Tourists prepare to spend their first night in Mangahurco, Ecuador, among the first blooming Guayacan trees. Photo courtesy of Flickr Amalavida.tv., licensed under Creative Commons.

At the end of January, the Guayacan trees start blooming in parts of Ecuador. It means spring has arrived, and thousands of people gather to watch this spectacularly colorful event unfold.

The province of Loja has more than 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) of dry forest on the border parishes of Cazederos, Bolaspamba, and Mangahurco in Zapotillo Canton located in southern Ecuador. Here in this vast region you can see the all the magic of the Guayacan trees with their fine, delicate yellow flowers painting the landscape. 

The Ministry of Tourism has been sharing online videos of the trees, using the hashtag #GuayacanesEcE and #Mangahurco:

The government's Twitter account, @TurismoEc, has also tweeted impressive statistics about the number of people who tuned in to online video streams in 2014 to see the Guayacan trees:

Cerca de 23.000 personas a escala mundial siguieron la transmisión florecimiento #GuayacanesEc http://t.co/MfJZZMWPMQ #RCConsejoProduccion — Turismo Ecuador (@TurismoEc) marzo 27, 2014

 Nearly 23,000 people worldwide tuned in to the blooming #GuayacanesEC 

Many people shared photos and comments under the hashtag #GuayacanesEc. User WToledo showed his appreciation for the Guayacan documentary and tweeted the same hashtag.

Muy buen reportaje @TurismoEc #GuayacanesEc @EcuadorTravel Loja-Zapotillo-Mangaurco pic.twitter.com/JKZ3RnHeKh — WToledoQ (@wtoledo2011) marzo 16, 2014

Very nice report @TurismoEc #GuayacanesEC @EcuadorTravel Loja-Zapotillo-Mangaurco 

Meanwhile Susana Pazmiño shared a family photo from Mangahurco:

Jorge Enrique y José Salvador en Mangahurco viviendo el Florecimiento de los #GuayacanesEc pic.twitter.com/fgppLAm7Yy — Susana Salas Pazmiño (@susanasalaspaz) marzo 15, 2014

 Jorge Enrique and José Salvador in Mangahurco watching the blossoming of the #GuayacanesEc 

Twitter user Pipe said his visit was unforgettable:  

Nunca olvidaré la experiencia del Florercimiento de los #GuayacanesEc #retodeldia pic.twitter.com/dsY5eeFczQ — (Pipe) (@viperbro) marzo 14, 2014

I'll never forget experiencing the blooming of the #GuayacanesEc #retodeldia 

The blooming of the Guayacan trees has no precise beginning or end, though it's expected to last until February 1, this year.

Posts from people on the ground this year are already flooding social media. Carlos Jumbo flooded his own Twitter feed with related hashtags:

#Loja #Zapotillo #Guayacanes #Turismo #Próximos;) (Y) http://t.co/zgN5XM7Wwj

— CARLOS JUMBO L. (@carlosjumboLoja) enero 5, 2015

 #Loja #Zapotillo #Guayacanes #Turismo #Próximos;)

The online newspaper Machala Movil invited people to pack their bags and visit southern Ecuador, to see trees in action.

#Loja | Con el inicio del invierno se observa el florecimiento de los #Guayacanes. ¡Aliste sus maletas! #Turismo. pic.twitter.com/naB35rVGln

— Machala Movil (@MachalaMovil) enero 8, 2015

 #Loja | With the beginning of winter you can see the blooming of the #Guayacanes. Pack your bags! #Turismo. 

Ricardo Medina was able to capture the Guayacanes’ beauty in a photograph he posted online:

“@MaryuryVegaH: #Loja #Guayacanes Deslumbrante matiz colores y belleza natural anuncian primavera #Ecuador #Turismo pic.twitter.com/qWgfffDhji” — Ricardo Medina O. (@ricardomedinao) enero 8, 2015

Dazzling shades of color and natural beauty announce it's spring #Ecuador #Turismo 

As part of an organized schedule by residents and officials, there are additional activities available to visitors to explore the local landscape, including guided hikes, biking trails, horseback riding, murals, craft fairs, photo exhibits, and the chance to plant and sponsor your own Guayacan tree.