QUITO: The city of Quito is the capital of Ecuador and the starting point of our trip.  Quito was founded in 1534 by Spanish conquistador Sebastian de Benalcázar, although the region has been inhabited since pre-Columbian times by several tribes of native South Americans such as the Quitus.  The altitude of Quito is around 2850 meters above sea level, and the city is divided in two parts, the old colonial city and the modern city.  We will spend our first and last nights of our field course in Quito.

CUENCA: This city is known as the Athens of Ecuador  and was named by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.  Cuenca has given birth to many notable writers, poets and  musicians.  Cuenca is the capital of the the province of Azuay and the third largest city of Ecuador. We are proposing to spend our second night in Cuenca. (While at Cuenca we could visit the Inga Pirca ruins, which are the remains of an Incan fortress.) The next morning we will depart to the Rumi Wilco Ecolodge, which is located near  the town of Vilcabamba. 

VILCABAMBA: The name of this small town means "Sacred Valley".  The town of Vilcabamba is located at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level, and the average temperature is 20 degrees Celsius. Vilcabamba lies within the province of Loja and it takes around one hour to travel from this town to the city of Loja.  The town's claim to fame is the longevity of its inhabitants, who often live to be over 100 years old.  We will have a chance to spend some time in this town because the Rumi Wilco Nature Reserve and the Rumi Wilco Ecolodge, where we are proposing to spend some days,  are located nearby (10 minutes walk). 

RUMI WILCO NATURE RESERVE: This nature reserve is located next to the town of Vilcabamba.  This reserve lies within the buffer zone of the Podocarpus National Park and has one of the last remaining semi-native areas of Vilcabamba. The vegetation of this reserve has been classified as dry scrub vegetation.  A preliminary inventory has shown that Rumi Wilco has 86 species of birds and 64 species of butterflies.  The Rumi Wilco Nature Reserve also has a rustic yet comfortable ecolodge.   It is important to note that the revenue that is generated in this ecolodge is reinvested in the nature reserve and in the community.  This eco-lodge has enough space for up to 28 people. We are proposing to stay three nights at Rumi Wilco.

PODOCARPUS NATIONAL PARK: Podocarpus is Ecuador's southernmost national park.  It has a size of 1,462 km2 and it spans between the provinces of Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe.  It is named after the podocarpus tree, which is the only conifer native to Ecuador.   In fact, the park was established in 1982 with the goal of protecting some of the largest forests of this native tree.  The original source of quinine, the cinchona tree, is also found in the park.

The park ranges in elevation from 900 to 3600 meters above sea level, and extends from the mountain regions of the Andes to the highlands of the Amazon basin; hence, the park encompasses a wide variety of microclimates.  The temperature ranges from 8 to 15 degrees Celsius in the high zones to 20+ degrees Celsius in the low zones.  Podocarpus National Park shelters the headwaters that sustain more than half the population of Southern Ecuador.  Four separate watersheds, including that of the city of Loja, depend on the park for their water.  Over 100 small lakes, which were formed in glacial depressions, dot the landscape of the park.

Podocarpus is the most important animal sanctuary in Southern Ecuador.  Spectacled bears, mountain tapirs, ocelots, pumas, deer and more than 600 bird species (40% of the total bird species of Ecuador) are found in the park.   Also, there are many migratory species registered at Podocarpus, such as the broad-winged hawk, the chimney swift, the eastern kingbird and the Swainson´s thrush.

Podocarpus National Park is located in a vulnerable region of high conservation priority.  The main threats to the park are poaching, illegal colonizing and mining.

The park has three main administration centers, which are located at  Cajanuma, San Francisco, and Bombuscaro.

SAN FRANCISCO: This area is located at approximately 2,100 meters above sea level and has a temperature that ranges between 12 to 18 degrees Celsius.  The San Francisco area is located within the Province of Zamora-Chinchipe.   It takes 30 minutes to travel from the city of Loja to San Francisco.  This area gets its name from the San Francisco River and it has four trails that run through its cloud forest.  This area is one of the few sites where the podocarpus tree can easily be seen.  More than 300 species of birds have been registered at San Francisco.

The Arcoiris Ecological Foundation built an Environmental Education Center (E.E.C.)  at the San Francisco Area .  This center has among other things an environmental interpretation room, a kitchen, a dinning room, two large rooms, three small rooms, two showers and two toilets. While at this center the students will sleep on mattresses that will be placed on the floor of the center's two large rooms. We will also have tents available for those who prefer to sleep out-doors. 

We are proposing that the group stays three days at San Francisco.  

BOMBUSCARO: One of the park’s administrative centers is located at Bombuscaro, at 6.8 km from the town of Zamora.  The Bombuscaro area is located within the province of Zamora-Chinchipe.  It takes one hour and a half to travel from the city of Loja to Bombuscaro. This area has an elevation of approximately 900 meters above sea level and has been classified as upper tropical rainforest.  The Bombuscaro area has four different trails, ranging from 200 m to 3 km in length.  These trails lead to waterfalls as well as to a nice swimming area at the Bombuscaro River.

More survey work remains to be done in the Bombuscaro area, but to date, over 230 bird species have been identified.  Bombuscaro is one of the best places in Ecuador to see the coppery-crested jacamar, a rare species found in a narrow altitudinal range from Southern Colombia to Northern Peru.

The Bombuscaro area is specially known for its diversity of tropical tanagers.  Some 15 tanager species can be seen in mixed species flocks passing through the trees around the Park’s Administrative Center.

Bombuscaro has four cabins, three showers, three toilets, one kitchen, one conference room, and a collection of live orchids.  There is not enough cabin space for large groups, so most of the students will have to sleep in tents, which will be provided by us.  

We are proposing that you stay four and a half days at Bombuscaro because we believe that the Bombuscaro area is ideal for students to run  their projects.

LOJA: With a population of 120,000, Loja is a very clean and friendly city.  This city is at an altitude of around 2100 meters.  Loja won  on 2001 a third place in a world-wide contest on environmental-friendly cities. 

The airport that serves the city of Loja is located in the town of Catamayo.  It takes one hour by plane to travel from Quito to Catamayo and 45 minutes by bus to travel from Catamayo to Loja. We are proposing to spend the second last night of our field course at an hotel in the city of Loja.

OTAVALO: The town of Otavalo is best known for the Otavalo Indian Market, which has been in operation for over 400 years.  The early morning hours are the best time to visit the market.  

Here is where you will probably buy most of your souvenirs.  We will be visiting Otavalo on the second-last day of the our proposed field course.