Though Tulcan isn't renowned for its tourist sights, there is one unique and unlikely attraction that is consistently recommended. This is the topiary garden in the cemetery two blocks north of the Parque Ayora. Fantastic figures carved from cypress bushes create one of the greatest masterpieces of the hedge-clipper's art. The epitaph of Sr. Jose Franco, the cultivator of the gardens, reads: “In Tulcan, a cemetery so beautiful that it invites one to die.”

Also near Tulcan, you can gain easier access to the paramos than at El Angel. Head west to the little village of Tufino, where there are some lovely thermal springs [Aguas Hediondas] nearby, and continue climbing to the highlands around Volcan Chiles. Ask the tourist office for transport practicalities.

|Article contributed by Dominic Hamilton|||