CUICOCHO LAKE OF THE GODS.

The Cuicocho Lake lies in extinct Volcanic crater and is 200 m deep. Three volcanic domes emerge from the lake at various spots. The Lake contains some hot springs. It is part of the ecological forest reserve of Cotacachi-Cayapas in charge to preserve fragile Andean plant species.
This natural reserve and partly rain-forest is located in the Imbabura and Esmeraldas provinces of Ecuador 140 kms / 87 mi North from Quito. It extends from the mountains of the Sierra to the western edge of the coastal rainforest in the Esmeraldas region. the symbol of the reserve is the condor. The presence of volcanic lakes and waterfalls along with rapids made the reserve sacred.
Despite its status as a protected area, the reserve is under  threat because its buffer zone were included in a "mineral surveying program" funded by the World Bank and aimed to support the development of extracting industries in the hands of international corporations. Protests from communities living in the surveyed area who are concerned that the publication of maps of mineral deposits will attract those corporations were successful in blocking the publication of those surveys.
This region has not been extensively farmed and replanted with eucalyptus or pine trees, as so much of the inter-andean highlands have been, so the preservation of the plant species here is a very important effort. The plants have evolved its own adaptations to high altitude (reduced water availability, low temperatures and high winds), since the climate conditions are not as severe as those at higher altitudes.
Cotacahi is one of the six cantons (2nd-level subdivisions below provinces) of the Imbabura Province. The Imbabura Volcano is located in the province. Best reached from the town of La Esperanza, the 4,609-meter-high mountain is climbed by the locals in a single day.
The city of Cotacachi, which is the seat of the canton, is one of Ecuador's leading artisanal manufacturers of leather goods. The ecosystems of the area and the native flora and fauna makes this canton one of the ecological richest zones in South America.
The dormant Volcan Cotacachi overlooks the canton.
The 1868 earthquakes occurred at 19:30 on August 15 and 6:30 on August 16. It caused a severe damage in the northern part of Ecuador and in Southwestern Colombia. The estimated magnitude was of 6.3 and 6.7. Together they caused up to 70,000 casualties. The earthquake of 15 August occurred near El Angel, an extensive paramo ecosystem with diverse biotopes, in Carchi Province, close to the border with Colombia, while that of August 16 occurred near Ibarra, the capital city of the Imbabura Province, lying at the foot of the Imbabura Volcano and on the left bank of the Tahuando River, 70 kms / 43 mi North East of Quito, the Ecuadorian capital. The towns of El Angel and La Conception were severely shaken by the 1st earthquake and El Angel was described as ruined. Ibarra was devastated, with every building destroyed and only a few walls left standing. Nearby Otavalo was left without a single house standing and 6,000 people died. In Imbabura, there were 15-20,000 casualties. The last shaking lasted for one minute. On 26 April each year, in the "Return Festival," Ibarra celebrates the return of the inhabitants in 1872 after a 4 year absence following the  earthquake.
The Inca ruler Atahualpa is said to have been born in the Inca settlement of Caranqui about 2km from the city of Ibarra. Ibarra was founded in 1606 by order of Miguel Ibarra, president of the royal audience of Quito. The development of the city included the systematic construction of public buildings including an important number of churches. The earthquake of 1868 destroyed most of them. The city had to be re-settled in 1872.
Handmade ice cream or sorbet was first made in Incan times using snow or ice from the nearby Imbabura Volcano, which is no longer snow bound, using a large bronze pan surrounded by ice shavings, the juices of various fruits and stirred into the pan to freeze.
The name Cotacachi has many meanings. In "Cara" it means "lake with women breast" which refers to the general shape of the island in Cuicocho Lake; in Quechua it means powder salt.

THE ATACAMA PLATEAU

The Atacama Plateau (Puna de Atacama) is an arid High Plateau, in the Andes of Northern Chile (15%) and Argentina (85%). In Chile (15%) Puna's territory is included in the regions of Antofagasta and North-Eastern Atacama. In Argentina, Puna's territory is extended in the provinces of Salta, Jujuy, and Western Catamarca.
The Plateau's elevation averages 4,500m /14,800ft above sea level, and it spans an area of 180,000sq / 69,000sq mi.
Before the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), the Puna de Atacama region belonged to Bolivia. In 1898 it was ceded to Argentina in exchange for recognition of Tarija as part of Bolivia. Chile, which had annexed the Litoral Province from Bolivia, declared the exchange illegal. The border was defined in 1899 after the Puna the Atacama dispute.
The War of the Pacific took place with Bolivia and Peru on one side and Chile on the other. The war ended with a Chilean victory, which gained a significant amount of land from Peru and Bolivia.
Tarija Department is located in South-Eastern Bolivia, bordering with Argentina to the South and Paraguay to the East. The city of Tarija was founded in 1574 and is both the capital and the largest city within Tarija Department, with an airport (Captain Oriel Lea Plaza, TJA) offering regular service to primary Bolivian cities, as well as a regional bus terminal with domestic and international connections.
Tarija boasts South America's second-largest natural gas reserves. Increased gas revenues and foreign direct investment in gas exploration and distribution are destroying the surrounded habitat and fauna of the region. Political instability at the national level has hindered development of the reserves, as the region has chosen to align with pro-autonomy forces which aim at the devolution of considerable powers away from the central government in favor of the departments.
The main economic activity of the region is the wine industry. The land and climate are ideal for grape and wine production. The city of Tarija holds an annual Festival of Wine and Cheese.