National Park Llanganates

General Information

• Area: 542.889 acres (219.707 ha)
• Date of Creation: January 18, 1996
• Altitude: 3.936 - 14.993 ft (1.200 - 4.571 m)

The Llanganates are famous for their inaccessibility and the legend that there lies hidden the treasure of the last Inca, Atahualpa. Supposedly Rumiñahui, Atahualpa's general, hid from the Spaniard conquistadores 750 tons of gold in the Llanganates, when the Inca was murdered. Many treasure hunting expeditions have tried their luck in the area since. However, now the park is recognized for the biological treasure it holds, an enormous variety of flora and fauna. This has been possible because Llanganates is a small, irregular mountain range, part of the oriental Andes, with many lakes and rivers, creating very different types of climate in one area.

Fauna

Common mammals of the area are rabbits, mountain guinea pigs known as cuys, mountain tapirs and paramo wolves. The spectacled bears and deer are harder to find but are also present. Among the bird species recorded to live in the park are the condor, the macaw and the Andean -of-the -rock. However, since this protected area was established recently, there has not been enough investigation and probably much more wildlife resides in the park.

Flora

Most of the park is dominated by fraijelones or pampas grass, which adds to the difficulty of access because it can reach 15 feet of height and is razor sharp. Other plant species share the highlands with the pampas grass, like the Cinammon tree, the alder, the myrtle, the wild avocado tree, the pumamaqui and the cedar. On the lower areas of the park, palm trees, orchids and tree ferns are the most common.

Life Zones

• Very humid Pre-Montane forest: a life zone between 3.936 and 6.500 ft above sea level, located at the eastern part of the park, where the oriental branch of the Andes mountain range slopes down. The most common species here are the epiphytes, such as orchids, specially along the river banks. This life zone is a transition to tropical forests, so it has many qualities of that kind. The average temperature is between 65 and 75° F.
• Very humid Lower-Montane forest: this life zone, with an altitude of 6.500 to 9.800 ft, is mainly constituted by tree ferns and palm trees of the genus Phytelepas and Bactris. The rivers Verde and Topo in the south and the rivers Ana Tenorio, Mulatos and Jatunyacu in the north give life to the zone and carry some gold from the mountain range. The few dwellers that carry out mining activities in the rivers and the center of the Community Ecotourism Network are located in this area. The temperature ranges from 54 to 65° F.
• Humid Montane forest: the Montane forest ranges from 9.800 to 12.750 ft of altitude. Here the most common plant species are of the graminaceous and lycopod families, and are predominantly shrub-high. The Abitagua mountain, famous for its biological diversity in parrots and other Amazonian birds, is found in this life zone. The temperature is usually between 43 to 54° F.
• Pluvial Sub-Alpine paramo: the highest part of the park, from 12.750 to 14.993 ft above sea level, is mostly covered by fraijelones or pampas grass. Not only do these plants make traveling in this area harsher, but there is also continuous rain some seasons. The Cerro Hermoso marks the highest elevation of this life zone. The temperature ranges from 37 to 43° F.

Places of Interest

• Community Ecotourism Network: a tourism project with the objective of creating the infrastructure necessary to comfortably lodge the visitors that come to the park. This is the first time something of the kind has been attempted, because Llanganates was established so recently as a national park, and it is rarely visited for its difficulty level. However, the area for this project is easier to tour and is more biologically diverse, since it is located beside the river Jatunyacu, at a place where it forms a natural lake called Amaruncuchi.
• El Mirador: this elevation, named lookout in Spanish, permits an spectacular view of the park, and is the usual place of arrival. It is beside the artificial lake of Pisayambo, and surrounded by a paramo ecosystem. To the north the lake of Quillopaccha, very rich in trout, is visible. To the southeast one can observe the lakes Cochas Negras, Aucacocha and Yanacocha. Cerro Hermoso, the main elevation of the park, with 14.993 ft, stands out in the view.

Arrival and Tourism:

• Arrival: a four wheel drive car is mandatory to come into Llanganates, because roads are deteriorated and dangerous. Generally one has to leave the car and take long walks to reach the attractions of the park. The usual trails are mildly difficult, but if one wants to go deeper into unknown places, a guide from the area is indispensable. The usual access route is from the town of Píllaro, south of the city of Latacunga, which takes you to Pisayambo lake and El Mirador. Another way to enter the park is use the unfinished road from Salcedo, west of the park, to Tena, east of the park. This road takes one very deep into the park, reaching up to Ana Tenorio river. Warm clothes and food provisions are recommendable because the paramo has severe weather conditions and there are no services available yet inside the park.
• Treasure hunting: the Ecuadorian explorer Luciano Andrade Marín ventured into Llanganates for five weeks at the beginning of the century, and recorded his experiences, concluding it would be "Uninhabitable forever" but a perfect place to hide something. Many famous people have gone into Llangantes to look for the treasure of Atahualpa, including botanist Richard Spruce and evolutionist Alfred Russel Wallace. A Swiss-German resident of Quito, Eugene Brunner, was convinced after 50 years of search he knew the location of the treasure, but died before retrieving any of it. Many people claim the treasure does not even exist, all the Inca's gold stolen by the Spaniards, but some believe general Rumiñahui was able to hide the 750 tons of gold along with the mummified body of the last Inca in this inhospitable region. Would you like to experience our Treasure Hunting game?