cajas national park tours

El Cajas National Park Tour: Full-Day Adventure from Cuenca

Discover the cajas national park’s majestic andean scenery.

Meeting point:  

Complimentary Accommodation Pick-Up Service

Departures:

8:30 am (Private tours flexible)

Free  cancellation:

up to 24 in advance   

About this trip

Join us on a captivating adventure on our Cajas National Park tour. Hike scenic trails, explore diverse ecosystems, and witness breathtaking lakes. Immerse yourself in the park's natural beauty, discover hidden treasures, and capture stunning vistas. Book today for an unforgettable Ecuadorian experience.

Highlights:

Discover Ecuador’s breathtaking scenery, including cloud forests and grasslands.

Learn about the unique ecosystems of Cajas while hiking with our naturalist guides.

Enjoy hassle-free round-trip transportation from Cuenca.

Opt for a private tour for a more personalized experience.

What To Expect on our Cajas National Park Tour

Following the collection of guests from centrally-located hotels and Airbnbs, we will depart from Cuenca to El Cajas National Park. 

Our Cajas adventure commences at the park's Lower section. We will embark on a 1.5-hour hike around Llaviuco Lake to explore the dense flora, and the chance to see some bird species such as hummingbirds, tanagers, toucans, etc. Furthermore, we will explore the Toreadora refuge area to embark on a captivating 2-hour moderate hike through the ecosystems of moorlands, wetlands, and lakes. At the top of the list of attractions is the polylepis tree forest San Luis, The experience will evoke the atmosphere in the "The Lord of the Rings". Our naturalist guide will give insights into the park's diverse flora and fauna that call the park home and share cultural and historical facts. You'll also have the opportunity to enjoy and capture great photographs of the breathtaking vistas of the nearby lakes embraced by the mountains shaping the western Andes of Ecuador. 

Before returning to Cuenca, we will have lunch at a traditional restaurant in the area, where the specialty is trout. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available upon request. 

Don't miss the opportunity to explore the hidden treasures of Cajas National Park. Book your tour today and encounter the awe-inspiring beauty of Ecuador's landscapes !

What’s included

✓ Hotel pick-up ✓ Licensed tour guide in English/Spanish ✓ Private transport ✓ Lunch

Not included

✘ Travel Insurance  ✘ Drinks and Personal Expenses

Please Note:

Bookings within 24 hours of departure are subject to availability.

Shared tours require a minimum of two participants. If not met, we may suggest an alternative, reschedule, or provide a full refund.

For groups of 1 to 6 passengers, a bilingual guide will also serve as the driver.

Tours are contingent on favorable weather; we may cancel if conditions are unsuitable.

Cancellation Policy:​

You can cancel up to 24 hours before your experience for a full refund. If you cancel within 24 hours of the experience, the amount you paid will not be refunded. 

Changes made less than 24 hours before the experience will be subject to availability. 

We reserve the right to cancel the tour if the weather conditions are unsuitable. You will be offered a different date or a full refund. 

This experience requires a minimum of 2 travelers. If conditions are not met, we reserve the right to cancel and we will offer you an alternative date/experience or a full refund.

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Cajas National Park tour

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* This tour requires a minimum of two participants and you will be part of a group.

* Bookings within 24 hours of departure are subject to availability.

* This private tour is exclusively for your group, and we are highly flexible in tailoring the experience.

• Booking Conditions
• Active tours
• Galapagos tours
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• Classic tours
• Cloud forest
• 1 day tours
• 4 day tours
• 6 day tours
• Cajas National Park Hike

Cajas National Park Hike - Toreadora Lake

From $129 per person.

Today's hike takes us to the impressive landscapes of the Andean páramo. The beautiful Cajas National Park welcomes us on this adventure.

• Activity Level : Moderate
• Total Duration : 7 hours
• Hike Duration : 3 hours (8km)
• Highlights : Cajas National Park, Toreadora Lake, Polylepis Forest, Andean Paramo, Glacial Landscapes

Booking information

If you like to book the tour or would like more information about it please fill out the form with your details and questions.

We will get back to you within 24 hours to answer your questions or confirm if there is availability for the particular tour you are interested in.

Booking form

How to book

Finding the ecuador tour that's right for you.

Browse through our website to find the private Ecuador tour that is perfect for you. We have Galapagos land-based tours with island-hopping, active tours for families & friends looking for a more adventurous experience, trips to the amazon rainforest and classical tour options for those looking for a more relaxed holiday.

If you would prefer something tailor-made to fit in with the time you have and your personal interests why not drop us a line through our contact us form and we’ll get back to you with a bespoke proposal.

More information & availability If you decide that you would like more information about the tours we offer just click on the contact us link in the website and fill out the quick & simple form with your details and questions. We will get back to you within 24 hours to answer your questions or confirm if there is availability for the particular tour you are interested in. You can also email us on [email protected] or if you would prefer a more immediate answer you can call us on +593 2 204 1684. Make a reservation

Once we have received your initial enquiry and confirmed availability for you, we will await your email to confirm that you would like to go ahead with the reservation.

