Cayambe Coca National Park is a national park in Ecuador located along the Equator about 38 km (24 mi) from Quito. The park encompasses an area of 4,031.03 km2 (996,090 acres).
The reserve
The park includes two very different regions of Ecuador, the high altitude sierra with Cayambe volcano and the hot, humid rainforest of the Amazon basin as well as the intervening temperate cloud forest. There are three entrances, and the one chosen by the visitor will reflect which region they wish to visit because there are few tracks within the park. The entrance near the town of Cayambe in Pichincha Province provides access to the mountain. The high level "Ruales-Oleas-Bergé Refuge" is a mountain hut with accommodation for those who wish to climb the volcano, while other attractions include lakes, waterfalls and forests. An entrance near Papallacta in Napo Province provides access to the forests and lakelets in the Andean foothills and the Páramo, an area of tropical, montane vegetation above the treeline. A third entrance near Santa Rosa de Quijos provided access to the formerly spectacular San Rafael Falls, once the highest waterfall in the country.[1]
Lake Puruhanta, which has trails, and camping, and is the site of ancient ruins called la Mesa.
Lago San Marcos
San Rafael Waterfall on Coca River, until recently, the tallest waterfall in Ecuador, with a height of 131 metres (430 ft).
On February 2, 2020 the water stopped flowing, the result of a sinkhole nearby which divided the cascade into three streams which are no longer easily observed.[4]
Quijos Valley
The summits Sarahurco (4,725 metres (15,502 ft)) and Cerro Puntas (4,452 metres (14,606 ft)) and the Reventador Volcano (3485 m)
The virgin forests of Paquiestancia and Cascade of Buga (3500 m)
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