Ecoparque Alcazars
Courtesy of Audubon.org. Ecoparque Los Alcázares offers an opportunity to have a natural experience, in the middle of the City of Manizales that allows for conservation of bird and other wildlife habitats. In the Ecoparque, 187 species of birds have been reported and you will have an option to visit four comfortable trails, where one could come upon species such as the Spectacled Owl, or colorful Red-headed Barbet, Masked Trogon and hummingbirds such as the Buff-tailed Coronet, Purple-throated Woodstar, White- bellied Woodstar, Bronzy Inca, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Collared Inca, Sparkling Violetear¸ Sword-billed Hummingbird and Tourmaline Sunangel. In areas with thicker vegetation, the Parker’s Antbird makes itself heard, and the Grayish Piculet can be easy to see foraging in the branches of the trees bordering the forest. A 16 m tall observation tower allows one to see the canopy of the trees, and to get some nice photos of birds that usually are too high to see well from the forest floor. From the tower, you can also take in the migration of various raptors that move in from the north between September and October.
The Los Alcázares Arenillo Ecopark is an area of environmental interest considered one of the lungs of Manizales, and one of the best places for bird watching in the country. Its objective is to protect the environment by generating a change of consciousness in local and foreign visitors.
To achieve this, it has a teaching system called permaculture; in which environmentally friendly practices are developed, such as permanent agriculture, bird watching and natural interpretation; and environmental education workshops are given to demonstrate the possibility of changing the attitudes of visitors.
Its focus is oriented towards the conservation of biodiversity that moves through the natural corridors of the Municipality, and the representative flora of the high Andean humid forest of the central mountain range of the Colombian Andes.
The Ecopark has taken on the challenge of contributing to restoring the ecological capital of the city, and taking as a basis the administration and care of this small space of 34 hectares, which range from 1900 m to 2,000 m above sea level, but which in turn becomes large due to the number of species that can be found there: 176 birds that could increase to approximately 230 during migration season; 40 mammals; reptiles, herpetofauna and insects.
The vegetation is characterized by having trees of great importance for the fauna such as the Yarumo Negro y Blanco; Arrayán, Balso, Colombian Pine, Camargo, Arboloco, Espadero, Manzanillo, Wax Olive, Mountain Coffee, Siete Cueros, Guayabos, Palms, Guaduales, Guaduilla, Chusque, Bromeliads and Orchids, among others.
The Ecopark has easy-to-navigate access and paths, which allow you to have an ideal encounter with nature and see the species that live there, such as the Gralaria Guatimalensis, Tangara Vitriolina, Torito Cabecirojo, Batara Carcajada, among others.
It is located in the southwestern part of the city, 8 minutes from the Center, in the lower part of the Alcázares neighborhood.
