Los Cedros Protective Forest

The Protective Forest is located in the province of Imbabura, north of the Guayllabamba River, near its confluence with the Magdalena River, and is adjacent to the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve. It is one of the most important private protected areas of the country.

In this area, two of the most important megadiversity areas overlap: the humid forests of Chocó and the Cordillera de los Tropical Andes. Both with its own species, both of plants and  animals, mainly amphibians and birds.

Los Cedros occupies part of the Toisán mountain range and is surrounded by three important rivers: the Manduriaco Grande, the Verde and the Magdalena Chico.

Los Cedros Protective Forest Imbabura

The Forest is considered one of the jewels of the planet's biodiversity. In Los Cedros, more than 216 bird spices have been identified, 180 of orchids and more than 600 moths.

Currently Los Cedros is participating in a great effort to prevent the extinction of a practically endemic species of Ecuador, the brown-headed spider monkey.

Some base studies and camps for communitarian parabiologist training workshops take place at the Protective Forest. They specialize in collecting data of this species.

The biodiversity of Los Cedros

The reserve has an area of 6,400 hectares and includes two life zones: the humid premontane and the low montane. Within its limits live:

•  More than 220 species of birds;
•  More than 400 species of orchids (including 250-300 species of the Pleurithalia family, of which 14 species are dracles, the orchids most coveted by fans of these plants);
•  Three species of primates: the howler monkey, the cappuccino and the bracilargo, the latter in critical danger of extinction;
•  More than 960 species of nocturnal butterflies, 320 of these recorded for the first time in Los Cedros;
•  More than 70 tree species in one hectare of forest; and much more.

Los Cedros Protective Forest Location

• Where tropical rainforest can be seen, located in the Manduriacos sector, García Moreno parish.

Los Cedros Protective Forest Extension

• The Los Cedros Protective Forest, a private entity that was created in 1989. It is a protected area with more than 6,000 hectares of primary forest.

Los Cedros Protective Forest Weather

• Temperate, with an average annual temperature of 15 and 18 degrees centigrade

Los Cedros Protective Forest Flora

• The diversity of Los Cedros has been very poorly studied,  however, two new species of orchids of the dracula  tier  have been found, one of the most beautiful and widely  appreciated by collectors.
•  The flora is surrounded by plant species such as: cedars, orchids, among others.

Los Cedros Protective Fauna

• In this place you can see wildlife species such as: Monkey spider, puma, jaguar, tigrillos, guanta, guatuso, there have also been identified more than 216 bird spices.
• Species in Extinction: In this same habitat evolved the bracilargo of the brown head, a unique species of spider monkey that is in danger of extinction today.

Los Cedros Protective Activities

• Walks: Tour of the primary forest, trails that allow the visitor to know the diversity of plants and animals typical of humid tropical forests.

To reach the Los Cedros Protective Forest

• Los Cedros Protective Forest is located about 5-6 hours from road horseshoe road then you need to communicate with us before appearing. We have a third world telephone that unfortunately  doesn't receive calls but i we can connect vis email.
• The address is: loscedros@ecuanex.net.ec,  then contact us and we will go to look for you with our mule that can bring you assembled and / or unload your suitcases.
• The fastest route is to leave Quito from the  Minas Transportation Terminal located at Los Ríos Street near Ayora Hospital, known as the maternity hsopital. There is a bus at 6:00 in the morning that arrives at the village of Chontal at 9:30. There you can have breakfast in the Hostal San Fernando and be welcomed by Alicia Rodriguez and Ramiro Walnuts before 11.00 the mules and their guide will be there.

Los Cedros Protective Forest Forest Prices

• Tourists pay 30 usd per day, which includes transportation from Chontal, meals, a room with external bathrooms and three meals daily. There is a Mountain Guide service, you will need to request it in advance.
• The Volunteers that we expect spend a month with us pay 300 USD per month and this includes a private room with external bathroom and three daily meals.
• Food for tourists is somewhat more sophisticated than what we usually serve, but basically the food is based on the whole grains and can be vegetarian. We prepare fresh food three times a day with whole wheat, baked bread 2 times a week.

Community Tourism at Los Cedros

An economic alternative that allows communities to defend and revalue their cultural and natural resources. This is a good definition of community tourism, an experience that offers visitors the opportunity to discover and share traditions, customs and habits of a community. This type of tourism attracts tourists from all over the world to Ecuador, whose attractions include an enviable biodiversity, located in forests that are in a wide range of heights.

One of the places where tourists can combine community tourism in Los Cedros with rest and enjoy the Reserve is the community of El Chontal, near of the protective forest.

José De Coux is the reserve administrator and member of the Committee of Tourism of El Chontal, whose activities benefit 20 families from community. Since 1995, it receives six groups of tourists a year and counts with the support of the Ministry of Environment of Ecuador. Until the date of the interview with the INTAG Newspaper about 300 tourists have come and even more researchers and scientists According to José De Coux, most of the visitors are from Italy and Spain; Very few are nationals. Many come to study botany, especially orchids. Nowadays, a hostel is being built to give tourists the opportunity of lodging in El Chontal.

What the reservation offers to tourists: People who choose Los Cedros to enjoy an experience with the unusual natural world: the reservation is  home to 230 species of birds, three of monkeys, 970 of butterflies, about 400 of orchids and the only podocarpus trees in Imbabura. The scientific station of the reserve offers accommodation, food and community guides.

There are 70 kilometers of trails that reach waterfalls, rivers, sites frequented by different species of mammals and countless trees of multiple species with their orchids, mosses, bromeliads, insects and other beings. People who prefer a greater degree of comfort can reach scientific station by mule.