Leave your home for Mexico, arriving into Mexico City by mid-afternoon (Saturday). After a stop at our hotel, we tour the city’s historic district, taking in the colonial architecture and beginning our process of acclimatization (7,300 feet).

Travel by 4WD Landcruisers to the town of Amecameca, in the Mexican highlands. This traditional town is famous for its market, and we take time to explore and have lunch before continuing our drive. Spend the night in Paso de Cortex, the last town before the road ends in Popo-Ixta National Park (11,750 feet).

After breakfast, drive to La Joya (13,024 feet) where we set camp. This is an important altitude to spend a night at before sleeping higher on the mountain. After setting camp we take an acclimatization hike through the incredible pine forests that surround the base of Ixta (17,154 feet), our first mountaineering objective. We also spend time today going over the basics of roped glacier travel, and familiarizing ourselves with crampons and axes.

Today we move to a high camp at around 15,000 feet. Our packs will be heavy and the air thin, so we will move slowly, taking lots of time to appreciate the incredible views as we climb out of the forests into the high alpine region of the mountain.

Wake up around 3 am for our summit push. After a quick breakfast and hot drink we begin our climb, up steep moraines to the edge of the glacier. After roping up and putting on crampons, we continue up the glacier, navigating occasional crevasses before it steepens into a final summit couloir. A final push puts us on top, where we have incredible views of all of the Mexican highlands. A long descent and quick drive will get us to much deserved showers, beds, and a celebration dinner in Amecameca.

After a relaxing morning and big breakfast, we leave our hotel for the village of Puebla. The drive is incredible and gives us a good sense of the people of the highlands and how they live. Puebla sits at 7,000 feet, and is a great place to recover fully in preparation for Orizaba. It is also the place to buy souvenirs for everyone at home!

Drive from Puebla to the Piedra Grande hut, which sits at 14,000 feet on the flanks of Orizaba. We eat an early dinner, organize our summit packs, and get to bed.

Today is the day where all of your training at home and the climb of Ixta pays off. We wake soon after midnight and begin our climb to Orizaba’s summit (18,410 feet). Moderate glacier climbing takes us around a rock band and over crevassed terrain before reaching the crater rim. From there we climb the ridge of the crater to the true summit. Our view will stretch from all of Mexico’s volcanoes on one side to the Gulf of Mexico on the other! We then descend back to the hut and drive to Puebla to celebrate our climb and spend the night.

Wake early in the morning to drive back to Mexico City. Depart Mexico City for your flight home. Flights should not leave before 2pm from Mexico City (Sunday).