Ecuador is home to 11 national parks, each showcasing diverse landscapes and offering unique experiences. Whether you’re looking to hike, swim, bike, or observe wildlife, these parks have something for everyone.
Below is a list of Ecuador’s national parks—discover which ones might make your must-see list during your visit.
Cotopaxi National Park
Located across the provinces of Pichincha, Napo, and Cotopaxi, Cotopaxi National Park is an ideal spot for a day trip, being just a two-hour drive from Quito. If you’re up for an overnight stay, several lodges offer the charming experience of hacienda-style accommodations.
The park’s centerpiece is the towering Cotopaxi volcano, standing at 5,897 meters (19,347 feet). For those craving adventure, climbing this volcano offers breathtaking views, but it’s essential to acclimatize to the altitude first and go with a knowledgeable guide. Before our trip, we took ChlorOxygen for 1-2 weeks to prepare for the high altitude, and it truly helped us adjust.
There’s so much to explore in Cotopaxi National Park beyond the volcano. You can hike around the scenic Limpiopungo Lake, snap photos of wild horses, ride a mountain bike down volcanic scree slopes, or visit Pucará Del Salitre to view ancient Incan ruins.
For the clearest views, the best time to visit is during the dry and windy season, typically from mid-July to early October.
El Cajas National Park
Location: Azuay province
El Cajas National Park, located less than an hour from Cuenca in Azuay province, is a beloved escape for locals. The park’s landscape is stunning, with rugged peaks and lakes scattered across the hills. Its mix of moorland and cloud forests, along with lagoons where you can spot Andean ducks and mountain gulls, makes it a truly picturesque setting.
Positioned along the continental divide, El Cajas feeds two rivers that flow eastward to the Amazon and two others that head west toward the Pacific. This unique geography supports diverse habitats, making it a haven for various wildlife species.
Yasuni National Park
Location: Pastaza and Orellana provinces
Established in 1979 and designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Yasuni National Park is one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth. This unique environment, where the Andes, the Amazon rainforest, and the equator converge, creates an extraordinary haven for countless plant and animal species.
To visit Yasuni, you’ll need to book with one of the few Amazon lodges in the area. These lodges typically offer excursions that include river journeys and rainforest hikes, giving visitors an up-close look at the park’s incredible wildlife.
Podocarpus National Park
Location: Loja and Zamora provinces
Podocarpus National Park, located near Ecuador’s southern border with Peru, is home to Ecuador’s only native conifer species, all belonging to the Podocarpus family. With its 50 glacial lakes, the park has earned recognition as a Ramsar site and Biosphere Reserve and is often called “The Botanical Garden of America” for its rich plant and wildlife diversity.
The park has two main entry points. The first, near Loja, offers shorter trails that provide a quick introduction to the local flora and fauna. The second entrance, closer to Zamora in the east, brings visitors into a warmer climate with an entirely different set of plants and animals.
Machalilla National Park
Location: Manabi province
Established in 1979, Machalilla National Park was created to protect both Ecuador’s natural landscapes and its cultural heritage. The park’s diverse forest cover includes both dry and foggy forests, along with coastline, beaches, a few islands, and marine waters just offshore. For those interested in archaeology, the town of Agua Blanca offers a museum with ancient ruins that shed light on the region’s rich cultural history.
A highlight of the area is the sulfur-rich lagoon, known for its health benefits. Another must-visit is Isla de la Plata, an uninhabited island within the park featuring five hiking trails. The island is perfect not only for trekking but also for bird watching, with opportunities to spot frigates and the iconic blue-footed boobies.
Galapagos National Park
Location: Galapagos Islands
Galapagos National Park, Ecuador’s first national park and a UNESCO-recognized site, spans 97% of the Galapagos Islands, including 21 islands—18 of which are significant. The surrounding ocean area covers an impressive 17,000 square miles (45,000 square kilometers).
Among the top hiking spots are Cerro Tijeras on San Cristobal Island and the Wall of Tears on Isabela Island. Another popular stop is the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, where Darwin’s observations helped shape his theory of natural selection.
The Galapagos are home to numerous unique and endangered species, like Marine Iguanas, Galápagos Giant Tortoises, and Galápagos Penguins. You can fly to the islands from Quito or Guayaquil, and plan to stay a few days to fully explore all they have to offer.
