Guided Expeditions · Mexico

Mexico's
Highest
Summits

Two volcanoes above 5,000m. 9 days. Direct flight from your city. No visa. No ocean to cross.

Expeditions & Upcoming Dates
5,636m
Pico de Orizaba
9 days
Three summits
8 max
Per group
Pico de Orizaba · 5,636m Iztaccíhuatl · 5,230m Direct flights from the US No visa required Groups of 8 max Oct–Mar season Pico de Orizaba · 5,636m Iztaccíhuatl · 5,230m Direct flights from the US No visa required Groups of 8 max Oct–Mar season
Why Althara

You've done the
14ers.
Now what?

We're not a foreign outfitter flying guides in for a season — Althara is based in Mexico year-round, running these same routes. That means real local logistics: transport, permits, and lodging that actually work, plus the flexibility to shift plans when a weather window closes.

We run small-group expeditions, not tours. We know this mountain range firsthand — what the conditions actually look like on any given day, not just what the forecast says.

Guided group climbing Pico de Orizaba glacier on a night ascent
The Expeditions

Three Summits.
Nine Days.

View Dates & Pricing
Althara Mexico Triple Crown expedition — three volcanoes in nine days
Flagship · 9 Days
Mexico Triple Crown
La Malinche · Iztaccíhuatl · Pico de Orizaba

Three summits. Nine days. The complete Althara sequence — built around acclimatization science and two peaks above 5,000m. The expedition most of our clients come back for.

Climbers ascending glacier at golden sunrise — Mexico volcano expedition
How It Works

Built Around
The Summit.

01
Puebla — Arrival & Briefing

Days 1–2. Fly into Mexico City or Puebla — we handle transport from day one. Gear check, team briefing, and your first nights at 2,135m in one of Mexico's finest colonial cities.

02
La Malinche — 4,461m

Day 3. Your first summit. A full-day push to 4,461m — non-technical, no glacier. Your body's first real altitude test. Diego reads your response here and adjusts everything that follows.

03
Iztaccíhuatl — 5,230m

Days 4–5. Drive to La Joya base camp at 3,980m, skills review, midnight departure. Summit at 5,230m with Popocatépetl venting steam 12km south. This is not a warm-up.

04
Rest & Base Camp Approach

Days 6–7. A full rest day in Puebla — your body earns it. Then drive east to Tlachichuca and up to Piedra Grande base camp at 4,260m. Summit night starts at midnight.

05
Pico de Orizaba — 5,636m

Day 8. 12am departure, headlamps lit. Jamapa Glacier in full darkness. Crater rim at dawn — 200km of Mexico below. North America's third highest peak. This is the one.

5,636m
Highest summit
3h
Direct flight from Dallas
8
Max climbers per group
300+
Summits per lead guide
Sarah, Diego and Mark at the base of Pico de Orizaba
"

We've done routes in the Dolomites and a few peaks in the Alps. None of it compared to this. Two volcanoes above 5,000m in one week — Diego knew every step of the mountain. We came for an adventure and left with something we still talk about every day.

Sarah & Mark
Germany  ·  Alpine experience
Charly and Diego on the Pico de Orizaba summit
"

I've done Mt. Whitney a bunch of times and figured I knew what high altitude felt like. At 5,400m on Pico with crampons on, I realized I had no idea. Diego pushed me in all the right ways. Hardest thing I've done — and I'm already looking at coming back.

Charly R.
California  ·  Mt. Whitney veteran
Luis and Diego on the snowy Iztaccíhuatl ridge
"

I've lost count of how many times I've come back. Diego knows these mountains better than anyone I've ever climbed with — every condition, every route, every detail. Every trip I think I've seen everything, and every trip he shows me something new. I just keep coming back.

Luis L.
Tennessee  ·  Multiple expeditions with Althara
Diego — Lead Guide, Althara Expeditions
Your Team Leader Guide

Diego

I've spent almost two decades climbing the volcanoes of Mexico, in every condition and every season. My experience extends to the high-altitude peaks of South America. I personally lead every expedition — the same guide from your first briefing to your summit push, every time.

I'm also a professional mountain photographer. Every summit, every pre-dawn departure, every view from the crater rim — documented and delivered.

300+
Summits led
18+
Years on these mountains
6,000m+
Highest altitude reached
On Safety

Pico de Orizaba and Iztaccíhuatl sit inside protected national parks in Puebla and Veracruz — two of Mexico's most stable states. The approach routes and base camps are remote mountain environments with no urban exposure. Diego has guided American and international clients through this corridor for over a decade without a security incident. The risks on these expeditions are the same as any serious alpine objective: weather, altitude, cold.

Limited spots · Oct–Mar season

Ready for
Your Summit?

8 climbers max. Serious guides. Three volcanoes in 9 days.

9 days
Expedition length
$3,900
Starting from
Oct–Mar
Season
No visa
US passport only
Expeditions & Upcoming Dates