Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, Nature reserve in Napo Province, Ecuador.
Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park covers about 205,249 ha in Napo, Sucumbíos and Orellana provinces, split into two isolated Andean sections: the Sumaco volcano massif, peaking at 3,732 m, and the Galeras cordillera. The Hollín-Loreto road divides the park. Its slopes feed the Quijos, Coca and Napo river basins, and the terrain ranges from lowland forest at 600 m to Amazonian páramo.
The sources do not record a founding date or protection year for the park, so its establishment history cannot be stated. What they do document is the geography that shaped its boundaries: the protected area spans about 205,249 hectares across Napo, Sucumbíos and Orellana provinces, split into two isolated Andean sections, the Sumaco volcano massif and the Galeras cordillera, and divided in two by the Hollín–Loreto road.
The Kichwa communities living near the park view the mountains and forests as sacred and live in connection with the natural rhythms of this landscape. This relationship shapes how they interact with and protect the environment around them.
The park is split into two blocks by the Hollín–Loreto road, so plan which sector you enter. Altitude runs from 600 m to the 3,732 m Sumaco summit, with temperatures from over 20 °C in the lowlands to 6–8 °C in the high páramo. Rainfall reaches 4,000–6,000 mm on the lower slopes, so waterproof gear matters.
The park is home to rare amphibian species found only on the eastern slopes of the volcano, where researchers continue to study them. These creatures exist nowhere else on Earth.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,408 contributors worldwide.