Protected Area

Llanganates National Park is a protected area in Ecuador situated in the Cotopaxi Province, Napo Province, Pastaza Province and Tungurahua Province. Located within the park is Cerro Hermoso which means "beautiful mountain" in Spanish. The park is famous for the Treasure of the Llanganatis.

The park can be accessed from a number of directions, but visitors usually come by way of towns like Salcedo, Patate, Pillaro, Baños, and Rio Verde. Is divided into two ecological zones, the western zone and the eastern zone. The western zone is located in the Andean páramo, high above the eastern zone. Here, visitors find a deserted landscape of mountainous peaks and high valleys. The area is populated mainly by South American camelids like vicuñas, llamas and alpacas.

The eastern zone is located on the eastern flanks of the Andes. Here visitors find a rich diversity of plants and animals among the twisted forests of the upper Amazon. This area is highly unreachable, and is usually traversed only by foot. The large number of rivers, emptying out the Andes also makes this area difficult to cross.