NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES

Here you can find important information about some of the most beautiful National Parks and Reserves of Ecuador.travel

Machalilla National Park - Cotopaxi National Park - Chimborazo Forest Reserve - Cajas National Park - Petrified Forest of Puyango - Podocarpus National Park - Yasuni National Park - Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve - Galapagos National Park

CAJAS NATIONAL PARK

CAJAS NATIONAL PARK
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Situated in the province: Azuay
Created: May 11th, 1996
Size: 29000 ha. - 71658 acres
Altitudinal Rank: 3000 - 3500 meters
Admission fee: US $10

Description of the zone

The Cajas National Park lays in the occidental Andean chain, 35km west of Cuenca. It mainly consists of impressive elevations, which keep in the interior lake systems looking like enormous linking boxes (box= caja in Spanish). That is why, its name: Cajas.The weather in this zone is unpredictable, sometimes it frosts, and there is constant rain and fog.

Multiple attractions of the Cajas National Park call the attention of tourists and scientists. It is characterized by a unique moor ecosystem (high altitude grasslands) made up of 232 lagoons allowing to different endemic flora and fauna species coexist. Wildlife includes many birds such as hummingbirds, gray-breasted toucans, and the giant conebill. Rivers as Tomebamba, Mazán, Yanuncay and Migüir are born here and provide with more than the 60% of freshwater to the city of Cajas.

The unlimited flora of the park includes a great diversity of orchids, ferns, mosses, and different kinds of wood species.
Some lagoons are more accessible than others and offer a variety of activities to do: trout fishing, trekking, hiking, birdwatching, camping, panoramic photography…. These countless experiences and the importance of the preservation of this park have been considered, and probably soon it will be declared a Natural Humankind Patrimony – reaching as much as value and recognition as the Galapagos Islands.
The lagoon “Lagartococha” is the biggest of the park, and visitors can get there from the main road, it takes a three-hour-walk. Avilahuayco is a beautiful hill that can be easily climbed, it could take almost a hour and a half. Some of the most visited lagoons for fishing purpose are the Taitachungo lagoon (Mamamag) and the Burín lagoons. Another alternative place to visit in the Cajas National Park is the hill “Loma de las Tres Cruces” (4,200 meters high). Do not forget to visit the “Camino Garcia Moreno”, the lagoon “de Cucheros” and the Cajas Garden that is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

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PETRIFIED FOREST OF PUYANGO

PETRIFIED FOREST OF PUYANGO
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Situated in the provinces of: El Oro and Loja
Created: January 9th, 1987
Size: 2.695 ha - 6.659,49 a
Altitudinal Rank: 250 m – 750 meters
Admission fee: US $5

Description of the zone

The Petrified Forest of Puyango, about 240 kilometres from Loja, is situated at a 250 -750 meters above the sea level. Its average temperature is 22.5 C°. Puyango has conserved fossils comparable to those of the Petrified Forest in Arizona, USA. Some specimens date to 100 million years old.
In this area it can be found the “araucarios” (arancaurioxylon), native trees that constitute the petrified patrimony of Puyango, and the abundant petrino (bombacaceae). Some of these trees may reach more than 200 years and more than 20 m height
Dry season, from May till December, is perfect for visiting the park. During the rain season, the area gets about 900 mm of rain, changing considerably the landscape. What we know now as Puyango, in former times it was a sea. In fact, maritime fossils found in the region are a proof of it. Once the sea dried out, animals and plants made it their home for hundreds of years, until natural cataclysms buried them.

Millions of years later, geological movements revealed once again its treasures. Different ancient live species - ranging between 60 and 500 million years – show us earlier times.

Visiting this unique forest you can enjoy from a trip to the world’s first ages.

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PODOCARPUS NATIONAL PARK

PODOCARPUS NATIONAL PARK
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Situated in the provinces: Loja and Zamora Chinchipe
Created: December 15th, 1982
Size: 146.280 ha - 361.452 acres
Altitudinal Rank: 900 a 3.600 meters
Admission Fee: US $5

Description of the zone:

The Podocarpus National Park is situated in the southern area of the country. You can go there on the road between Loja and Vilcabamba, or over Zamora. Its name comes from a characteristical tree of the humid cloud forest in this area, the Podocarpus. This tree is the only gymnosperms native conifer of Ecuador.
The zone registers more than 560 different kinds of birds, that represents 40% of all of the existing birds in Ecuador. That is why it is considered as the world richest area having this kind of animals. Endangered animal species found in the park include the spectacled bear, mountain tapir, puma and jaguar. Also, in the park we can find the chinchona tree, the original source of the anti-malarial drug called quinine.

The area is cut up into two main areas: an upper pre-mountain section which has sensational walking routes and the tropical cloud forest characterized by its wonderful birdwatching; and the lower subtropical section, with remoter areas including (the) virgin forest and endemic flora and fauna species. The entrance fee of both areas is around US$5.00.

To get to the upper pre-mountain section you can go by bus and take the 16 kilometer- Loja road, from Vilcabamba to Cajanuma. Then you can walk for 2- 3 hours to get to the refuge, where there are sleeping facilities, electricity and a cooking area. Also, it would be good to bring with you warm water- proof clothes. The road to Zamora will take you to the Subtropical section of the park.

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