Abra El Arenal: an epic road on a lunar landscape
Abra El Arenal is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 4.407m (14,458ft) above the sea level, on the boundary of Guaranda and San Juan, in Chimborazo Province of central Ecuador. It's one of the highest roads of the country.
Located in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes, within the Reserva de Produccion Faunistica Chimborazo, the road to the summit is totally paved. When the snow falls - which it does in the winter – things get tough and slippery.
The pass is 32.5 km (20.19 miles) long, running north-south from Route E491 to Ruta E492. It’s the main access to the challenging Volcano Chimborazo, Ecuador's highest active volcano.