ECUADOR

Ecuador is the smallest among the Andes countries, but it blessed with some of the greatest varieties of plants and animals in the world. With more than 1600 species of birds, it ranks among the world's top 5 nations for numbers of bird species. Moreover, Ecuador is the proud owner of the world's laboratory of evolution: Galapagos with many species only occurring on Galapagos. But the real wealth of its species can be found in the tropical rainforests of the lowlands and in the cool cloud forests of the Andes. Adopt A Ranger will start raising funds for some of the highlights of Ecuador: Galapagos National Park, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve and Cotopaxi National Park

Galapagos National Park

Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve

With more than 600,000 ha, the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve is Ecuador's largest nature reserve. It reaches from the Andes foothills with cool nights to the marshlands at eastern border with Peru. The differentiation of the terrain, varying from the low hills near the Andes to swamps lagoons and rivers, make this area extremely rich in species of plants and animals. 

With 7 lakes in the heart of the reserve, reachable by car and motorized canoes and close to the Lagoagrio airport with daily flights from Quito,  the reserve is one of the most accessible Amazon parks in all of Latin America. You can have your breakfast in your hotel in Quito and be in the reserve by noon. Its birdlist is approaching 600 species and it has 9 monkey species, while being home to practically all the other mammals the Amazone region is famous for, like peccaries, jaguars, pumas, deer, sloths, giant anteaters, tapirs, freshwater dolphins, manatees, etc. Equally rich is its fish populations with 2 meter long catfishes, piranhas, and many colourful tropical fishes, while giant anacondas, boa constrictors, crocodiles, enormous land tortoises and aquatic turtles, green iguanas all call Cuyabeno home. 

The Ecuadorian Condor Bioreserve

Ecuaror has a fabulous representation of the different ecosystems of the country and one of the most interesting regions of the country is a complex of protected areas referred to as the Condor Bioreserve which combines famous areas like Cotopaxi and Llanganates National Parks, Cayambe Coca,  Antisana and Pasochoa nature reserves. 

The Andes is characterized by a great variety of climates, which not only vary by elevation, but also very much to the prevailing winds. As a result, one can find many very different climates over very small distances. Obviously, as one travels from the Capital Quito to the coastal and Amazon lowlands, one sees the temperatures go up. But what is much less known in the variety of rainfall at similar elevations. Some mountains are exposed to humid winds and one can see them covered with exuberant growth. Even at short distances, one may find entire valleys in the rain shadow and they may be covered with semi-dessert vegetation.  The Western Andes of Ecuador are the transition zone from the wettest climatic conditions on earth in Western Colombia to the dessert conditions of the Peruvian coastal lowlands.  

All this variation, leads to extraordinary richness in species that often are unique for the country. A traveler to Ecuador will always be fascinated with the fabulous volcanoes, some of which can be reached relatively easily like the Cotapaxi in Cotapaxi National Park. 

YOU CAN HELP SAFE THE UNIQUE WEALTH OF THIS MEGA DIVERSE COUNTRY.

 -   -