Your Travel Experience with Galapagos PRO
Antisana & Chakana Reserve
Admiring the impressive flight of the Andean condor, the largest flying bird on earth, in Antisana National Park is a special experience. An estimated 150 Andean condors still live in the wild in Ecuador. The largest population can be found in the 120,000-hectare Antisana Nature Reserve, just 1.5 hours from Quito.
You will see several inhabited condor nests on a huge rock face; with a bit of luck, you may also spot the largest hummingbird in the world. At various points in the Chakana Reserve of the Jocotoco Foundation and in the Antisana National Park, you can look for the king of the skies. It is not uncommon to see deer, hares and sometimes even a spectacled bear. On a clear day, the breathtaking view of the snow-capped Antisana volcano is another highlight.
Later, we continue to Laguna Mica. On the way there, next to a hacienda, you will see the old stable-like farmhouse where Alexander von Humboldt once set up his base camp during his ascent of Antisana. From here, you hike in Humboldt's footsteps at an idyllic high altitude, nestled in the Paramó, a wonderful steppe landscape characterized by grasses, highland herbs and other interesting plants that are adapted to this harsh mountain environment.
You have the best chance of spotting spectacled bears and condors early in the morning.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)