Sangay National Park
Location: Tungurahua, Chimborazo, and Morona Santiago provinces
Founded in 1979 and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, Sangay National Park stretches across the heart of Ecuador’s mainland, bordered by the Amazon Basin on one side and the towering Andes on the other.
This diverse park boasts a variety of landscapes—mountain ranges, valleys, meadows, marshes, and glaciers, along with tropical rainforests, cloud forests, and montane forests. Dominated by the Andes, Sangay National Park is home to both the active Sangay and Tungurahua volcanoes, as well as the extinct El Altar volcano.
The park also supports a rich array of flora and fauna, including critically endangered species like the Mountain Tapir and the Spectacled Bear. Many plants in the moorlands have adapted to the cold, developing unique structures for water capture, including bunch grasses and cushion plants. These areas highlight ongoing ecological succession, as volcanic ash enriches the soil, creating new habitats for plant colonization.
Cayambe Coca National Park
Location: Sucumbios, Pichincha, Napo, and Imbabura province
Cayambe-Coca National Park plays a vital role in preserving both the Amazon Basin rainforest and the highlands around the Cayambe volcano.
Within this park, you might spot spectacled bears, Andean condors, and armadillos. It’s home to a diverse array of wildlife, including 116 amphibian species, 70 reptiles, 395 bird species, and 106 mammals.
The park is also home to several indigenous communities, such as the Quechua of Oyacachi in Napo Province and the Cofán of Sinangoé in Sucumbíos Province, who reside within this protected area.
One highlight of Cayambe-Coca is a small orchid reserve along the Cascada San Rafael trails, lovingly curated by Edgar Guerrero. He gathers broken and fallen orchids from the wild and plants them on a slope on his property, carefully studying the conditions each orchid needs to thrive. It’s a must-see spot for nature lovers.
Llanganates National Park
Location: Tungurahua, Pastaza, Napo, and Cotopaxi provinces
Llanganates National Park is a stunning mix of cloud and montane forests, lagoons, and the páramo, or moors. With over 200 lagoons, it’s one of Ecuador’s most significant wetland areas and was designated a Ramsar Wetland in 2008.
The park is famously associated with the legend of the Llanganates Treasure, said to have been hidden here by the Inca general Rumiñahui. One of the most popular spots is Cerro Hermoso, a mountain peak standing at 4,571 meters. From there, visitors can enjoy views of Ecuador’s unique paper tree forests and lush, broad-leaved plants.
Yacuri National Park
Location: Zamora Chinchipe and Loja provinces
Yacuri National Park lies along Ecuador’s border with Peru, spanning the provinces of Loja and Zamora Chinchipe. It’s part of the Podocarpus-El Condor Biosphere Reserve, featuring a variety of ecosystems, including cloud forests and brush plains, as well as around 46 high-altitude lakes. The park also encompasses the headwaters of two major water basins: Chinchipe-Mayo to the east and Catamayo-Chira to the west.
The geology of Yacuri varies, with andesitic lavas, pyroclastics, shales, and rhyolite on the western slopes, while schists, quartzites, and gneisses characterize the eastern side. Its landscape is dotted with lagoons, streams, and bogs where grasses and mosses flourish. Thick layers of lichens cling to the rocks surrounding the bogs, and Polylepis trees dominate the slopes nearby, creating a unique and lush environment.
Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park
Location: Sucumbios, Orellana, and Napo provinces
Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park is a diverse landscape that includes the Sumaco volcano, the Galeras mountains, lush cloud forests, and serene lagoons. For those hiking to the volcano, the park offers three refuges: El Mirador, the one near Wawa Sumaco crater lake, and Pava Yacu.
This park is a birdwatcher’s paradise, with 280 recorded bird species—though experts believe the actual number is much higher, as many parts of the park remain unexplored. It’s also a sanctuary for rare wildlife, including giant anteaters, cougars, mountain tapirs, and the elusive spectacled bear.
Conclusion
Ecuador’s breathtaking biodiversity left a lasting impression on us, and it was clear how much Ecuadorians value their natural heritage. These 11 national parks stand as proof of their commitment to protecting the country’s landscapes and wildlife, creating a sanctuary for future generations. And honestly, after experiencing these incredible parks, we realized there’s still so much more to see and discover in Ecuador.
