Dear all,

so far, I have just spent a lot of time reading through SP - A great place to start gathering info!

BTW: If my post is not according to rules, please let me know!

Since I went up La Malinche in 2015, I'm dreaming about coming back to give some more Volcanoes in the area a go. My choice would be Popo, but for obvious reasons thats currently not possible. Therefore, I decided to try climbing Iztaccihuatl - and lucky enough I'll have two weekends to spend and will set out for Orizaba as well. Why these two? Well, Izta because of the legend around it and Orizaba because of the elevation.

I will happen to be in Puebla and up for a hike beginning of November, flying in from sea level end of October. So far, I have contacted several guides, but none answered - might be due to me lacking any knowledge of Spanish .

-> Goals:
- Maybe climb La Malinche on 01.11.
- Climb Izta 03.11. (leave Puebla after lunch) - 04.11. (if required might be extended to 05.11.)
- Climb Orizaba 10.11. (leave Puebla after lunch) - 11.11. (if required might be extended to 12.11.)

-> Myself:
- Physically fit, though no bodybuilder
- Basic experience with crampons and roping
- Hiking / climbing style: In general, slow and steady.
- Had no issues with AMS so far, but Malinche is the highest peak for me up until now.

-> My questions:
- Would you mind sharing tips experiences for the mentioned peaks? For example:
-- Under said circumstances, which route to Orizaba would likely be more suitable (Standard/north vs Route de Sur)?
-- I'm leaning towards setting up high-camp in both cases as opposed to staying in the huts/refugios. Aside from potential AMS and carrying my stuff higher, is there a disadvantage to this?
-- Whatever else that helped you / consider helpful for my situation.
- Do you happen to be around in the same timeframe and would like to give it a shot together?
- Do you know a knowledgeable, fun, not as expensive guide that you can recommend for this endeavour?

Apologies for the long post

-> Highly appreciate any input!

Hey,

I climbed Malinche/Orizaba Febuary of last year. After spending a couple days in Puebla I went up Malinche for acclimatization then went to Servimont in Tlachichuca the next day. I can not recommend Servimont enough!! They have been going up Orizaba forever (80+ years). Super helpful and friendly. They offer many services to fit your trip, from basic to fully supported trips (guiding, base camp transport, meals, luggage storage, etc). Stayed the night and then they took me by 4x4 up to the basecamp hut. I had originally considered setting up a high camp when planning the trip but decided against this due to having to drag a tent through airports/buses/Mexico/up and down the mountain. With good acclimatization and fitness, Orizaba from basecamp to summit roundtrip is a not a long day (5-6 hours) and the hut is comfortable enough with a good sleeping mat. I went up the North side, don't get lost in the labyrinth, its a pretty straight forward route tho. They picked me up and brought me back to Tlachichuca after where I spent another night.

2 nights (pre/post climb) in Tlachichuca
Breakfast and Dinner x 2 in Tlachichuca
4x4 round trip Tlachichuca to Basecamp

This was around $190 USD (plus don't forget another ~20% for tips for staff!!)

They have a form you can fill out on their website, and they will get back to you. 95% sure they can set you up for Itza as well.

Hopefully some of this helps. If you have anymore questions feel free to reach out.