Nature Parks and Reserves  

1 El Cajas high paramo region with around 250 lakes and ponds, located 30 km west of Cuenca, hiking & camping, bird watching, trout fishing, $10.- entrance fee

2 Cotopaxi high paramo region with various volcanic peaks with Volcano Cotopaxi reaching 5898m, located 60 km south of Quito, Limpiopungo lake, nesting site for birds, mountaineering & hiking, $10.- fee 

3 Galapagos insular archipelago, located 1000km west from Ecuador in the Pacific ocean, click directly to our Islands & Sites section of our Galapagos chapter, nature cruises, diving, $100.- entrance fee

4 Llanganates  Andes highland, Amazon high- and lowland regions, entrance point Baños 

5 Machalilla protected coastal area along Pacific coast in Manabi, center is Puerto Lopez, Isla de la Plata, Solango, Playa de los Frailes, Aguas Blancas, archeological site, dry tropical forest, $20.- fee  

 6 Podocarpus  Andes highland and Amazon lowland regions, located in the south of the country between Loja and Zamora, podocarpus coniferous tree, lakes, camping, hiking, $10.- entrance fee

7 Sangay  paramo, cloudforests, tropical rainforests, entrance Riobamba or Macas

8 Sumaco Napo-Galeras higher Amazon regions concentrated around Sumaco and in the Cordillera Galeras

9 Yasuni huge lowland tropical rainforest park, high biodiversity, nature expeditions, fishing, camping, canoeing, Huaorani ethnic population

 10 Limoncocha lagoon habitat region in the Amazon rainforest area near Shushufindi

11 Marine Galapagos protected underwater habitat surrounding the Galapagos islands, sharks, whales, tropical fish, rays, turtles, sea lions, snorkelling, scuba diving, $100.- entrance fee

12 Antisana high paramo region around this volcanic peak and forests on Andes dropping down east

13 El Angel paramo region, located in the northern province of Carchi, giant frailejones (espelitia), hiking, nature observation, $10.-entrance fee

14 Cayambe - Coca reserve of Andean and Amazon regions, volcanos Cayambe and Reventador,

15 Cayapas - Mataje ecological reserve protecting mangroves in northern Esmeraldas

16 Cotacachi - Cayapas paramo, cloudforest, rainforest, crater lake, wwestern Cordillera to coastal plains

17 Los Ilinizas paramo area around the two peaks and Quilotoa Crater lake, high cloudforests

18 Mache - Chindul located in the coastal mountian range between the Pacific coast and Andes

19 Churute located 1 hour south of Guayaquil protects dry tropical forest, lagoons, mangroves, bird resere, horned screamer, howler monkeys, $5.- entrance fee

20 Pululahua geo-botanical reserve, volcanic caldera, 20 km northwest of Quito, near Mitad del Mundo, click directly to Geo-botanical Park of our Finca Colibri / Pululahua chapter of the web $5.- entrance fee

21 Cuyabeno tropical rainforests and lagoons in the northern Amazonian region, home to ethnic groups

22 Chimborazo high paramo around Ecuador's highest mountain of 6310m, 20 km northeast of Riobamba, vicuñas, mountaineering & trekking, $10.- entrance fee  

23 Pasochoa mountain forest and paramo in and around old extinct volcanic complex,45 km south of Quito

24 El Boliche recreational area near Cotopaxi, 60 km south of Quito

25 Santa Clara island in Golfo de Guayaquil, nesting site for seabirds, 1 hour by boat from Guayaquil

26 El Condor bi-national park between Ecuador and Peru, Cordillera Alto Cenepa, Shuar ethnic group

27 Puyango petrified forest reserve, southern Ecuador bordering Peru, fossilized tree trunks and  other plants, dry tropical forest, birdwatching, hiking, camping, $5.- entrance fee 

28 Mindo cloudforest region around western flank of Pichincha, rivers, waterfalls, hiking, tubing, part of Choco endemic bird area, bird watching

29 Ozogoche protected area of paramo lakes south of Riobamba

30 Majagual protected area of tallest mangrove trees in the world, near La Tola in Esmeraldas

31 Jatun Sacha scientific and touristic reserve in the Amazon along Alto Napo

32 Guandera  high mountain reserve and paramo, San Gabriel, Carchi province, birdwatching, clusia trees

33 Bilsa  scientific research station in Mache coastal mountains, humid tropical forests  

34 Cerro Blanco private forest reserve, dry tropical forest, mangroves, 20 km west of Guayaquil, howler monkeys, cats, bird watching, hiking, camping, $4.- entrance fee

35 Don Juan dry tropical and transitional humid forests, along Pacific coast in northern Manabi

36 Pahuma private cloudforest reserve from 2000m to 3000m, orchids, waterfalls, 1 hour northwest of Quito, 3.- entrance fee