Information
Landmark: Parque Nacional Cotacachi CayapasCity: Cotacachi
Country: Ecuador
Continent: South America
Parque Nacional Cotacachi Cayapas, Cotacachi, Ecuador, South America
Overview
In northern Ecuador, Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park spreads across a protected expanse of cloud forests, glacial lakes, and vibrant wildlife, celebrated for its remarkable mix of ecosystems and breathtaking scenery.Spanning more than 2,000 square kilometers (772 square miles), the park stretches from the misty Andean foothills in Imbabura to the lush lowland rainforests of Esmeraldas.The park ranks among Ecuador’s most important conservation areas, home to a stunning range of plants and animals-like the bright-orange Andean cock-of-the-rock-many found nowhere else or facing the risk of extinction.The park stretches across the western Andes, from the Cayapas River in the north to Cerro Cotacachi in the south, a bold, snow-dusted volcano that lends the park its name.Rising 4,939 meters (16,204 feet) into the sky, the Cotacachi volcano towers over the park, while the Cayapas River winds through it, shaping a landscape that shifts from windswept páramo to misty cloud forests and dense tropical rainforests.Cerro Cotacachi rises as one of the park’s tallest peaks, where you can take in sweeping views of green valleys and jagged ridges stretching to the horizon.Around the volcano lies Cuicocha Lagoon, a deep-blue crater lake born from ancient eruptions, and a favorite stop for hikers.Cayapas River: This vital waterway threads through the region, spilling into smaller rivers and clear, fast-moving streams that wind across the park.Parque Nacional Cotacachi-Cayapas bursts with life, its forests, rivers, and misty slopes sheltering an astonishing variety of plants and animals.The park shelters a mix of ecosystems, each alive with its own rare species and quietly working to filter water through soil and lock carbon away in the trees.Highland Páramo: At the park’s upper reaches, winds sweep across the páramo, a rugged high-altitude grassland scattered with tough, low shrubs.In these regions, a distinct mix of plants has learned to survive bitter cold, cutting winds, and the dry crackle of parched soil.The páramo works like a natural water keeper, pulling mist from the air and letting it trickle down into the rivers below.In the park’s middle elevations, you’ll find lush cloud forests where mist clings to every leaf and bromeliads, orchids, and other epiphytes thrive.Thick and green, the cloud forests often vanish into a cool, drifting mist, creating perfect shelter for birds, darting frogs, and swarms of tiny insects.Down in the park’s lower slopes, especially near the Cayapas River, lush tropical rainforests teem with life, from darting hummingbirds to the rustle of unseen creatures in the canopy.In these forests, towering trees rise above a tangle of thick undergrowth, sheltering countless species of plants, insects, and animals.These regions teem with life, sheltering creatures found nowhere else-like bright orchids clinging to damp moss in the shade.The park’s mix of forests, grasslands, and wetlands shelters an extraordinary variety of plants and animals, from bright wildflowers to darting red foxes.In the park’s higher elevations, you’ll find native balsa, cedar, and pine trees, their branches tangled with thick clusters of bromeliads and delicate orchids.These plants are vital to the ecosystem-they hold moisture in the soil after rain and offer shelter to birds and buzzing insects.In the lower elevations, tropical hardwoods like mahogany and cedar tower overhead, while bromeliads, ferns, and other epiphytes cling to branches and soak up the damp air.Endemic plants thrive in the park, including delicate rare orchids and medicinal herbs long used by local Indigenous communities.The Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park shelters a rich mix of endangered and rare creatures, from the soft call of a glass frog at night to jaguars that roam unseen, each playing a vital role in keeping the region’s ecosystem alive and balanced.Birds: The park is a haven for birdwatchers, home to more than 500 recorded species, from tiny hummingbirds flashing green in the sun to hawks circling high overhead.You might spot an Andean condor soaring on the thermals, a harpy eagle perched in the canopy, the shimmering golden-headed quetzal, the rare black-breasted puffleg, and tiny hummingbirds such as the quick-darting mountain avocetbill.Cloud forests, the windswept páramo, and the warm lowlands each offer vital homes for these species.The park shelters several mammals, among them the Andean bear-also known as the spectacled bear-the only bear found anywhere in South America.You might also spot jaguars, sleek pumas, graceful deer, and sturdy tapirs.Amphibians and reptiles thrive here, with dozens of frog species-among them the harlequin frog, a tiny, bright-patterned creature now teetering on the edge of extinction.You’ll often spot snakes and lizards in the park, sometimes sunning themselves on warm rocks.The park’s ecosystems teem with insects-bright butterflies drifting over wildflowers, sturdy beetles in the underbrush, and moths found nowhere else but here.Parque Nacional Cotacachi-Cayapas is vital to protecting the region’s rich biodiversity, from the rustle of orchids in the cloud forest to the flight of rare hummingbirds.The park protects endangered species like the spectacled bear, and its rivers feed clean water to the nearby towns.The park’s mix of forests, wetlands, and meadows traps carbon in roots and soil, easing climate change while keeping local weather more stable.The park is one piece of Ecuador’s larger conservation effort, which has reserved swaths of its misty highlands as protected areas to safeguard wildlife and the fragile natural cycles that sustain it.The park plays a key role in Ecuador’s promise to protect the environment and grow sustainably, from its mist-shaded forests to its clear mountain streams.Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park draws ecotourists and adventure seekers alike, luring them into misty cloud forests and across rugged trails alive with birdsong.Nature lovers, hikers, and wildlife fans can dive into all sorts of activities, from quiet forest walks to spotting deer at dawn.The park has several hiking trails, from gentle paths to the ones circling Cuicocha Lagoon, where the water reflects the looming Cotacachi volcano at its base.You can follow winding trails up to Cerro Cotacachi, the park’s highest peak, where crisp mountain air greets you and the valleys and jagged ridges stretch out in every direction.Páramo Trails: In the high country around Cerro Cotacachi and Cerro Cayapas, hikers can roam rare páramo landscapes, breathe the thin, crisp air, take in sweeping vistas, and maybe catch sight of a soaring condor or a shadowy puma.The park’s cloud forests make it a prime spot for birdwatching, where you might glimpse anything from a flash of emerald hummingbird wings to the bright crest of a quetzal.Wildlife lovers might spot rare creatures like spectacled bears, jaguars, or tapirs-though catching even a glimpse, maybe just a shadow slipping into the trees, is never easy.Around the park, the Kichwa and other nearby communities welcome visitors into their daily lives, inviting them to listen to traditional stories by the fire or learn age-old weaving skills firsthand.
