Ecuador Travel

Sangay National Park

Overview

Covering an expansive 518,000 hectares of land, Sangay National Park encompasses a stunning variety of landscapes and eco-systems, which fluidly blend into one another as the snowcapped mountains settle down into the lush lowlands below. To the North and the East are the towering Andes Mountains, snowy peaks dotted with active, lava spurting volcanoes. As the land slowly begins to level out, the mountains morph into the open green paramos of the eastern foothills, where creatures like the mountain tapir, the spectacles bear and the Andean condor have all been found. These grassy paramos eventually lead into misty cloud forests, which serve as the last stop before the descent into the tropical rainforest of the alluvial fans. This is Sangay National Park.

Created as a wildlife reserve in 1975 and declared a national park in 1979, Sangay National Park extends across the provinces of Tungurahua, Morona Santiago and Chimborazo. Due to its unique biodiversity, dramatically varied landscapes and resident indigenous communities, the park was even declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. The Galapagos National Park is the only other park in Ecuador to receive this honor. While its borders were expanded in 1992, only the original, smaller section of the park is considered a World Heritage Site. In 1993, rumored construction of a road through the center of the park led UNESCO officials to add Sangay to the official list of endangered parks. The park has since been removed from that list, however, as construction diminished and poaching became less of a threat. Sangay was officially removed from the world list of endangered parks in 2005.

Many visitors come to Sangay just to see its three famous stratovolcanoes, Sangay (5,230 m), Tungurahua (5,016 m) and El Altar (5,319 m). While all three can and have been climbed and conquered, the unpredictability of both Sangay and Tungurahua make them much more dangerous. It’s not uncommon to see ash, smoke or even lava flowing out of their craters. As such, their slopes are often closed to aspiring climbers, so be sure to check ahead. In contrast, El Altar, Ecuador’s fifth highest peak, has been dormant for years, and the journey to the top is packed with breath-taking (sometime literally) scenery, with lush forests, turquoise crater lakes and even a few waterfalls. Even so, only the experienced climber should make an attempt at El Altar, which has been deemed by some as the most technically demanding summit in all of Ecuador.

Because it extends across such a variety of landscapes, Sangay National Park is furthermore home to an impressive variety of flora and fauna, including those that live and thrive in the paramos, the cloud forests and the jungle. In fact, the park is believed to foster over 3,000 different plant species, which grow in the park’s three main zones: the alpine and subalpine regions, the cloud and wet forests, and the subtropical and wet rain forests of the Amazon basin. Of these 3,000 plant species, 1,566 have been identified in the high altitude forests alone. What’s more, wildlife enthusiasts will be happy to hear that mammals including the guinea pig, the grey Andean small-eared shrew, the Andean fox, the mountain tapir, the puma, the spectacled bear, the giant otter, the jaguar, the ocelot, the lowland tapir, the white-tailed deer and the brocket deer have all been spotted within the park’s confines.

And let’s not forget about the birds. Between 400 and 500 different bird species have been identified in Sangay National Park, with two major endemic bird areas (the Central Andean Paramo and the Eastern Andes of Ecuador). This impressive list of avian includes the Andean condor, the king vulture, the masked mountain tanager, the red-faced parrot, the golden-plumed parakeet, the cock of the rock, the swallow tailed kite and a number of toucan and hummingbird species.

Yet the extensive list of life in Sangay National Park does not end with this remarkable list of creatures. A number of native humans, too, make their homes within the park. Whereas the area is thought to have been originally populated by the pre-Columbian Huamboya peoples, the Sangay region of today is primarily inhabited by the Quichua people. There are also several Shaur and Achuar communities around the Macas area in the rainforest lowlands of the park. Community tourism can be arranged with guides and agencies in Macas or one of the smaller surrounding jungle villages.

Access into the park is generally much easier from the North and West, out of the cities of Baños and Riobamba, both of which offer well-developed tourist infrastructures. Do know, however, that if you start in Baños or Riobamba, you will primarily be exploring the highland regions of the park, with trips traveling through the grassland paramos or up the slopes of one of the area’s many peaks. Hiking and horseback riding trails, along with opportunities to soak in relaxing hot springs, are the main attractions in this area of Sangay National Park.

Travelers will find that it is somewhat more difficult to access the lower, tropical regions of the park, though entry is certainly possible. You’ll want to get yourself to the city Macas and travel in from there. A road leads out of Macas to the small town of 9 de Octubre, where guides, accommodation and dining options are all available. You may choose to hire a guide in Macas, 9 de Octubre, or even as far away as Quito, but whatever you do, make sure you get one if you’re planning on entering the park. While most local tribes and communities are friendly with outsiders, they do not allow unguided visitors on their territories. Some groups may even be hostile towards unexpected guests, and park trails are very difficult to navigate. Entry to the park costs $10 and can be paid at any ranger station. Those interested in visiting the park and learning more about all that is has to offer should visit the tourist information center in Macas.