Parque Nacional Cotopaxi

Parque Nacional Cotopaxi is in the central Andes of Ecuador, about 50 km southeast of central Quito.

Cotopaxi, the central feature of the national park, is nearly 5,900 m in height and is one of the highest active volcanoes on earth, although its present activity is limited to a few steam fumaroles.

The landscape of the park is typical of recently active volcanic areas, and there are several peaks in the protected zone well over 4,000 m in altitude.

Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve

The reserve is is 17 km north of Quito in the province of Pichincha of Ecuador.

Pululahua is a Quichua word that means “cloud of water” or fog. It is a collapsed volcano with great biodiversity and unique geological formations. It is due to this uniqueness that it was declared a Geobotanical Reserve.

Cuyabeno Wild Life Reserve

The Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (Spanish: Reserva de Producción Faunística Cuyabeno) is a humid tropical rainforest protected zone in the Sucumbios Province, Ecuador, founded on 26 July 1979.

At an altitude of 200-280 meters, one of the principle objectives of the 6,033.8 square kilometres (2,329.7 sq mi) Cuyabeno Reserve is ongoing conservation of the complex Amazonian ecosystem.

The reserve is a complex of rivers, lagoons and floated forest. The protected area is characterized by its high biodiversity and interaction and cooperation between the species inhabiting the area.

Its geomorphology is a consequence of the rivers carrying sediment and materials from the Andes, principally by River Aguarico, which is considered as white water due to the sediment it drags raising water levels and therefore ensuring that the river is navigable all year round.

It is considered to be one of the most biodiverse sites in the world together with the neighboring Yasuni National Park.

Podocarpus National Park

Podocarpus National Park is a national park located in the provinces of Zamora Chinchipe and Loja, in the south-east of Ecuador. It was created in 1982.

It covers 1462.80 km², from two spurs of the eastern range of the Andes to the basins of the Nangaritza, Numbala and Loyola rivers. About 85% of the park is in the province of Zamora Chinchipe and the remainder in the province of Loja.

It is categorized as a megadiverse zone and an area with a high level of endemic species because is is a meeting point between four ecological systems: Northern Andes, Southern Andes, Amazonian and Pacific ecosystems