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Adventure Tours |
 W6 PARAMO On this one-week nature trip we get to know the high alpine regions of the Andes called Paramo (for more info click to ecosystems.paramo). This region starting above the tree line and reaching up to the glaciers is home to a distinct fauna and flora. Due to its equatorial location this area boasts of many plants and animals in spite of its high altitude. Larger mammals like the Andean fox or spectacled bear can be found there and some of the largest birds, like the mighty condor, various owls and eagles make their home there. We visit various types of paramos from wet to very dry ones. Day 1 We start our nature trip by heading north to El Angel , a small town located 50km north of Ibarra and take there a secondary road towards Tulcan, which leads us through a nature reserve , called " Paramo El Angel ". This reserve is located at around 3500m and very wet. It is famous for its many Failejones or Espelitias plants, which sprawl like forests throughout this paramo. Day 2 In the morning we turn south again but this time on the paved Pan-American highway and stop at the Guandera Biological Reserve, a high Andean forest and paramo reserve (3100-3600m). There we get a good idea how the Andes regions were before the arrival of men. We see the transition of forest to the grass steppes. This area gives us chances of seeing spectacled bears which prefer this transition area. Day 3 In the morning we leave the reserve and continue south to the Cayambe-Coca nature reserve. There we visit the small mountain lake of San Marcos, located at 3400m and surrounded by thick vegetation. After hiking around the lake we move higher up to the antennas at 40000m with splendid views to the snow-covered Cayambe. Day 4 Today we drive up to Guagua Pichincha, which boasts of a varied and rich paramo vegetation. The road leads right up to the refuge at 4600m, from where it is a short hike to the crater rim. Looking into this impressive volcano, we can observe a constantly changing lava dome with fumaroles steaming out. We hike into the old caldera where the rare Andean Rose, a ranunculus flower, can be seen. Day 5 On this day we visit the high paramo area of Antisana. This is one of the better regions to still see condors in the wild. Other larger birds encountered are various eagles and hawks and plenty of caracara falcons. This region is also home to Andean foxes, bears and occasionally pumas. Day 6 We leave in the morning and drive south on the Pan-American Highway to Machachi where we take the road which runs between the mountains of Pasochoa and Rumiñahui, leading to the secondary Northern Park Entrance. Our first stop is the Rio Pita, a small river cutting out a canyon. Our next stop is the Laguna Limpiopungo, the lake located at 3800 m at the foot of Rumiñahui mountain. This area is famous for water fowl, which nests there among the reeds. Other birds you might see are the Andean sea gull, hawks and falcons or with luck even the majestic Condor. We hike around the lake which takes one hour and have lunch there. We drive back to Quito by way of the principal Park entrance with a quick stop at the small museum. Day 7 Early in the morning we head up to the refuge of Chimborazo, the highest mountain in Ecuador, where we arrive at an altitude of 5000m in this adventure. From there we have the mighty glacier just in front of us and a great view to the valleys below. This is one of the driest paramo regions in the country but still supports animals with a herd of 200 vicuñas, which graze there, as a highlight. Later on we head by way of Guaranda to Ambato back to Quito, where we end our trip.
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