El Angel National Reserve

RESERVES

Biodiversity

1 El Cajas

2 Cotopaxi

3 Galapagos

4 Llanganates

5 Machalilla

6 Podocarpus

7 Sangay

8 Sumaco

9 Yasuni

10 Limoncocha

11 Marine Galapagos

12 Antisana

13 El Angel

14 Cayambe- Coca

15 Cayapas -Mataje

16 Cotacachi - Cayapas

17 Los Ilinizas

18 Mache - Chindul

19 Churute

20 Pululahua

21 Cuyabeno

22 Chimborazo

23 Pasochoa

24 El Boliche

25 Santa Clara

26 El Condor

27 Puyango

28 Mindo

29 Ozogoche

30 Majagual

31 Jatun Sacha

32 Guandera

33 Bilsa

34 Cerro Blanco

35 Don Juan

36 Pahuma

Biodiversity

El Angel Ecological Reserve

The main entrance to the El Angel reserve is located at El Voladero, 20 km north of El Angel, on the old highway from Ibarra to Tulcan.

Espelitias belong to the Asteraceas and have soft and hairy leaves and a flower head similar to sunflowers

Some stay close to the ground where they already bloom.

Large tracts of this moist high altitude region of around 4000m are taken over by those plants. Only in a few other Andean regions can those plants be found growing like forests.

Frailejones, the common name for those plants, can grow up to 3 meters in height and were popularly named so as in foggy conditions they reminded people of monks in frocks.

Lakes and smaller ponds dot this high altitude region close to the Colombian border. Shown in this composite picture is El Voladero.

On nature trails through the park, little observation towers were erected to give an unobstructed view over the frailejones forests.

Espelitias begin at around 4000m and are plants used to moist and foggy conditions. Below the paramo was turned into agricultural fields.

A huge part of the region got burned killing most plants though the taller frailejones seem to have survived the fire.

@ all photos taken by the author

Location:	Province of Carchi
Area:	15 715 ha
Time of Creation:	August 5th of 1992
Administration:	INEFAN (National Parks of Ecuador)
Borders:	North: Laguna Arquitecto, Cerros Chusalango and Yanacocha, Volcano Chiles West: Cerro Alto, Cacho de Venado South: Cerro Chiltazon, Rio Mal Paso, Quebradas Baños and Cariyacu East: Laguna Voladero, El Bejucal and Loma Seca
Altitudes:	2400m to 4768m
Precipitations:	1000mm - 2000mm
Temperatures:	3-18°C
Ecosystems:	bmhM, bhMB, bpSA

RESERVES

Parks Gallery