Podocarpus National Park

Podocarpus takes its name from the romerillo, the only conifer genus native to Ecuador, and protects around 1,460 square kilometres on the eastern slope between Loja and Zamora, running from paramo above three thousand metres down to subtropical forest around a thousand. The gradient and the position at a biogeographic crossroads give it a bird list of well over six hundred species, including many found in only a narrow band of the Andes, and it is a fixed stop on serious birding itineraries. The high Cajanuma sector has trails through elfin forest to lakes; the low Bombuscaro sector near Zamora is warmer, greener and easier, with river pools and a well-made trail among tree ferns.

Background

Podocarpus National Park was created in 1982 and covers 1,462.8 square kilometres in the provinces of Zamora Chinchipe and Loja, about 85 per cent of it in Zamora Chinchipe. Four ecological systems meet here (the northern and southern Andes, the Amazon and the Pacific), and the park is classed as megadiverse, with many species found nowhere else. Above 3,000 metres the paramo holds more than 100 lagoons, the best known being the Lagunas del Compadre. The Cajanuma entrance, about 8 kilometres south of Loja, leads into habitats between roughly 2,900 and 3,500 metres.

Source: Wikipedia, "Podocarpus National Park"

The landscape

• Over six hundred bird species - one of the richest lists in the Andes.
• Romerillo, the native conifer - the tree the park is named for.
• Cajanuma elfin forest - the high trails through stunted woodland.
• Bombuscaro river forest - the warm lower sector near Zamora.

When to go

October to December is drier on the eastern slope; it rains in every month. A day per sector, several to bird properly. Mornings are best for birds.

Before you go

Rain and mud are constant and the high sector is cold and often fogged. Trails beyond the short loops are rough and poorly marked. Serious birding needs a guide and optics. There is no lodging inside.

Nearby

Loja is north-west; Zamora sits at the lower gate.

Key facts