The Northern Highlands - Adventure Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - page 142

surrounding countryside, including the hot springs at Nangulví and
pre-Incan burial mounds at Gualimán . Inquire with guides in
Otavalo or locals in Santa Rosa or Apuela for exploring this area.
El Ángel Ecological Reserve
El Ángel is a giant sponge. The climate is cool and moist, with high
humidity, allowing for the birth of water in the Northern Highlands.
The rarely visited ecological reserve, located just northwest of the
town itself in the Carchi Province, is closer to the Colombian border
than any other major point of interest. The reserve, nearly 40,000
acres in size, offers a great opportunity to experience a well-
protected, biologically diverse, and contiguous páramo habitat.
One of the park's highlights, the cactus-like frailejones , is actually a
member of the daisy family and can grow to the spectacular height of
6½ feet. The reserve was originally created to protect the threatened
endemic namesake, which was in danger of becoming extinct due to
unsound land-use patterns and application of chemical fertilizers in
the area. The region's high humidity combines with its altitude to cre-
ate opportunity for the frailejones and other special life forms that
make it an atypical páramo habitat. A number of other threatened
plant and animal species exist here as well.
Hiking through the reserve as an accommodation based day excur-
sion suits some travelers. Trekking for several days in the reserve,
however, provides ample birding opportunities and a chance to see
the endangered Andean condor , as well as hawks and the caraca-
ra . The reserve is also known to hold a population of the very endan-
gered spectacled bear , the only known species of bear in South
America. Other typical páramo fauna includes white-tailed and
páramo deer , páramo fox , puma (mountain lion) and, as with
most Andean regions, introduced trout in the lagoons and streams.
Rivers and lagoons support local villages and travelers wishing to
camp in the region (see Camping below). Among the lagoon high-
lights are the El Voladero Lagoons , nestled in a glaciated valley at
12,100 feet elevation. Between the various lagoons, you'll find ther-
mal pools, broad vistas (when it's clear), healing waters, trout that
growup to three feet in length and an abundance of frailejones plants.
Fishing is allowed and quite popular here.
Be sure to obtain permission to fish here from
the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente office in the
town of El Ángel, onSalinas andEsmeraldas.