Podocarpus covers 146,280 hectares, and its geography is essentially vertical. The western section sits in the Andean highlands, where stunted, gnarly elfin forest dominates the ridges at 3,000 meters. Above the treeline, páramo grasslands stretch around more than a hundred glacial lakes called lagunas. Some of them, like Laguna del Compadre, are popular hiking destinations. The eastern section plunges down to around 1,000 meters, where the air thickens, the temperature climbs, and the ecosystem transforms into tropical rainforest. The two halves have inverted weather calendars: the western highlands' rainy season runs October to December, while the eastern rainforest stays drier in those months and gets its rain from March to July. That climate offset means visitors with some flexibility can always find a dry section of the park somewhere.

For birders, this is one of the richest parks in Ecuador. Over 500 species have been recorded. Hummingbirds, tanagers, toucans, motmots, cocks-of-the-rock, and raptors move through the elevation gradients. Mammal seekers have fewer targets - about 50 species - but the list includes the reclusive spectacled bear, Tremarctos ornatus, South America's only native bear species. Mountain tapirs, anteaters, porcupines, and jaguars also move through the forests. The pudu, at roughly 35 centimeters tall at the shoulder, is small enough that visitors who spot one often mistake it for something else entirely. More than 1,200 insect species have been cataloged. Plant species range from twisted dwarf trees in the elfin forest to tall laurel, elder, sage, and even a few cacti that somehow tolerate the humid conditions. Several species of orchid thrive in the cloud forest zone.

Loja is the nearest city with commercial flights - the gateway for almost everyone arriving from elsewhere in Ecuador. From Loja, two main park entrances serve different parts of the reserve. Cajanuma is closer, about 25 minutes from town, and the Dos Puentes bus runs there every 15 minutes for about US$1. Cajanuma is the entry point for the high-country páramo, the glacial lakes, and the elfin forest. Bombuscaro is an hour away and costs about US$4 via the Zamora bus, which runs every two hours. Bombuscaro drops into the eastern lowlands, the rainforest zone. A third option - buses to Vilcabamba, the expat-heavy town south of Loja - gives access to unofficial trails into the park, which backpackers often prefer for backcountry camping. The park itself is explored on foot. There are no roads inside.

Backcountry camping is allowed, and Podocarpus is one of the better Ecuadorian parks for multi-day hiking - the trails to the high lagunas can take several days round-trip, sleeping in tents under the clear Andean night sky. Leave No Trace ethics are expected. Pack out what you pack in. The park's remoteness is part of what has kept it intact, and visitors who push into the interior are rewarded with a density of wildlife and a quiet that is increasingly hard to find on the continent. Nearby destinations worth adding to a trip include the town of Zamora on the eastern side of the park, Cuenca a few hours to the north, and El Cajas National Park above Cuenca - another Ecuadorian high-altitude reserve with glacial lakes and páramo terrain. For serious hikers and birders, Podocarpus can easily fill a full week and still leave most of its 146,280 hectares unseen.