The Liberty railway

Trains were very important to develop towns in the cost region and in high lands the last century, but nowadays most of the railways are in bad conditions. There are, nevertheless, some routes where "autoferros" still run for tourism, one of the most exciting is the Liberty railway.

In order to book tickets you need to call to the Railway Company
(593)62950390, The capacity of the autoferro is 45 pax, and it costs USD$7.60. The trains leaves Ibarra (2260m N 00°20.448´ W 78°08.704´) on saturdays and sundays at 8am, so it´s a good idea to go to this city the day before.

In Ibarra there are some things to do, such as going to the Miguel Archangel statue (2414m N 00°21.082´ W 78°06.162´), or enjoying the acuatic activities at Yahuarcocha lagoon (2444m N 00°22.579´ W 78°06.573´). There are lots of hotels in Ibarra, our election was the "Nueva Estancia" hotel. The room sets you back USD$15.5 per person, breakfast included. This hotel is 4 blocks far from the railway station.

The autoferro runs through the railways crossing small villages like Imbaya (2111m N 00°22.246´ W 78°09.059´) showing us beautiful landscapes such as valleys, rivers and mountains. The railways go next to canyons, bridges but the main attraction are the 18 tunnels.

The autoferro stops in Salinas (1644m N 00°29.578´ W 78°07.882´) where there is the Salt museum, here there is an interpretation center and restrooms. In this little town you can order a homemade lunch with local families.

The trip continues surrounding mountains until a place named "Primer paso"(1334m N 00°34.445´ W 78°07.550´) where the autoferro stops and after 45 minutes goes back by the same route. This place, 43km from Ibarra, is perfect to enjoy the warm weather by the river.

More pictures of the Liberty railway in this gallery.