Cerro Blanco

Location:
Kilometer 16 off the Guayaquil-Salinas Highway
Guayaquil, Ecuador

Hiking

V!VA User‘s Description

Cerro Blanco is a great day-trip outside the city of Guayaquil. Easily accessible by bus, visitors can take advantage of a self-guided tour along their two self-guided trails or request a trained guide for a more educational experience.

Administered by “Fundación Pro-Bosque” (Pro-Forest Foundation), Cerro Blanco protects a section of dry forest that pertains to the Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot identified by Conservation International as the number one area on the planet in terms of overall number of plant and animal species. In addition to the more than 500 vascular plant species, one of the highlights is seeing the ceibo or kapok trees up-close. Their green, human-like trunks seem to be right out of a Dr. Seuss book.

Despite being bordered by Guayaquil’s almost three million inhabitants, the protected forest harbors populations of jaguar, ocelot, agouti, peccary, and other mammal species. Birders will be excited by the opportunity to see more than 200 species of which over twenty are endemic. With almost 10 globally threatened bird species including the guayaquilensis subspecies of the great green macaw (locally called the “Papagayo de Guayaquil”), listed as critically endangered.

For those looking to stay for awhile, a camping and picnic area with flush toilets, showers, and cooking grills awaits, or enjoy the comfort of a two-bedroom, sustainably constructed cabin. If interested in getting involved in-depth, contact the very helpful Foundation Director, Eric Horstman to find out what kinds of volunteer opportunities he currently has available.

Getting There
Buses from the main bus terminal heading for Salinas pass by the entrance at Kilometer 16. Let the bus driver know where to stop. From the entrance, it is about a 10-minute walk to the information center.

Travel Tips: - For less muddy conditions, especially if camping, try visiting during the dry season.

- Don’t forget your repellent during the wet season.

- Wildlife viewing is best in the early morning and late evening.

Price Description: Entrance Fee: $4.00-Adults, $3.00-Children

Guide Fees: $7.00-12.00, depending on trail length

Volunteering: $2.50/day if bringing own lunch, $5.00/day if needing lunch provided

Open Hours from:8:30 a.m.

Open Hours to:4:30 p.m.

Travel Skills: None

Contact Information:
Phone: 593-4-287-4947, 287-4946
E-mail: bosqueprotector(at)remove-this.yahoo.com

Traveler Reviews of Cerro Blanco

How not to go birdwatching

Rating: 0%

There are reputed to be c200 species of birds in Cerro Blanco. I think that this relates to the entire reserve of several thousand hectares over a good many years! The part that tourists see is a very small but very steep area of hillside! If you are not superfit, do not go!! Certainly do not take your 67 year old wife there on the pretext of going birdwatching. There were virtually none there between 10 am and 2pm. We saw 4 species, plus Turkey and Black Vultures and we heard around 4 other species, which we could not see. The tourist trail consists of a very steep hillside, that goes up almost virtically, to around 400 metres above sea level, then comes straight down again on a parallel trail. The trees act as a tunnel so that all you can see is a few yards around you. There are very few places where you can see outside the immediate trees to the surrounding forest. This was where we could hear the other few birds singing. The only thing that the area had in abundance was butterflies. Despite the fact that this was a managed forest, nobody had a reference book for you to look these up! I would only recommend this place to keep fit freaks and masochists, certainly not to touring birdwatchers! It is a complete waste of time and money!

By V!VA User from Just north of London, England, Jun 23, 2008