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2019 november: Ecuador - Paramo forests of El Angel, Laguna Coicocha
I arrived in Quito early in the morning after a two hour flight from Bogota. At the airport I was already expected by Andres, my driver and companion for the next three weeks. After a quick breakfast we drove north to the small town of Otavalo.
We crossed the equator line in Quitsa and drove along the Imbabura volcano. From Otavalo we made a short detour to the Lagunas San Pablo and Coicocha. Back in Otavalo we visited a local market and the Cascadas de Peguche.
![7P8A3270 Volcano Imbabura Northern Ecuador 7P8A3270 Volcano Imbabura Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3270_Volcano_Imbabura_Northern_Ecuador-11813-320-200-80.jpg)
![7P8A3306 Laguna Coicocha Background Volcanao Coicocha Northern Ecuador 7P8A3306 Laguna Coicocha Background Volcanao Coicocha Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3306_Laguna_Coicocha_Background_Volcanao_Coicocha__Northern_Ecuador-11814-320-200-80.jpg)
![7P8A3315 Laguna Coicocha Background Volcanao Imbabura Northern Ecuador 7P8A3315 Laguna Coicocha Background Volcanao Imbabura Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3315_Laguna_Coicocha_Background_Volcanao_Imbabura__Northern_Ecuador-11815-320-200-80.jpg)
![7P8A3338 Laguna Coicocha Background Volcanao Coicocha Northern Ecuador 7P8A3338 Laguna Coicocha Background Volcanao Coicocha Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3338_Laguna_Coicocha_Background_Volcanao_Coicocha__Northern_Ecuador-11816-320-200-80.jpg)
![7P8A3344 Cascada de Peguche Northern Ecuador 7P8A3344 Cascada de Peguche Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3344_Cascada_de_Peguche_Northern_Ecuador-11817-320-200-80.jpg)
![7P8A3359 Tribe Otavalo Northern Ecuador 7P8A3359 Tribe Otavalo Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3359_Tribe_Otavalo__Northern_Ecuador-11818-320-200-80.jpg)
![7P8A3366 Valle de Chota Northern Ecuador 7P8A3366 Valle de Chota Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3366_Valle_de_Chota_Northern_Ecuador-11819-320-200-80.jpg)
![AI6I9789 Tribe Otavalo Northern Ecuador AI6I9789 Tribe Otavalo Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/AI6I9789_Tribe_Otavalo__Northern_Ecuador-11820-320-200-80.jpg)
![AI6I9803 Tribe Otavalo Northern Ecuador AI6I9803 Tribe Otavalo Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/AI6I9803_Tribe_Otavalo__Northern_Ecuador-11821-320-200-80.jpg)
The next day we continued north to the Colombian border to Tulcan, a small provincial town. Tulcan was the starting point for two day tours to the cloud forests of the "Paramo del Angel". A large number of Frailejónes grow and flourish here. These are extremely hardy perennials with velvety hairy leaves and yellow, sunflower-like flower heads.
![7P8A3386 Laguna el Valadero Paramo del Angel Northern Ecuador 7P8A3386 Laguna el Valadero Paramo del Angel Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3386_Laguna_el_Valadero_Paramo_del_Angel_Northern_Ecuador-11822-320-200-80.jpg)
![7P8A3424 Frailejones Paramo del Angel Northern Ecuador 7P8A3424 Frailejones Paramo del Angel Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3424_Frailejones_Paramo_del_Angel_Northern_Ecuador-11823-320-200-80.jpg)
![7P8A3440 Frailejones Paramo del Angel Northern Ecuador 7P8A3440 Frailejones Paramo del Angel Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3440_Frailejones_Paramo_del_Angel_Northern_Ecuador-11824-320-200-80.jpg)
![7P8A3452 Frailejones Paramo del Angel Northern Ecuador 7P8A3452 Frailejones Paramo del Angel Northern Ecuador](/images/igallery/resized/11801-11900/7P8A3452_Frailejones_Paramo_del_Angel_Northern_Ecuador-11825-320-200-80.jpg)