AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Perched on the slopes of Cerro de Escamela at roughly 1,630 meters above sea level, Ecoparque Cerro de Escamela is Orizaba's greenest balcony onto the surrounding highlands. Locals affectionately call it Parque de los Venados, a nod to the deer that once descended these hillsides in numbers. Today the park offers a rare blend of easy family recreation and genuine mountain adventure: shaded trails, fossil-bearing caves, panoramic viewpoints, and Latin America's first Alpine Coaster.↗↗
The hillside itself is one of the largest natural lungs of the Orizaba metropolitan area, with tall trees, pine stands, meadows, and undergrowth that shelter hawks, opossums, skunks, rabbits, and armadillos. Whether you come for a leisurely picnic under the kiosk or a full afternoon of hiking and cave-hopping, the ecoparque rewards visitors with cool mountain air, misty mornings, and sweeping valley views.↗↗
The Alpine Coaster — Latin America's First
Inaugurated on January 21, 2023, the Tobogán de la Montaña is the first Alpine Coaster ever built in Latin America. Manufactured by German specialist Wiegand Sports GmbH, the ride features 20 carts gliding along more than 650 meters of steel track that winds through the forest at gravity-driven speed. Riders control their own pace via a handbrake, making it exhilarating but manageable for most. The attraction operates Thursday through Monday (daily during holiday seasons) from 10:00 to 18:30, with a fee of 90 Mexican pesos per person.