At this moment we will send you a pre-confirmation of the tour, a copy of your invoice, along with details on how to make your 30% deposit which is required to reserve the tour.*

Once we receive this deposit, your tour reservation is confirmed. We will send you a passenger information form which will need to be filled out in full with the details of each person travelling.

What happens next?

Final payment needs to be received six weeks before your departure date. Shortly after we have received this you will receive your final travel itinerary along with detailed instructions on joining the tour in Ecuador and all relevant contact information. Naturally, if you have any further questions about your reservation prior to departure you can simply email us at [email protected] or call us on +593 2 204 1684

* Payment and Cancellation Policy

Cajas Full Day Trip

The Cajas National Park offers us a glimpse of the impressive cloud forests and Andean “páramo” landscapes and ecosystems. The mysterious mountainous silence invites us to explore its marvelous lakeside trails followed by the shores of the park’s 235 lakes. During the hike, we will observe many of the park’s endemic plantation and bird species. Enjoy a close-up of nature in this unique part of the Ecuadorian Andes.

Full Day Trip to Baños

• We will make the pick-ups at several hotels located in the city.
• If you want to be picked up from another point further away, we can do it with an additional payment, you have to write to us, and we will coordinate your boarding.
• Pick-ups are always reconfirmed until the night before the tour departure, if one day before the departure of the tour if you have not received the confirmation, you can write to WhatsApp 0983359-796.

Three Crosses Zone

• Transfer from Cuenca to Cajas National Park, directly to the Llaviuco zone in the lower part at 3,100 masl. The path is level and easy to navigate through the woods, the walk takes 45 minutes and an hour. Then, we continue to the higher region of the Park called Tres Cruces (Three Crosses) at approximately 4,160 masl. There we will enjoy a panoramic view of the Park and time to take photographs and listen to the information from our guide.

Toreadora Lake

• After visiting Tres Cruces, we drive to Lake Toreadora, where we visit the Interpretation Center. Then we begin a walk of 2 ½ hours from an altitude of 3,900 to 3,600 masl. The hike crosses the Polylepis Forest called “San Luis” and continues toward the Lagunas Unidas (United Lakes), Totoras, and Patoquinuas. When we finish, we will return to Lake Toreadora, or if there are more than three participants, the tour will end at the parking area at Patoquinoas.

Tundra and Polylepis Forest

• A magical place with short pastures and full of Polylepis, better known as the “paper tree” The Polylepis forest is described as a millenarian hierarchical forest, considered unique in its kind by the exclusivity of it specie, with an age between 2 and 4 million years.

Stop for lunch

• Finally, we will make a stop for lunch in a restaurant in the area, with various options from tourist menus to typical dishes, we recommend you try the delicious trucha or tilapia, these fishes are very common in this area. (Lunch not included).

Return to Cuenca

• Return to Cuenca for disembarkation in the same boarding places.
• Note: The order of the visits may vary according to weather conditions.

It includes

• Tourist Transport
• Bilingual Guide (Spanish – English)
• All Entrances

Not included

• Unspecified details

Recommendations

• Bring with you:
• Trekking shoes
• Adults Price per person $50

Recent travelers reviews

Cajas Day Trip

from Cuenca

Full Day Tour

Cajas national park, what you will do.

• Lunch Lunch at the restaurant in the zone (drinks not included).
• Other details not specified

What to bring

Applies for people over 12 years old and under 65 years old

Explore More

Quito, Ecuador

Phone: 0983359796

(Mon – Fri 6h00 to 22h00)

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El Cajas National Park Hiking Tour

Full Day Tour

• About "El Cajas"
• Inquire More
• Cuenca Ecuador
• Ecuador Tours

El Cajas National Park Hiking Tour | Full Day Tour

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Only 40 minutes from the beautiful Cuenca city.
• Take a relaxing walk in the Andes Mountains.
• Delight your senses with the majestic “El Cajas” National Parks.

INQUIRE MORE HERE

“el cajas” national park.

The name “Cajas” is derived from the Quichua word “cassa” meaning “gateway to the snowy mountains”. or “caxa” (Quichua:cold).It has also been linked to the Spanish word “cajas” (boxes)

The highest point is the 4,450 m high Cerro Arquitectos (Architect’s Hill). About 270 lakes and lagoons can be found in the páramo of Cajas. Luspa is the largest of these lake and extends over 78 hectars with a maximum depth of 68 m at a perimeter of 5,161 m. Like the other lakes it is of glacial origin and glaciation shaped the landscape of Cajas leaving U-shaped valleys and ravines.

El Cajas National Park provides about 60% of the drinking water for the Cuenca area. Two of the four rivers of Cuenca originate from Cajas, the Tomebamba and Yanuncay rivers which eventually drain into the Amazon river. Also the Paute river links to the Amazon. As the park straddles the continental divide, its western drainage, the Balao and Cañar link to the Pacific ocean. The modern road crosses the continental divide at the pass “Tres Cruces” (4,167 m). This section is the most western part of the continental divide of South Americas.

