí–Sibambe) since 2025 restart

Departures (2026)

Thu–Sun + public holidays, 08:00 / 11:00 / 14:00

Pricing tiers (2026)

USD 30 (foreign adult) / USD 18 (resident adult) / USD 15 (foreign reduced) / USD 9 (resident reduced)

Booking channel

Ticket Exito (online) or Alausí station (30-min pre-departure check-in)

Time zone

America/Guayaquil (ECT, UTC-05:00, no DST)

Currency

USD (no IVA on transit tickets)

Languages on board

Spanish (primary), English (most departures)

Carriage type

Open-air panoramic tourist carriage plus heritage EFE seated stock

Quick Facts
  • Duration

    2.5 hours

  • Distance

    12 km

  • Est. Price

    Budget to moderate — USD 30 (foreign adult) / USD 18 (Ecuadorian resident adult) / USD 15 (foreign reduced) / USD 9 (resident reduced). Prices generally exclude IVA.

Official Booking Provider