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Photo: Rowinsg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Podocarpus National Park: Bombuscaro and La Poderosa Waterfall

The Amazon side of Podocarpus National Park: the Bombuscaro river and a swim at La Poderosa Waterfall.

  • 1 day
  • Moderate: humid trails with some ups and downs.
  • El Cardenal Hotel, Loja
Ask for availability and price

Podocarpus National Park, created in 1982, protects more than 140,000 hectares between Loja and Zamora Chinchipe and is one of the richest places for birds in Ecuador. Its Bombuscaro sector, about 15 minutes from Zamora and around 1,000 metres above sea level, is humid montane rainforest.

We walk the banks of the Bombuscaro river and hike to La Poderosa Waterfall, where you can rest and swim. We have lunch by the waterfall and in the afternoon follow the trail, observing plants and wildlife, before returning to Loja.

Itinerary

  1. Breakfast at the hotel

    Breakfast at La Campiña restaurant: American style or à la carte with Loja specialities (humitas, tamales, green-plantain bolones).

  2. 08:00 · To Zamora

    A drive of just over an hour watching waterfalls, plants and wildlife where the highlands meet the lowlands.

  3. 10:00 · Bombuscaro river

    A walk along the river in the park’s Bombuscaro sector.

  4. 11:30 · La Poderosa Waterfall

    Hike to the waterfall; rest and a swim.

  5. 13:00 · Lunch at the waterfall

    Lunch on site.

  6. 14:00 · Flora and fauna trail

    A walk along the river trail.

  7. Back at the hotel

    Arrival at El Cardenal, where a cup of Loja coffee and a snack await you.

Includes

  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Transport from and to the hotel
  • Guide
  • Traditional lunch
  • Loja coffee and a snack on return

Not included

  • Drinks
  • Dinners
  • Entrance fees to museums, zoos and other sites
  • Handicraft purchases
  • Anything not listed in the programme

What to bring

  • Layered clothing and a warm jacket
  • Rain jacket or poncho
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Sunscreen and a cap
  • Water bottle
  • ID document
  • Cash for handicrafts
  • Insect repellent
  • Swimwear and a towel
  • Change of clothes

Podocarpus National Park: Bombuscaro and La Poderosa Waterfall

Ask for availability and price

We quote it according to the date and the size of the group. Tell us when and how many are travelling and we will reply with availability and price.

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