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Cajas National Park |
| Location: |
Province of Asuay |
| Area: |
28,808 hectares, 71,186 acres |
| Altitud: |
300 to 3,500 meters - 9,840 to 11,480 feet |
| Main Atractions: |
232 lagoons of glacier origin – spectacular Polylepis forest |
| Animals: |
White-tayled deer – spectacle bear – puma – paramo deer – paramo rabbit – andean tapir |
| Birds: |
Condor – Caracara – Andean Toucan – spectacle duck |
| Vegetation: |
Large Polylepis forest – Chuquirahua – paramo grasses – romerillo |
| Archeological sites: |
Tambo (resting areas for the Inca couriers fron Cusco to Quito) |
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Cotopaxi National Park |
| Location: |
Province of Cotopaxi – Napo - Pichincha |
| Area: |
33,393 hectares, 82,516 acres |
| Altitud: |
3,400 to 5,897 meters - 11,155 to 19,347 feet |
| Main Atractions: |
Cotopaxi volcano (19,347 ft) highest active snow capped volcano in the world – Limpiapungo lagoon and spectacular landscapes |
| Animals: |
Andean Concor - deers – pumas – wild horses – llamas |
| Birds: |
Condor |
| Vegetation: |
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| Archeological sites: |
The Pucara ruins a prehispanic fortress of the Incas – Inca Palace built by Tupac Yupanqui in the XVth century and turned into a monastery in the XVIIth century. |
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Galapagos National Park |
| Location: |
Province of Galapagos (600 miles fron the Ecuadorian coast) |
| Area: |
693,700 hectares, 1´714,170 acres |
| Altitud: |
0 to 707 meters - 0 to 5,600 feet |
| Main Atractions: |
An Archipelago of volcanic islands with outstanding wildlife. It is the most impressive national parks in the world |
| Animals: |
Giant Tortoises – land & sea iguanas – penguins – sea lions – dolphins – whales |
| Birds: |
Darwin´s finches – blue & red footed boobies – albatrosses – non-flying cormorants – frigates birds – flamingos – masked boobies |
| Vegetation: |
Typicall dry tropical forest - Mangroves – endemic cacti & shrubs |
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Machalilla National Park |
| Location: |
Province of Manabi |
| Area: |
55,095 hectares – 136,143 acres |
| Altitud: |
0 to 1,850 meters – 0 to 6,070 feet |
| Main Atractions: |
Beautiful beaches like Los Frailes and sea steppes, bays and costal forests , islands as La plata , the Ahogado and Slango where you can find similar speciaes as in the Galapagos Islands.
Hump back whales season from July to September |
| Animals: |
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| Birds: |
Blue footed boobies – wabed albatrosses – great frigates |
| Vegetation: |
Extensive tropical dry forests with large coastal Kapok trees |
| Archeological sites: |
Anthropolocal museum on Salango & Agua Blanca |
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Podocarpus National Park |
| Location: |
Province of Loja & Samora Chinchipe |
| Area: |
146,280 hectares, 361,466 acres |
| Altitud: |
1,000 to 3,600 meters – 3,281 to 11,811 feet |
| Main Atractions: |
Divided en two zones Highlands and jungle with diversity of vegatation and bird species – the ideal place of botanical, ecological & zoological investigations - more than 100 lakes of glacier origin – crystal clear streams and waterfalls spectacular landscapes |
| Animals: |
Jocotoco Antpitta – bears – pumas |
| Birds: |
Hummingbirds – toucans - woodpeckers |
| Vegetation: |
Protects unique south american conifers – exotic orchids |
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Sangay National Park |
| Location: |
Province of Tungurahua, Chimborazo & Morona Santiago |
| Area: |
271,925 hectares, 671,941 acres |
| Altitud: |
900 to 5,230 meters – 2,953 to 17,159 feet |
| Main Atractions: |
Sangay active volcano (17,154 ft) Altar (17,446 ft) Tungurahua (16,452) these mountains offer opportunities to hike, clim & trek. A location that combines the Andes & Rain Forest scenery. Waterfalls |
| Animals: |
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| Birds: |
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| Indian Communities: |
Quichua-Canelos in thenorth and Shuar in the south. |
| Vegetation: |
Amazon tropical rain forest vegatation - Pioner plants can be observed in the Sangay volcano |
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Sumaco Napo Galeras National Park |
| Location: |
Province of Napo & Orellana |
| Area: |
205,249 hectares 507,181 acres |
| Altitud: |
300 to 3,899 meters - 984 to 12,792 feet |
| Main Atractions: |
It offers various rivers and spring running through |
| Animals: |
Spectacled bear – several bats – marsupials – armadillos – guams – cock of the rock – reptiles & amphibians |
| Birds: |
Eagles |
| Vegetation: |
Humid tropical forest – cloud forest |
| Indian Communities: |
Quichua communities |
| Archeological sites: |
Cosangua culture |
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Yasuni National Park |
| Location: |
Province of Orellana |
| Area: |
668,000 hectares – 1´650,664 acres |
| Altitud: |
300 to 600 meters – 984 to 1,969 feet |
| Main Atractions: |
The largest and most diverse Amazonian reserve in Ecuador. UNESCO declared it a Biosphere reserve. Lagoons and navigable streams |
| Animals: |
200 different animals |
| Birds: |
more than 500 species |
| Vegetation: |
more than 700 species of vegetation – exuberant jungle vegetation |
| Indian Communities : |
Huaorani & Quichua communities |
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Llanganates National Park |
| Location: |
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| Area: |
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| Altitud: |
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| Main Atractions: |
The most exotic & inaccessible landscapes of Ecuador – rough moorlands – deep valleys – rivers – lagoons – waterfalls – Cerro Hermoso (15,618 ft) |
| Animals: |
Moorlands rabits – sacha (Jungle) rabbit – weasel – spectable bear – white-tailed deer – moorland deer – moorland fox – puma – deer – tapir |
| Birds: |
Condor - cock of the rock |
| Vegetation: |
Dense vegetation |
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