HIGHLAND REGION The highlands offers a multitude of historical, cultural and natural wonders, from horseback riding on the tops of Andean mountains to walking or riding in rich valley trails and from hiking through mountain teraine dotted with quaint historic mountain ranches to extreme sports and adventure activities such as trekking, kayaking, rafting, mountain and ice climbing. The most visited provinces in the Northern Highlands are Carchi and Imbabura. Of the many interesting in this region, three are: the Angel Ecological Reserve having a large number of green lagoons surrounded by the famous Andean plant "frialejones" and other edemic vegetation; "Gruta" Peace Santurary; and the Arryane Forest famous for trees with red trunk trees and moss and orchid covered branches. Nearby Quito is unarguably one of the most beautiful and relaxingly lush places in the whole country, . Loaded with literally hundreds of species of wild orchids, other flowers and tropical plants, dozens of species of colored hummingbirds and tropical butterflies, dozens of waterfalls, miles of hiking trails, quaint wooden cabins, tubing on the rolling mountain river that passes through the valley and if this isn't enough to make you want to stay an extra week, the town of Mindo is small, quiet and offers good eats, cold beer, phone calls, internet, and all this is set in a lush tropical setting without the oppressive heat or humidity. Paradise? Umm, quite possibly. Quito, Pasachoa, Rucu Pichincha, La Virgen - Camp, Illiniza Nord Peak, Hotel Cuello de Luna, Refuge Cotopaxi >>> see more Guagua Pichincha, Illinizas, Pasochoa, North Illiniza, Valle Hermoso, Pululahua, San Pablo - Ibarra>>> see more Banks - Alluriquín, Lake San Marcos, Pasochoa, Mindo, Santo Domingo de los Colorados, Mojanda>>> see more Crater Pululahua, Alluriquín, Otavalo - Tabacundo, Lagoon Cuicocha, Guagua Pichincha - Las Palmas>>> see more Gaps Papallacta, Quilotoa, Morurco, Lagunilla of Illinizas, Panzaleo Limpiopungo, Los Cedros >>> see more The Cascades Eco-Jungle Lodge is located in the province of Pastaza, 40Km of Puyo and 9Km the Via Puyo...>>> see more     home | about us | ecuador | tours | galapagos yacht cruises | gallery | contact us   camping | comunity | galapagos | amazon | Darwin's Bicentenary | news | Links   Galamountain Address: Alejo Sáenz S1-297 - Quito - Ecuador Telphone Quito : (593 2) 2500484 -2502318    Cell Phone: 0987053988 - 0984049339 24 hrs Skype: galamountain1 / Skype Operations: sofi_ramirez / E-mail: galamountain@gmail.com | Copyrights reserved to Galamountain tour Cia Ltda.

Formed by volcanic eruptions over millions of years, they are located a very remote 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. These islands remain shockingly unspoilt and are where Charles Darwin invented the theory of evolution after studying the islands' many different species of Finches. Thus, the islands remain of high scientific importance. e fact they are located so far from the coast and weren't inhabited by humans until 150 years ago, has helped the hundreds of species of animals develop over 1000's of years without the slightest fear of human beings.This fearless wildlife is unmistakably one of the biggest reasons to visit as truly no where else on the planet will one encounter animals in their original, natural, wild habitat that are absolutely not bothered in the least by the presence of humans. In fact, in the case of land iguana, you have to be careful not to step on them because many just refuse to move!The species found on Galapagos are often endemic, meaning they cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Some of these include land tortoises, the Galapagos Penguin (the 2nd smallest in the world), land and marine iguanas, Darwin Finches, the famous Blue-footed Booby and it's cousin the Red-footed Booby.harks (Galapagos shark, white tipped shark and the extremely rare and fascinating Hammerhead, among others). For birds, a small sample include Frigates and its similar cousin the Cormorant, Flamingos, Pelicans, the enormous Albatross. The water is of course crystal clear and the snorkeling and diving there is among the best in the world (ask any expert!).