Antisana National Park, National park in Archidona, Ecuador
Antisana National Park is a large protected area with nine distinct ecosystems ranging from Andean forests to high-altitude moorlands. The landscape surrounds the 5,758-meter Antisana volcano and spans across Napo and Pichincha provinces.
The area was initially established in 1993 as an Ecological Reserve and gained its National Park status in 2021. This change reflected growing recognition of its importance for conservation in Ecuador.
Local communities near the park work with conservation groups and rely on water resources from Mica Lagoon for their daily needs. Visitors encounter people who actively protect the landscape and its natural systems.
Temperatures vary dramatically between the glaciated peaks where it freezes and the warmer lower regions. Visitors should prepare for changing weather and bring appropriate gear depending on which areas they plan to explore.
The park is home to a rare amphibian species found nowhere else, the Antisana Toad, a small brown creature living among moorland rocks at extreme altitudes. This toad exists only in this specific region.
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