North of Mariscal Sucre lies expansive Parque La Carolina. The attractively landscaped park fills on weekends with families who come out for paddleboats, soccer and volleyball games, and to exercise along the bike paths.
The most popular attraction is the Jardín Botánico with native habitats covering páramo (high-altitude Andean grasslands), cloud forest, wetlands and other areas, plus an orquideario (orchid greenhouse), ethnobotanical garden (exploring the plants used by indigenous groups) and Amazonian greenhouse. There’s also a kids' play/discovery area.
Also in the park is a Vivarium, where you can glimpse (and even handle a few) reptiles and amphibians. Nearby is the snoozy Museo de Ciencias Naturales, full of dead insects and stuffed creatures (condor, tapir, harpy eagle and, uh, Bengal tiger, among others).
