Vilcabamba, Ecuador & the Podocarpus National Park. in Loja

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Discover the best of Vilcabamba at Cabañas Rio Yambala, a small corner of paradise, where the mountains hold a magical mystical quality with their arid ridges and lush ravines, dramatic skies and rich colours and the only sounds are those of nature. An ideal spot for hiking, horse trekking, birding as well as a peaceful retreat where you can get away from it all, sleep well, forget time and relax.

A destination in themselves, the cabañas are also a point of departure for eco-advenure trips to visit their private cloud forest reseve, Las Palmas.
The first pioneering ecotourism project in Vilcabamba, Las Palmas is located in the least disturbed and most biologically diverse part of the Vilcabamba valley and is Vilcabambas prime location for visiting the Podoacrpus park. The reserve lies within and buffers the park, effectively closing the area to hunting, wood cutting and further destruction of the forest and helps protect the Vilcabamba watershed.

In accordance with Eco-Tourism ideals the Guides are from the local community, giving them an unrivaled knowledge of the mountains, local flora and fauna and herbal remedies.

For local hiking and birding, maps with directions guide you from the Cabañas to swimming holes along the river, to local beauty spots, or past the last farm houses into the heart of the mountains and to the edge of the cloud forest.

An easy bird guide, produced from a study funded by the Nature Conservancies parks in peril program, documents over 160 bird species recorded in the Las Palmas area, with a small note pointing to the most obvious characteristics of each species. Of particular interest at Las Palmas is a population of the endangered Bearded Guan. Other endangered species include the Red-faced Parrot, the Golden-plumed Parakeet and the near threatened Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan

Category: Attractions