Cloud forest
Moss and orchids.
Arabsalam — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sabrina Setaro — CC BY 2.0 · Arabsalam — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arabsalam — CC BY-SA 4.0
A vast national park in southern Ecuador, created in 1982 and covering some 1,460 square kilometres from Andean slopes to the edge of the Amazon, named after its Podocarpus trees, Ecuador's only native conifers. Four ecosystems meet here, the northern and southern Andes, the Amazon and the Pacific, making it one of the most species-rich areas on Earth, with hundreds of bird species including many hummingbirds and colourful tanagers, rare animals such as the spectacled bear and mountain tapir, and a wealth of orchids and bromeliads. From the Cajanuma entrance near Loja, trails climb through cloud forest of moss-draped trees and hanging plants up to páramo grassland, with views over the valleys. The Bombuscaro entrance near the town of Zamora instead drops into warmer rainforest with waterfalls and rivers. Rain falls all year and trails are muddy, so bring waterproof boots and a rain jacket, and register at the gate.
Moss and orchids.
Hummingbirds and tanagers.
Valley views.
Cajanuma entrance, about 15 km south of Loja on the Vilcabamba road
Cajanuma near Loja for cloud forest and páramo, Bombuscaro near Zamora for warmer rainforest and waterfalls.