Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve
General
This protected area covers extensive Amazon
forests, cloud forests and paramo ecosystems
in the eastern cordillera. There are several
volcanoes in the reserve, including the
Cayambe (18,997 feet), Cerro Puntas
(14,602 feet), Saraurco (15,402 feet) and the
Reventador (11,480 feet), all extinct except
for the Reventador, which is a very young
and active volcano. There are 81 lagoons in
the reserve, including the San Marcos and
Puruanta. One of the most spectacular places
in the reserve is the San Rafael waterfall (426
feet high) in the Coca river, the highest of
Ecuador.
Access
The main access is in the Olmedo to San Marcos lagoon, where there is a visitor's center.
Species
The reserve includes a large variety of species, including black agouti, paca, tapir, ocelot,
puma, spectacle bear, skunk, paramo rabbit, paramo deer, woolly monkey, kinkajou, condor
and macaw.
Plants
Common species are lechosa, sapán, canelo, strangling tree, wild avocado, guarumo, guava,
iron-wood palm, achiote, toquilla palm, quishuar and pumamaqui.
