Some seventeen percent
of Ecuador's mainland
territory is protected
within 24 state-run
national parks and
biological, wildlife and
woodland reserves, in
addition to 97 percent
of the Galápagos Islands'
land mass and a marine
reserve surrounding them
- the world's second
largest. Encompassing
mangroves, dry and wet
tropical forests on the
coast, cloud and montane
forests, páramo and
volcanoes in the sierra,
and tropical rainforests
in the Oriente, the
protected areas
represent a cross-section
of the country's most
outstanding natural
attractions. Some have
also earned
international
recognition - such as
Sangay, a World Natural
Heritage Site, and the
Galápagos, another such
site as well as being a
World Biosphere reserve,
as is Yasuní.
In many cases the
parks hold pure
wilderness, areas that
are protected almost by
default, as they're too
remote and inaccessible
to be developed. Other
parts, however, are
coming under increasing
pressure due to the
demands of industry. The
job of managing the
protected land falls to
the Ministerio del
Ambiente - formerly
known as, and sometimes
still referred to as
both INEFAN
(Instituto Ecuatoriano
Forestal de Areas
Naturales y Vida
Silvestre) and the
Ministerio de Medio
Ambiente - whose key
concerns are to conserve
the biodiversity of the
parks; stop poachers;
and to prevent
incursions from big
business, most notably
the oil and
African-palm-oil
industries. Due to a
lack of resources,
tourism has inevitably
been put on the back
burner, and
infrastructure within
the parks can be very
limited. Even so,
there's great potential
to take advantage of
these wildernesses, and
with the help of a
guide, a good map and
camping equipment you
can immerse yourself in
some stunning and
little-explored country.
Visiting national
parks
No
permit is
needed to visit any of
Ecuador's national parks;
you simply turn up and
pay your
entrance fee
if there's a warden (
guardaparque ) at
the guardpost (
guardería ) to
collect it. Protected
areas are divided into
category A ($10) and B
($5), roughly according
to visitor numbers. The
most popular parks,
namely Cotopaxi,
Cuyabeno and Machalilla
have higher rates
depending on high (Jul-Sept)
and low (Oct-Jun)
seasons, while foreign
nationals pay $100
throughout the year to
visit Galápagos.
Foreigners holding a
censo
pay reduced rates in all
cases.
Ease of access
differs wildly from one
park to the next, but
most are reached via
rough, bumpy dirt roads,
and getting there often
involves renting a
vehicle or booking
transport through a
local tour company,
since there's no public
transport.
Invariably, the
guardaparques are
the best people to speak
to if you want
information ; they
can also put you in
touch with a good local
guide. Alternatively,
try the Ministerio del
Ambiente office in the
nearest town (some of
which still bear their
old names of INEFAN or
Ministerio de Medio
Ambiente), which should
have small leaflets (
trípticos ) about
the park and basic maps.
Finally, there's the
head office in Quito (on
the 8th floor of the
Ministerio de
Agricultura y Ganadería
on Avenida Amazonas and
Avenida Eloy Alfaro),
which keeps information
on all the parks and
runs a library, though
it can take time to
track down what you want.
Very few parks have
provision for
accommodation .
Wardens are happy to let
you camp , but
there's rarely a
designated camping area
and there are hardly
ever any facilities.
Some reserves have a
basic refuge (
refugio ) - most of
the volcanoes popular
with climbers
have these within a
day's climb of the
summit, usually a hut
with a couple of rooms
full of bunks, some
simple cooking
facilities and running
water. They cost $5-10 a
night and you should
bring your own sleeping
bag.
Private reserves
In addition to the
state-managed parks,
there is a growing
number of small-scale
private reserves
set up for conservation,
scientific research or
ecotourism projects and
managed by
philanthropists or
ecological foundations.
Generally these places
are much better geared
to receiving tourists
than the national parks
and many have a purpose-built
lodge or accommodation
within the main research
station. They will often
also have clear trails,
equipment to borrow such
as rubber boots,
binoculars, guides and
information such as bird
lists. All this
convenience comes at a
price, however -
anything from $20 to
over $100 a night,
including meals, unless
you're a volunteer
.
