BOSQUE PETRIFICADO PUYANGO

At the western end of the country, at 225 km of Loja, 110 of Machala and 70 of Huaquillas, on the Peruvian border, it is the largest reserve of bois and fossilized animals in the world (2 600 ha) which is situated on horseback between the province of Oro and the province of Loja. And so a unique opportunity for the curious visitor to see trees (dead and ashore: They're no longer standing!) over 100 million years ago, transformed into stone, but they haven't lost their wooden appearance… Most are araucarias (still called monkeys). Two paths are possible, the Araucaria Trail and the Petrino Trail. The pétrification of trees would be due to a very high rise in temperature, as well as to an important layer of remains of volcanic lava from frequent eruptions: the minerals (silica, calcium, magnesium, etc.) of these remains would have been absorbed by the cells still living in the tree. In addition to the stone trunks, you can visit the few windows of the park centre of the park setting out marine fossils, and observe the 130 species of birds that inhabit the sites.