|
Perhaps no other
place on Earth is less explored than the high eastern peaks of
Llanganates National Park. The myths associated with this mysterious
place and its almost unsurpassed level of biodiversity, make
Llanganates one of the most intriguing natural places on the planet.
The 290,707 rugged hectares of Llanganates National Park, much of
which remains unmapped and unchartered, has land in the provinces of
Tungurahua, Pastaza, Cotopaxi, and Napo. The Park's topography is
varied with altitudes ranging from 1,200 meters above sea level to
4,571 meters above sea level. As is the case with
Sangay National Park,
Llanganates' drastic geographic variations give way to climatic
extremes ranging from 3 to 24 degrees Celsius. The Park's annual
precipitation is between 1,000 and 4,000 mm.
It's been said (and there's documentation suggesting that it's
true), that Rumiñahui, Atahualpa's General, buried the entirety of
the Incas' gold fortune near a lake in Llanganates. This fortune was
destined to pay Atahualpa's ransom to the Spanish but, in transit,
the treasure carriers learned that Atahualpa had already been
killed. Upon hearing this, they decided to hide the riches in a
"secret location". Since the colonial era, many expeditions have
tried, without luck, to find this treasure. Many of these ill-fated
expeditions, some in recent history, ended in the death of the
treasure hunters.
Clearly, however, Llanganates real beauty, and Ecuador's for that
matter, is its untouched and undeveloped natural beauty. Llanganates
boasts one of the highest levels of biodiversity and endemism in the
world. Recent surveys have sampled 194 species of birds, 51 mammals,
and over 800 plants. Some of Llanganates more notable animal species
include the spectacled bear, Andean deer, capybara, various species
of monkey, Andean tapir, jaguar, ocelot, various parrots, and
toucans.
After
having already been named a biological reserve years before,
Llanganates was designated a National Park in 1996. |
