This is an exciting day excursion to a wild and inspiring location a couple of hours from Cuenca.

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"A great day's hiking in Cajas! The scenery is exquisite with the light and shadows from the clouds passsing over the hills. Even the occasional shower made it more spectacular. This is a great day for any outdoorsman. "

The Cajas National Park lies between 3100 and 4000 meters above sea level and is located roughly 30km west from Cuenca in the southern province of Ecuador.
Within an area of almost 29,000 square meters, an impressive number of around 770 lakes can be found. This mystical landscape of mountains and fairy tale forests reminds on a lord of the ring setting and is home to wild lamas and a great amount of hummingbirds.
The Quechuan word Cajas means “gateway to the snowy mountains” and greatly describing this remarkable place, which is not easy to be found anywhere else.
Prepare yourself for breathtaking hikes but also for high altitude and wet, windy and cold weather.

The hiking tour will begin with an easy 1-hour walk in lower cloud forest. This section is particularly abundant in birds.
This will be followed by a moderate 3-hour hike around a glacier lake. This hike will take you through tundra vegetation and a Polylepis forest which almost feels like a setting from Lord of the Rings.
The tour will conclude with lunch at a delicious local restaurant to give you the opportunity to taste locally sourced trout, as well as other delicacies, before taking the van to a enjoy a panoramic view of Cajas National Park and heading back to Cuenca.

What to Bring: Warm clothing (including hat, gloves, etc.) raingear, hiking shoes or boots, sun hat, sunscreen and water.

Price: $55.  PLEASE SIGN UP BEFORE 4:00 PM THURSDAY. WE MUST CONFIRM THIS TRIP WITH THE OPERATING AGENCY BY THURSDAY EVENING! 

What’s included: Private transportation to and from the park, a professional bilingual guide and lunch.

Important Note: Cajas National Park is at a high altitude so if you have problems with altitude sickness, this trip may not be recommended.