Cayambe-Coca National Park

Cayambe-Coca National Park

Cayambe Coca National Park is located along the equator, 38 km from Quito. The park covers 4,031 square kilometers, and encompasses two very distinct regions of Ecuador, the high elevation Sierra containing the Cayambe volcano and the humid, hot Amazon rainforest and temperate cloud forest in between. There are three entrances to the park. Access to the mountain is through the entrance near the town of Cayambe, in the province of Pichincha. The mountain is home to the Ruales-Oleas-Bergé Refuge, a mountain cabin where those who wish to climb the volcano can stay, and other attractions are lakes, waterfalls and forests. From the entrance near Papallacta, in the province of Napo, you can access the forests and lakes at the foot of the Andes, as well as the Páramo, a tropical mountainous vegetation area above the tree line. Another entrance is near Santa Rosa de Quijos, where a road leads to the magnificent San Rafael Falls, which was once the highest waterfall in the country. Every day, large birds can be seen in the skies above the reserve, such as the Andean Condor and the Andean Variable Hawk. But the area is also home to Spectacled Bears, foxes and deer, and smaller animals include Paramo Rabbits and armadillos. The park is home to 106 species of mammals, among them the Mountain Tapir, Cougar and Culpeo Zorro, as well as 395 bird species, 70 reptiles and 116 amphibians. Páramo grasslands and montane cloud forests are local habitat types. Bunch grasses, ferns and lycopods are common plants, and there are more than 100 species of endemic plants.