The cloud forests existing in the Saraguro area today are mostly located along the continental divide at elevations between 2800 and 3100 meters. As the name implies, they are characterized by frequent cloud cover as well as precipitation.
Temperatures are usually cool although they almost never reach as low as the freezing point.
A large variety of birds, including the andean toucan and mountain turkey, and several kinds of small parrots, are present in the cloud forest. Bromiliads and small orchids crowd the branches and trunks of trees, along with mosses and lichens. Mammal life of any size is rarely seen in the dense cover of the forest. Among the large mammals present are the puma, the endangered spectacled bear and the likewise endangered mountain tapir . Tapirs are rarely said to be dangerous to humans or domestic animals.