The climate shows an average temperature of 13.2 °C and an average annual precipitation of 1,072 mm. Clouds typically drift up from the Pacific coast and from the Paute river basin (near Cuenca) and bring humidity.

Humidity, low temperature, and high altitude with low atmospheric pressure create an ecosystem that accumulates organic material in the soil that is able to retain water. The high grassland ecosystem (páramo) contains plants suitably adapted to it, 19 of them endemic to Cajas. The dominant plant is straw grass ( Calamagrostis intermedia ).

Above 3,300 meters the quinua ( Polylepis ) or “paper tree” forest can be found. It is in forests such as these that a second protected population of the rare  Fuchsia campii , in the willowherb family, is predicted to live, as it has also been found in another nearby national park of similar ecological characteristics.

In the lower parts of the park, the cloud forest and perennial high mountain forest are present, primarily in the ravines near the brooks and rivers.

The Cajas National Park is home to a large variety of animals, some of which are endemic or highly endangered. Among the most prominent are the South American condor, of which only 80 remain throughout all Ecuador; the curiquinga, a large black and white raptor, and the largesthummingbird of the world, the giant hummingbird ( Patagona gigas ), which lives only on agave flowers. The violet-throated metaltail ( Metalura gorjivioleta ) is endemic to Cajas and surrounding valleys. The avifauna consists of 157 bird species, making birdwatching an alluring activity for visitors.

Overall, forty-four mammalian species have been identified in the park. Species include types of opossums, cats, and bats. Also there are pumas,coatis, weasels, skunks, foxes, porcupines, pacas, shrews, rabbits and other rodents. Endemic are the Cajas water mouse ( Chibchanomys orcesi ) that belongs to the group Ichthyomyini and Tate’s shrew opossum ( Caenolestes tatei ).

At least seventeen species of amphibians live around the lagoons of Cajas park. This includes those of the genera  Atelopus ,  Telmatobius , Gastrotheca ,  Eleutherodactylus , and  Colostethus . The high variety of amphibians suggest the presence of a diversity of insects, as they are a chief amphibian food source.

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In Only 40 minutes away from Cuenca we arrive at the Cajas National Park; it is the most important complex of lagoons in Ecuador with 200 approximately in 28.544 hectares. It is the principal water resource for Cuenca and surroundings .

Thus achieving the international Ramsar wetland categories in 2002, area of international importance for bird conservation IBA 2003 and Candidate Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The rivers and tributaries that originate here flow into the Pacific and Amazon. Also, we can find the “Intercontinental Water Division” in this area.

We visit the high part of the park 4.000 m.a.s.l. approximately, 45 minutes of walk. Then we move toward the Toreadora Lagoon, where we have a walk of approximately three hours. 

We have lunch at one of the best Restaurants of the area. 

Return to Cuenca 4:00pm aprox.

Please be aware that the prices vary consistently due to promotions, so in order to GET THE BEST PRICE for the dates you desire please fill out the request form below. After doing so, we will send you the absolute best prices for the dates that you indicate.

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Cuenca to Guayaquil one-way tour with Cajas Park and a Cacao Farm visit

TICKET PRICES STARTING FROM

Taxes and fees will be calculated at checkout

Enjoy the fascinating views and contrast of the Ecuadorian Andes and lowlands in our one-way flexible, convenient tour departing from Cuenca to Guayaquil including a visit to Cajas National Park, a local fruit market, and a cacao farm. Allowed 2 suitcases per person.

Ticket Options

4 Options Available

Private Tour: $39.99

This option is exclusively for your party, offers a personalized and flexible service. Lunch includedSUV, Van or Minibus Pickup included

Direct Shuttle Only (NO TOUR): $29.99

Duration: 3 hoursSUV, Van, MinibusPrivate Shuttle one-way: Customized pick-up time, is a perfect option for those looking just for a transfer. NO GUIDE, NO MEALS, TRANSPORT ONLYPickup included

Group Tour with lunch: $54.99

One-course lunch includedGroup Tour: You will share the tour with other passengers (Max 15) Hotel pick up included

Group tour WITHOUT lunch: $49.99

NO LUNCH INCLUDED: You can bring your own meal or buy it yourself at the restaurant we stop for lunch.Pickup included

Ticket Information

• Mobile or paper ticket accepted
• One per booking

What's Included

• Lunch (If option selected)
• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Tour Guide/Driver (If option selected)
• Transportation in private Van with AC

What's not Included

• Cocoa Farm entrance fee $3 - $15 p.p

Cancellation Policy

• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Additional Info

• Wheelchair accessible
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking.
• Passport name, number and nationality is required at time of booking for all participants.
• A minimum of 2 people per booking is required.
• Please notice: this is one-way trip Guayaquil to Cuenca or viceversa tour.
• For 1 to 5 passengers, a bilingual guide will also be the driver. For more than 5 passengers, a driver and a bilingual guide will be provided.

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