- Address: 224km (139 miles) Noroccidente de Guayaquil., Julcuy, Ecuador;
- Area: 750,6 km²;
- Date of Establishment: 1979.
Machallina is a colorful landmark of Ecuador , located near the town of Puerto Lopez, in the west of the country.
What is on the territory of the reserve?
Machallina is a national park, organized in 1979. It is located along the Pacific coast. The territory, except for impassable tropical forests, includes several islands. The largest of them are Salango and de La Plata. The name of the last island is given by the name of the treasure, which was left here by Francis Drake - an English navigator and vice-admiral of the English royal fleet.
On the territory of the reserve is the museum de Agua Blanca. He tells tourists about the historical and cultural heritage of Ecuador. Here you can see photographs and drawings of the life of previous generations, various exhibits, including simple pots and vessels made of clay. Copying the culture of the former generations, specially constructed canopies and huts, in which the Ecuadorians lived. In the reserve there is a place where you can retire - it's a gazebo with a view of the surrounding area.
Flora and fauna
The territory of the national park is quite large and amounts to approximately 750 km & sup2. The main natural zones are represented by dry forests and tropical wetlands, characteristic of the equatorial zone. The fauna of the Machalleria includes two varieties of monkeys and more than 250 species of birds. Here is one of the two habitats of the famous albatross (the second is the Galapagos Islands).
The humpback whale is one of the main representatives of the fauna of the park. You can see these mammals right from the shore, in Machallalia are their spawning grounds. Humpback whales often hit the ocean with their powerful fins, rolling and spinning on their backs. One of their favorite acrobatic tricks is high jumps from the water with the vertical position of the body, and a noisy fall with a lot of splashing back into the ocean. The humpbacks migrate to the shores of Ecuador from the Antarctic, pass the Tierra del Fuego, near the coast of Chile and Peru, and for a few months (from June to October) linger in Machallina. Humpback whales are not alike, so the tail fins are different in each individual. If a tourist is lucky to photograph a new whale (not listed in the registration book), then you can call this whale your name.
In the dry forest of Machallina the attention of tourists is attracted by the smallest bird in the world - the hummingbird estrellita esmeraldena.
Among the representatives of the flora in large numbers are:
- cactus prickly pear;
- cornetted ceratonia;
- trees of the Malvian family called "kapka".
Machallina is a unique place
Since its inception, the National Park has been endangered by all sorts of dangers:
- deforestation;
- unauthorized fishing;
- clogging, which produced crowds of tourists.
In connection with this situation, the park hired security from local residents for some time. This created new jobs and placed people in the leadership of Machalilla.
Since 1990, the park has been recognized by the international scientific community as a unique place to study wetlands. The main task of scientists was the protection of coral reefs.
Since 1991, organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, the American Agency for International Development, the organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean have begun funding the National Parks in Danger program. The partner organization of Machalilla - Fundacibn Nature - actively worked with local societies to teach environmental, agricultural methods.
Despite many efforts and efforts to protect the park, as well as organizing various activities to protect the unique nature, many species of animals are still on the verge of extinction. The real threat of extinction hangs over the population of albatrosses - large seabirds with white plumage, with a wingspan of up to 3 meters. Areas of distribution of this amazing bird are not that big. And the Machalilla are their last refuge.
What is close to the reserve?
Puerto López is a small fishing village and the headquarters of the reserve is in close proximity to the territory of Machallina. He is famous for being from here:
- Starts a team of tourists who want to see the playfulness of humpback whales.
- They go to sail to the island of La Plata boat with travelers to see the rare tropical arid forest, see the courtship of the majestic blue-footed gannets, watch the frigates.
The surroundings of Isla de la Plata with a strip of reefs are ideally suited for practicing such sport as deep diving with a mask - the water here is clean. For lovers of hiking, there is an opportunity to walk along the trodden paths of the island. Not far from Puerto Lopez on the continental coast is the beach of Los Frailes , attracting huge crowds of vacationers.
| | | |
| | | |
