Famous Devil's Nose train ride, Ecuador

At the beginning of the 20th century, a railway construction boom was taking place around the world.
He did not pass the small South American country of Ecuador. In those days, trains were the most effective means for transporting goods over considerable distances. Therefore, despite the country's poverty, an amount of four annual budgets was allocated for the construction of the railway.

Specialists from Europe were invited, and a significant number of local people were mobilized to implement this national project. Also, 4,000 workers from Jamaica were involved in the work, who were forced to work for the freedom promised by Major John Harman (the project's chief engineer), most of whom were killed. In the end, despite the difficulties of laying in the mountainous terrain, the project was crowned with success and the whole country was connected by rail from the north to the south.

Unfortunately, the very harsh natural element of South America in the second half of the 20th century, most of the road was destroyed in the course of various cataclysms. The government decided not to restore it in its entirety, because the automobile transport and the repair work had already developed sufficiently would not pay off.

Only a small part of the canvas was restored, which is now mainly used as an attraction for riding backpackers.

The section of the railway between the stations Alausi and Sibambe is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Ecuador. The road is also known as La Nariz del Diablo or the Devil's Nose. This is the most dangerous site on the railway network of Ecuador.

The Alausi-Sibambe railway consists of several serpentines. The height difference between the stations is 800 m, from 1,800 m to 2,600 m. It was built by an American company. Work involved 4,000 workers from Jamaica, most of whom were killed.

When the road functioned in full, the locals often rode on the roof of the trains, due to a lack of space inside. Modern backpackers are happy to follow this tradition, despite the fact that it's quite cool to ride on the roof in the morning, and it would be possible to dive into passenger carriages, as is customary in Europe.

On both sides of the railway you can observe the usual rural landscapes of Ecuador. The road often runs straight through the farms, and the inhabitants of some villages remote from the motorway still use this train as a means of transportation - the driver always brakes, at their request.

The tour starts at Riobamba, but many take a train to Alauci to take a quick trip to the Devil's Nose and back.