Day One: Upon your arrival in Mexico City (7,300 feet), a taxi ride takes you to our hotel.  Our hotel is near the heart of the city in the lively Zócalo (Constitution Square) with its many museums, shops, outdoor cafes, pubs and restaurants.  We have an evening orientation meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the hotel lobby.

Day Two: We meet for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and plan to leave the hotel at 8:00 a.m. Then we drive in private vehicles to the cabins at the La Malintzi  Resort, located at 10,000’ at the base of La Malinche (14,636 feet).  This facility was initially used by Mexico’s Olympic Team for training and provides an important role in our team’s acclimatization.  We take an acclimatization hike on La Malinche and return to the cabanas for overnight. (B, D)

Day Three: At 8:00 a.m. we depart La Malinche and travel towards Ixtaccihuatl. We have some time to visit a local market in Amecameca and purchase any last minute items for our climb of Ixtaccihuatl.  We then drive to the Altzimoni hut (12,000') where we take  a short acclimatization hike    and overnight in the Altzimoni hut. (B, D)

Day Four: We leave the Altzimoni hut and hike to the toe of the Ayoloco Glacier at 14,750 feet where we establish our High Camp. We spend time today reviewing ice axe arrest, cramponing and rope travel practices.  We set up camp and make preparations for our early alpine start. (B, D)

Day Five: Summit Day on Ixtaccihuatl! Shortly after leaving camp, and depending on the snow and ice conditions, we put on crampons and rope up for the ascent. We gain the summit ridge shortly after sunrise and continue to the summit of Ixtaccihuatl at 17,340 feet. After enjoying the views and a photo session, we descend to High Camp, pack up, and return to La Jolla. We transfer to the colonial city of Puebla and check into our hotel. (B)

Day Six: Our hotel in Puebla is located one block away from the Zocalo (main square) in the heart of the downtown historical district of Puebla and has been on the city map since 1668. The day is free for you to relax and explore the city and the many historic sites. 

Day Seven: Today we drive to Tlachichuca located at the base of Pico de Orizaba. After lunch, four-wheel drive trucks take us to Piedra Grande, our High Camp on Orizaba at 14,000 feet. We spend the night in tents near the hut. (B, L, D)

Day Eight: Summit Day on Pico de Orizaba! With an early alpine start we make our way through a maze of rock and scree. Upon reaching the Jamapa Glacier, we don crampons and ice axes, and rope up for the remainder of the climb. The glaciers on Orizaba are relatively non-technical, with very few crevasses, and the ascent to 18,701 feet is fairly straight-forward. After our summit celebration and photo session, we begin our descent. Upon reaching Piedra Grande, we load our trucks and descend for a hot shower and a home cooked meal. We spend the night in a climbers' hostel in Tlachichuca. (B, D)

Day Nine: At 8:00 a.m. we depart Tlachichuca for Mexico City.  Our vehicles should arrive in Mexico City around noon, and we recommend booking your flight for 3 p.m. or later. (B)