Hi, does anyone know how to go about making a reservation for the Altzomoni hut? I've seen plenty of pictures or mentions of the hut, but haven't been able to find any process or contact info for making a reservation.
My cousin and I are looking to climb Itza at the beginning of December, and are looking to make the reservation without going through a guide/tour company.
This is a great page. We hiked to the hut, but didn't continue because we were tired from bicycling up from Amecameca and it was already completely socked in with no views whatsoever. Here are our notes from that trip to complement/update this post.
Logistics:
- The park office at the Paso de Cortes is open 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM every day. They have 1 liter bottles of water for 15 pesos, but no food other than snacks.
- Cost is now 30.50 pesos pp/day.
- The Hotel San Carlos on the square next to the mercado in Amecameca cost 130 pesos for two people, one bed. They had wifi and hot water.
- There is a combi van that goes to the pass, but I don't know when or where, just that it passed us while we were riding up.
- We had no trouble catching a ride up to La Joya at 4:30 PM on a Wednesday, but I think they were the last people who went up. Just hang out where you fill out your entry sheet and ask other groups. Mexicans are very friendly and will help out if they can.
- That final bumpy part into La Joya has been recently paved with cement and cobblestone and shouldn't be a problem for anyone who has made it that far.
- Don't ride your fully-loaded touring bike to the Paso de Cortes before hiking the trail :) it's tough and will drain you pre-climb, but if you do, they will hold it inside the station at the pass where you buy your entry. If you choose to ride to La Joya, I believe you could lock your bikes with a cable, but it's a very rough 5 miles up there with plenty of sand and runnels.
- The road up from Amecameca is nicely paved; the road from Puebla is hard-packed dirt for the last 10 miles with some sandy spots. It is rough, especially the lower half, but passable.
Camping:
- There is a campground at the pass that is an additional 30.50 pp/day.
- You can also camp at La Joya (this is what we did and woke up to frost). It doesn't exist in the photo, but there are two sheltered spaces with nice benches and two sheltered fire pits.
- There are several decent flat spots next to the trail:
-- 2 spots at first saddle
-- 2 spots 5-10 mins after first saddle (the second one is best)
-- 2 multi-sites (~4 spots each) after the second saddle in the shelter of the cliff, one is actually under an overhang
-- 3 sites on third saddle w/rock walls to block the heavy wind in this area (I'd prefer one of the previous spots or the hut, although the view here is probably best)
Trail:
- At the first saddle make sure you follow the trail down over the saddle. It passes between a metal cross and a plaque. I didn't print this page and when we got there, went up to read the plaque. From there it appeared as though the trail went up the spine; that way was worn. Well, we got some nice views, even if we had to come back down a hundred feet or so at the next saddle to regain the trail.
- A few hundred feet past the second saddle, you might look down and see another trail beneath you, you may be concerned because the trail you're on will turn steeply uphill. Don't worry, you're good. Unfortunately I cannot recall if the red dots on the rocks had begun at this point or not.
- After the third saddle, the easiest route will be marked with faded red dots, although they aren't always close together. We took a higher route on the way up that was marked with every other color but red. The red dots continue at least to the hut.
Does anyone have information on where I could rent gear (crampons, ice ax, helmet) for Itza? Hoping to find a place in Amecameca (preferred) or Mexico City, if need be. Also, what should I expect to pay for 2 day rental of the gear mentioned above?
Dmitry Pruss - Dec 13, 2008 3:17 pm - Voted 10/10
xpmexicolink seems to be hanging
turbosinaboy - Jan 13, 2011 8:58 pm - Hasn't voted
Two Volcanoes, two statesA nice fact about Iztaccihuatl, and Popocatepetl is that the border line between two states (Mexico and Puebla) passes just through the summits.
erics4569 - Oct 30, 2014 2:15 am - Hasn't voted
Altzomoni hut reservation?Hi, does anyone know how to go about making a reservation for the Altzomoni hut? I've seen plenty of pictures or mentions of the hut, but haven't been able to find any process or contact info for making a reservation.
My cousin and I are looking to climb Itza at the beginning of December, and are looking to make the reservation without going through a guide/tour company.
Thanks!
Eric
andreab - Apr 11, 2015 2:29 pm - Hasn't voted
Izta - March 2015Thanks for the info! Some recent photos from Izta - March 2015
https://www.flickr.com/photos/abattistel/sets/72157651438171368/
dobozban - Nov 21, 2015 9:08 am - Voted 9/10
Notes from Nov 2015:This is a great page. We hiked to the hut, but didn't continue because we were tired from bicycling up from Amecameca and it was already completely socked in with no views whatsoever. Here are our notes from that trip to complement/update this post.
Logistics:
- The park office at the Paso de Cortes is open 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM every day. They have 1 liter bottles of water for 15 pesos, but no food other than snacks.
- Cost is now 30.50 pesos pp/day.
- The Hotel San Carlos on the square next to the mercado in Amecameca cost 130 pesos for two people, one bed. They had wifi and hot water.
- There is a combi van that goes to the pass, but I don't know when or where, just that it passed us while we were riding up.
- We had no trouble catching a ride up to La Joya at 4:30 PM on a Wednesday, but I think they were the last people who went up. Just hang out where you fill out your entry sheet and ask other groups. Mexicans are very friendly and will help out if they can.
- That final bumpy part into La Joya has been recently paved with cement and cobblestone and shouldn't be a problem for anyone who has made it that far.
- Don't ride your fully-loaded touring bike to the Paso de Cortes before hiking the trail :) it's tough and will drain you pre-climb, but if you do, they will hold it inside the station at the pass where you buy your entry. If you choose to ride to La Joya, I believe you could lock your bikes with a cable, but it's a very rough 5 miles up there with plenty of sand and runnels.
- The road up from Amecameca is nicely paved; the road from Puebla is hard-packed dirt for the last 10 miles with some sandy spots. It is rough, especially the lower half, but passable.
Camping:
- There is a campground at the pass that is an additional 30.50 pp/day.
- You can also camp at La Joya (this is what we did and woke up to frost). It doesn't exist in the photo, but there are two sheltered spaces with nice benches and two sheltered fire pits.
- There are several decent flat spots next to the trail:
-- 2 spots at first saddle
-- 2 spots 5-10 mins after first saddle (the second one is best)
-- 2 multi-sites (~4 spots each) after the second saddle in the shelter of the cliff, one is actually under an overhang
-- 3 sites on third saddle w/rock walls to block the heavy wind in this area (I'd prefer one of the previous spots or the hut, although the view here is probably best)
Trail:
- At the first saddle make sure you follow the trail down over the saddle. It passes between a metal cross and a plaque. I didn't print this page and when we got there, went up to read the plaque. From there it appeared as though the trail went up the spine; that way was worn. Well, we got some nice views, even if we had to come back down a hundred feet or so at the next saddle to regain the trail.
- A few hundred feet past the second saddle, you might look down and see another trail beneath you, you may be concerned because the trail you're on will turn steeply uphill. Don't worry, you're good. Unfortunately I cannot recall if the red dots on the rocks had begun at this point or not.
- After the third saddle, the easiest route will be marked with faded red dots, although they aren't always close together. We took a higher route on the way up that was marked with every other color but red. The red dots continue at least to the hut.
- The hut has a rescue board
MikeHilbert - Jan 26, 2016 1:39 pm - Hasn't voted
Gear Rental for Itza?Does anyone have information on where I could rent gear (crampons, ice ax, helmet) for Itza? Hoping to find a place in Amecameca (preferred) or Mexico City, if need be. Also, what should I expect to pay for 2 day rental of the gear mentioned above?