Antisana Ecological Reserve

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Waking up to a clear Sunday morning, we thought we would take advantage and head to the Antisana Ecological Reserve to see if we could get a clear view of Volcan Antisana.  While Cotopaxi was clear, unfortunately Antisana was mostly covered by clouds, however, we got to see some impressive views of the reserve, Quito, Volcan Pichincha, and Volcan Sincholagua.  

We hiked up a hill, bringing us at an altitude of roughly 13,500 feet in hopes of getting a glimpse of Cotopaxi, but, that particular side of the volcano was covered in clouds.  We did stumble upon some wild horses along the way.

Leaving the reserve we saw a group of Andean Condors in what appeared to be them practicing to glide as one by one they took turns flying in a circle.

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View of Sincholagua Volcano on your left and the southern edge of Quito to your right
Antisana Volcano
She didn't want to wear her gloves.
Antisana Volcano in the background
Climbed up a hill at roughly 13,500 feet overlooking Laguna de Mica.
Looking down from the hill you could see Laguna de Mica, horses, our car parked on the road, and Julia and Annika walking towards the car.
Andean Condor
Early dinner at Mucki's


Cabañas San Isidro

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About an hour east of Papallacta, down a windy road on the eastern slopes of the Andes, is Cabañas San Isidro. It was the first time that Julia and I have travelled to the eastern Andes. Cabañas San Isidro is a reserve that lies between two national parks and has well-marked and maintained forest trails where one can see various species of birds and Colibris (Hummingbirds). We started our hike into the humid cloud forest and, as the administrator told us, "In the rainy season it rains all the time but in the dry season it rains every day", it began to rain. For the most part, the thick forest protected us from the downpour. At the end of the trail there was a hummingbird watch station where there was some intense feeding activity as the birds were not bothered by the rain. To view the entire album click here.

Some Videos

Trip To Reserva Yanacocha (Success-ish)

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We woke up Sunday morning with the sun lighting our bedroom like clock work at 6:30 a.m. Given that it was a sunny day, we decided to take another stab at Reserva Yanacocha. As we got closer to the Reserva, the visibility began to drop -- we were upon the cloud forest once again. But this time there was no rain but just clouds so we decided to park and go for a hike along the flat trail. We were glad we did. The vegetation along the Inca trail was impressive. I've never seen lettuce that big! Because of the constant dampness from the clouds, the flowers seem to be constantly blooming. This provides enough nectar to feed the plethora of humming birds.

To view the entire album click here.

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Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

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Yesterday Romeo and I headed to the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge to photograph some of the Valley's birds. According to Romeo, we saw a Grosbeak, Thrasher, Titmouse, Killdeer, Kiskadee, and Cardinal. I, on the other hand, had no freaking clue but I was able to make out a rabbit and a Javelina! We were so close to the Mexican border that AT&T sent me a text message welcoming me abroad and to dial +1 when calling to the states. To view the entire album click here

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