Cloud Forests of Ecuador

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Cloud Forests of Ecuador

	High moisture levels create lush vegetation and rushing rivers year round in the cloud forests.

One of the spectacular natural wonders of Ecuador is its lush, beautiful cloud forests. Unlike lowland rainforests, which are humid and have higher temperatures, the higher elevation of the cloud forests make them cool, moist and green. During the rainy season, from January to May, the rains are predictable and steady. The dry season still sees a high level of moisture due to the mists that rest on the slopes of the mountains. These moisture levels provide for rapid growth of mosses, plants, ferns and algae. The close vicinity of the Andes Mountains also supplies the fast, roaring, rocky rivers that are typical of cloud forests.

Popular cloud forests our wildland adventures visit are the Mindo Cloud Forest and the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve in the Tandayapa Valley. Both regions are protected and are famous for their spectacular birding. In 1997, Mindo Cloud Forest was named the first Important Birding Area of Latin America. Boasting over 500 species of birds in this compact region, visitors are overwhelmed by the brightly colored species darting through the misted trees. A few of the species you might see include Cock-of-the-rock, chestnut-mandibled toucan, toucan barbet, giant antpitta, scaled fruit-eater, torrent duck and the club-winged manakin.

The profusion of little-studied wildlife and plants are botanical treasures in the cloud forests. In the Tandayapa Valley, bromeliads, orchids, and a huge diversity of epiphytes, or plants that live on other plants, crowd the forest floor in a lush blanket of vegetation. This rich ecosystem also supports a wide variety of amphibians, butterflies and reptiles, as well as a few bears and several species of monkeys.

You will run across a myriad of colorful birds in the cloud forests, like this violet-tailed sylph.

The Network of Private Protected Forests of Ecuador works together with various cloud forest reserves and foundations to preserve the cloud forests of Northwestern Ecuador. The unique biodiversity of these regions is a treasure in the Latin American ecosystems.

Visit the beautiful cloud forests of Ecuador on our Galapagos Photographic Adventure and the Bellavista Cloud Forest trip extension.