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Ecuador 2025

Andean Páramo - Tropical Alpine above Treeline

A gorgeous, and rare, clear evening view of the glaciers on Antisana volcano

We were very lucky to see two Spectacled Bears, albeit at great distance, a super lucky sighting! One was sporting a radio tracking collar

While the other was strolling, seemingly uninterested in Bear Number One, just a few hundred yards away

and occasionally shaking its head as it chewed on delicious bromeliad plants (the ones that look like pineapple tops)

A little higher up, we entered Cayambe-Coca Ecological reserve, and spied this Variable Hawk perched on a cushion plant

This reserve provides a lot of water to Quito, as small mountain ponds drain into big rivers leading to the city

The plant life is spectacular, with lumpy, green cushion plants here and there pierced by fireworks of color, like these Gentian flowers (Gentiana sedifolia)

next: Ecuador 2024

© 2025 Joe Meisel