It is named after an Ecuadorian national hero and is essentially a farming village in a heavily agricultural area. Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary is a remnant lowland rainforest created as a sanctuary for many Choco endemics that are currently threatened by the significant clear-cutting of forest in the area. Pedro Vicente Maldonado is a village on the lower western slope of the Andes.
Birding along the roads near Pedro Vicente Maldonado and within the bird sanctuary on the Rio Silanche offers unique opportunities to see many lowland endemics and specialty birds that can't be seen at higher elevation sites. An observation tower in the canopy offers great viewing of tanager flockes and other birds that stay high in the treetops.
