El Angel Ecological Reserve

High above the town of the same name is Ecuador’s premier páramo reserve. Created in 1992, El Angel reserve ranges 3,650–4,770 meters across some of the most pristine high-altitude country in Ecuador. Throughout the reserve’s 15,700 hectares you’ll see the spiky heads of the giant frailejón plant for which El Angel is famous. Locals use it for various curative purposes, including relief of rheumatism—crush a piece of leaf to release the medicinal turpentine smell. Sharing the plant’s fuzzy green leaves, but without the tall stem, is the orejas de conejo (rabbit ears). Andean and torrent ducks swim in the streams flowing between lakes stocked with rainbow trout. Hawks and the occasional condor soar on the thermals over the heads of grazing deer.

  It is possible (and highly recommended) to camp out here, but be prepared for serious weather. Temperatures in El Angel can drop below freezing, and 1.5 meters of rain per year is not uncommon. Wherever in the reserve you go, take care with the fragile vegetation—a misplaced footprint can last for months. The best season to visit is during the (relatively) dry season May–October, when high winds and intense daylight sun alternate with clouds, drizzle, and nightly chill. The November–April wet season is marked by mud and more precipitation, including snow. Admission is $10 pp.

  From the town of El Angel, hire a taxi or jeep or hike north through La Libertad into the reserve. This dirt road leads to the crystalline Laguna Crespo near the Cerro El Pelado (4,149 meters) and continues all the way through the reserve to Tufiño. To the west is the Colorado guardpost, the Cerro Negro (3,674 meters), and the Laguna Negra.

  An alternative entrance route is along the old road to Tulcán, past the guardpost at La Esperanza. Look for a parking area 16 kilometers from El Angel. A 45-minute trail leads from here to the striking Lagunas Voladero and Potrerillos. The road from Tufiño to Maldonado traverses the northern part of the reserve, skirting Volcán Chiles and the Lagunas Verdes.

  For more information on the reserve and how to get there, visit the office in El Angel. Gerardo Miguel Quelal has been recommended as a guide, and Fernando Calderón (tel. 6/2977-274) as a jeep driver.