Amazing Cajas National Park Tour from Cuenca
Description
Discover the magic of Cajas National Park, one of the most beautiful places in South America, on a full day tour of approximately 7 hours. Explore and learn about the Andean vegetation. In this spectacular place you can enjoy a lake system that has more than 200 lakes of glacial origin. In addition to the beautiful landscape, you can enjoy the presence of beautiful birds, llamas and alpacas. The park is located 30km west of the city of Cuenca, between 3160 and 4450masl, the surface area of the park is 28544 hectares and the ecosystem known as paramo predominates. Experience the authentic!
Tour Options
Itinerary
The guide will pick you up from your hotel or apartment to travel 1 hour to the 3 Cruces viewpoint. During the trip the guide will give you relevant information about the area.
Here at the 3 Cruces viewpoint, the guide will explain about the continental watershed and also about the religious importance of this place, especially for travelers. For photography lovers, when the weather permits, you can take excellent photos of the Cajas Park landscape from its different viewpoints.
After visiting 3 Cruces you will travel 10min to reach the middle part of Cajas Park located at 3,960masl aprox. here you will walk about 3 hours or more in the Toreadora area depending on the pace of the group. The trek will give you the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery, including the Polylepis Forest, several lakes and the paramo ecosystem also know as andean moorland, your guide will provide information about the flora and fauna of the area. And if you like natural photography Cajas Park is an amazing place for that.If you have luck also there is a chance to see lamas.
LUNCH TIME: Ecuadorian food is very varied and delicious. On this tour you will have the opportunity to try a delicious soup plus a main course and for our vegetarian clients we have a very good option for them.
After lunch you will travel 20 minutes to have a short complementary visit to the valley of Llaviuco, located in the lower part of the Cajas National Park at approximately 3200 meters above sea level. Here you can enjoy a different landscape with many native trees that are part of the Andean mountain forest, your guide will explain about some medicinal and representative plants of this ecosystem, you can also see the origin of the Tomebamba River, considered the most important river in the city of Cuenca
After visiting Llaviuco valley the guide will take you back to the city of Cuenca to drop you off at your hotel. The trip takes around 1 hour.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotels & Airbnb's (please we need the address)
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Wear warm and comfortable clothes, rain jacket, hiking shoes, cap or toque, sunscreem
- Minimum 1 adult to book this tour
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- After booking this tour we required : names, passport numbers, age and nationality of all participants
Reviews(261)
Cajas is an incredible place and absolutely worth going. I think it's easy enough to go yourself but I enjoyed learning about the ecosystem and history throughout the hike and while visiting the other viewpoints. Eddie was a great guide - punctual, informative, and patient.
Amazing day in Cajas National Park. The scenery is spectacular, and the tour was very well organized. Our guide, Edison, was excellent: knowledgeable, friendly, and genuinely passionate about the park. He shared interesting context about the landscape, plants, wildlife, and history, while keeping the pace relaxed and enjoyable. Would definitely recommend this tour with Edison!
Everything was very good. Sebastián, our guide, is a guide with a lot of experience and knowledge. Thanks for everything
Sebastian went out of his way to inform us about everything we Encountered , on our hike , he knew all about the flora animals and helped provide a history of the area and peoples
Edison was a wonderful guide! By the end of the hike he felt like a friend. He’s extremely knowledgeable about the plants, animals, geology, and folklore of the areas. Absolutely would recommend!
Moises was exceptional! He came on time, I told him that I am interested in plants so he pointed out any interesting plants. He knew names of all plants and birds. I had a full day tour so he took me on a 7+ mile up and down hike around the Cajas National Forest. He was mind full of my pace and helped me to take great pictures.
We had a great day out with Wilson showing us the beauty of Parque Nacional Cajas. Plenty of stops to admire the scenery and learn about the history, flora and fauna. Highly recommend Wilson’s friendly and informative guidance!
It was just a small group and our guide Diego. I want to say that Diego was great. He was very knowledgeable and informative about the flora, fauna, and the park in general. The hike itself was close to 3 hours and I'd say mild-medium difficulty if you have any kind of experience. Definitely one of the highlights if you are in the Cuenca region and worth a day's visit.
We had an excellent tour of Cajas National Park with Edison as our guide. He was very knowledgeable about the local plants, wild life, and history of the area and did a great job answering our questions leading our hike through the park. It really elevated the experience to get this kind of first hand local knowledge. I'd highly recommend this tour if you have the chance.
An incredible experience, spectacular views. The guide was very knowledgeable, considerate, and did everything to make the experience a success.
