The Podocarpus National Park, Loja & Zamora, Ecuador, refers to a National Park that is situated in the Provinces of Loja and Zamora Chinchipe in south-east of Ecuador and which was founded in 1982. The Park covers a total area of 146.80 square kilometres. About 15 per cent of the park lies in the Loja Province while the remainder is in the province of Zamora Chinchipe. Being the meeting point for four ecological systems, the area is a mega-diverse area while a high concentration of endemic species.
The Podocarpus National Park, Loja & Zamora, Ecuador is made up of more than 100 lagoons considered among the best and referred to as Lagunas del Compadre. The Park also boosts of many scenic waterfalls, mammals and plants. Some of the species have developed some truly unique biological adaptation especially the birds. The park is assessed through two entrances namely the Cajanuma and Bombuscaro sectors respectively. The flora in the park is also as unique earning the park the title of the Botanical Garden of America for it’s over 4,000 different species. There are about 40 mammal species registered in the park include the Mountain tapir, northern Pudu, Spectacled Bear and the jaguar among endangered species.
The Podocarpus National Park, Loja & Zamora, Ecuador, 3 entrances are about 30 minutes’ drive from the city of Loja. The Vicabamba entrance is about two hours out. The rainy season is varied. On the eastern fringes, the rainy season comes in the months of March through to July while in the west it comes in October through December. The average temperature is 12 degree Celsius and 18 degrees Celsius in the highlands and lowlands respectively.