Nevado de Toluca is a large stratovolcano in central Mexico, located about 80 km west of Mexico City near the city of Toluca. It is around three hours drive from Mexico City. Hiking in Nevado de Toluca is one of the highlights of my Mexico trip.
It is generally cited as the fourth highest of Mexico’s peaks, after Pico de Orizaba, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl (Source: Wikipedia). It was the most challenging hike I have done so far due to the altitude. I have done various hike in Australia but they are all at sea levels. The altitude took a toll on me but I absolutely loved the challenge and had an amazing experience!
I decided to do a few private tours with NE touring during my time in Mexico including this hike. NE touring is excellent – I highly recommend their services if you are visiting Mexico. Private tours definitely cost more but I love the freedom and uniqueness of each tour. I have more choices of what to see and I like having options of exploring the off-beaten tracks. I have been on a lot of tours and frankly I am rather tired of joining 20-30 other people (which are usually made up of couples and families) and seeing the typical destinations. I try to avoid those big tours nowadays if I can.
The starting point of this hike is at ~2000 m above sea level. We hiked to the crater and I decided to continuing climbing instead of descending to the lake. We kept going up to about 4200 m but could not make it to the highest peak at ~4700 m called the Eagle Point. Isaac was very patient and went really slow so that I could keep up. The strategy for hiking in altitude is to constantly take breaks. I was gasping for breath after every few metres (it was really embarrassing!) and could feel my lungs and heart not able to keep up with the altitude. It was either the altitude or I was just very very unfit! 😛
Since everyone went down to the lake, it was absolute quietness up here! It was very surreal. I will always remember and treasure this moment. The sound of the wind hitting the grass…the wonderful conversations with Isaac and just…pure…tranquility ☺
Have you been to Mexico? I’d love to hear your experiences! Leave your comments below. If you haven’t, I hope this post would encourage you to explore this beautiful country.
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Next will be about the very famous Teotihuacan in Mexico! Stay tuned!
Photography Information:
Camera: Nikon D800 or iPhone7plus.
Lens for Nikon: Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8.
Post-processing: Adobe Lightroom Classic CC (photos) and Final Cut Pro (video).
Music for the video is licensed from Soundstripe.
The video above was taken using iPhone7plus. I used DJI Osmo Mobile to stabilize the iPhone especially for long hours of shooting. DJI Osmo Mobile definitely helps to reduce the shakiness of my hands, if I were to do it hand-held. This produces better video quality. I love using it! You should get one too if you like taking videos using your smart phone. Click on the image below to find out more about DJI Osmo Mobile.
