Llanganates National Park
| Llanganates National Park | |
|---|---|
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IUCN category II (national park) | |
 Black Agouti | |
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| Location |
Ecuador Cotopaxi Province, Napo Province, Pastaza Province and Tungurahua Province. |
| Coordinates | 1°8′0″S 78°14′0″W / 1.13333°S 78.23333°WCoordinates: 1°8′0″S 78°14′0″W / 1.13333°S 78.23333°W |
| Area | 219,707 ha |
| Established | January 18, 1996 |
Llanganates National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Llanganates) is a protected area in Ecuador situated in the Cotopaxi Province, Napo Province, Pastaza Province and Tungurahua Province. The name, "llanganates" supposedly comes from "beautiful mountain" in Quechua. Located within the park is the similarly named Cerro Hermoso which means "beautiful mountain" in Spanish. The park is famous for the Treasure of the Llanganatis.
The park can be accessed from a number of directions, but visitors usually come by way of towns like Salcedo, Patate, Pillaro, Baños, and Rio Verde.
Ecology
The park is divided into two ecological zones, the western zone and the eastern zone. The western zone is located in the Andean páramo, high above the eastern zone. Here, visitors find a deserted landscape of mountainous peaks and high valleys. The area is populated mainly by South American camelids like vicuñas, llamas and alpacas.
The eastern zone is located on the eastern flanks of the Andes. Here visitors find a rich diversity of plants and animals among the twisted forests of the upper Amazon. This area is highly unreachable, and is usually traversed only by foot. The large number of rivers, emptying out the Andes also makes this area difficult to cross.
Exploration
In 2013, explorers from Ecuador, Britain, France, and America discovered & unearthed a 260ft tall by 260ft wide structure, made up of hundreds of two-ton stone blocks, and believe there could be more, similar constructions over an area of about a square mile. The area is 20 miles from the town of Baños but the trek takes around eight hours through swampy and mountainous jungle The area of discovery is at an altitude of 8,500ft above sea level and in cloud forest.
External links
- www.murcielagoblanco.com / List of mammals in the Llanganates National Park (Spanish)
- www.birdlife.org / List of birds in the Llanganates National Park (Spanish / English)
- / Attractions of the Llanganates (Spanish)
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