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Adventure Tours |
 W5 ORCHIDS & BROMELIADS Orchids are one of the most common flowering plants in the world but to many people represent the ideal flower. Ecuador boasts of over 4000 known species, occurring from the high altitude regions to the tropical lowlands. Orchids are terrestrial plants but also epiphytic growing on trees. Other air plants include bromeliads, an endemic American plant. It may also grow rooted in soil but some species are even found growing on telephone or other wires. On this one-week trip we try to find as many of those plants as possible in their natural habitat. Day 1 We start our orchid excursion by driving north to the Guandera Biological Reserve, a high Andean mountain forest reserve (3100-3600m). This area boasts of one of the few remaining mountain forests left in the country and is home to many orchids, especially Dracula species. Parts of the forest are also infested by bromeliads growing in large numbers. The famous puya bromeliads can be found in higher paramo regions. Day 2 On this day we explore the dry valley of Chota. This area has many tillandsia bromeliads, which grow on trees and electrical wires. Other bromeliads and orchids can be found on the rock faces of hills in that area. We continue then on back to Quito. Day 3 In the morning we drive to the Pululahua Crater Botanical reserve where a wide variety of orchids and bromeliads are found. This nature reserve has altitudinal ranges from 3300m to 1800m and offer therefore many different species, which we get to know on the different hikes. Day 4 In the morning we explore the lower regions of the Pululahua reserve and move later on to Pahuma, a private orchid reserve. We undertake short hikes to waterfalls and observe along the way the rich plant life in this cloudforest. Afterwards we move on to Mindo. Day 5 1000 species of orchids are known in this lower cloudforest region around Mindo located at 1600m. We hike through the forests looking for them and bromeliads in their natural habitat. In the afternoon we cheat a little bit and visit an orchid garden, where the owner gathered local orchids and put them on display. Day 6 We move to lower regions to Puerto Quito at 600m. There on hikes through tropical humid forests we experience new species of orchids and bromeliads. Although the area is partly deforested by human activities, it still offers many plants. Day 7 We drive back up the Andes by way of Mindo - Nono, a well known birding region but also displaying still many bromeliads and orchids. The road winds along river valleys, overhung with vegetation. Late afternoon we arrive in Quito, where we end our trip into the flora world.
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