B-4.0  Vilcabamba - Valladolid – Palanda

Distance         78 km

Time Moto     4.00 hours

Altitude          1045 m – 2730 m

Ascent            2245 m

Descent          2675 m

Rating             Easy 2/5

Start               Vilcabamba tourist office

End                 Palanda

On the newly constructed southern highway to Palanda, you actually cross between the Cordillera de Sabanilla and Cordillera Oriental into the geographical region of the “Oriente”. Vallodolid & Palanda belong therefore to the eastern province of Zamora Chinchipe. Descending to Vallodolid, the highway crosses the western part of Podocarpus national park, and passes the entrance of the private rainforest reserve Tapichalaca, http://fjocotoco.org/ , which is home to the endemic and rare Jocotoco-bird. Before reaching Palanda, you can visit the archaeological site of Santa Ana-La Florida  of the pre Inca Mayo Chinchipe Culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB_Q5BytW0A

On this trip be prepared for a variety of weather. Even if the weather in Vilcabamba is nice and promising, you might encounter stormy winds and heavy rains once you reach the cordillera and the “Oriente”.

Route: From the bus terminal, head south along the new Highway, past the Barrio Izhcayluma. The road ascends 6.3 km and 440 m to the Lambunuma-pass at 2000 m, then descends towards Masanamaca. 500 meters after the bottom of the descent, you pass the Hamlet of Masanamaca. 2 km out of Masanamaca, you can observe on your left the Estoraques (earth sculptures) of Suro, some strange mushroom & pillar shaped earth structures. The highway then ascends 270 meters to another pass at nearly the same height as the Lambunuma pass we crossed before, then drops down to the small town of Yangana. Between Yangana and Vallodolid,  we cross the eastern range of the Andes and the southwestern part of Podocarpus national park. The scenery is really spectacular. Vallodolid is a laid back quiet town, where time stands still. Just another 16 km gets you to the livelier town of Palanda. Some 4 km before reaching Palanda, you find the sign & turnoff to the archaeological site of Santa Ana-La Florida on your left. The worthwhile site is located less than one km off the highway at the bank of the Rio Palanda.