Birdwatching Adventure in Cajas National Park: Discover Ecuador's Unique Ecosystem and Endemic Birds

Embark on a thrilling birdwatching adventure in Cajas National Park, Ecuador. Explore diverse ecosystems and spot endemic birds like the Violet Throated Metaltail and Tit Like Dacnis.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • El Cajas National Park - El Cajas National Park has different ecosystems as a moorland, high grassland or paramo, cloudy forest, polylepis forest, which allows us to offer the following program.
    Pick up in your hotel or residence in Cuenca to go to the middles part of the park, approx 3800masl (12800 ft). Here we can see birds like:

  • Tufted Tit…

What's Included
  • Lunch included (box lunch or restaurant meal)
  • Convenient pick-up from hotels or apartments
  • Binoculars available upon prior request
  • Private transport for a comfortable journey
  • Comprehensive bird list of the local area
  • Expert bilingual birdwatcher as your guide
What's Not Included
  • Personal expenses
  • Tips
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

The park is located only 45 minutes from Cuenca. This lagoon system, with over 230 lakes, invites you to enjoy one of the nicest landscapes in South America. There are different ecosystems such as: Andean Mountain forest, Polylepis forest, paramo or grassland. You will have the chance to spot many interesting birds, even the endemic hummingbird of Cajas…

Location
El Cajas National Park
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(38 Ratings)
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Michaelhc7116um
Feb 18, 2025
Highly recommended birding tour to Cajas National Park - I highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in exploring the bird life of Cajas National Park, an indispensable day trip from Cuenca. My tour guide Edison Juca was excellent, making sure I saw all of the endemic targets despite numerous bouts of rainy, chilly weather. He is very good at both locating the birds and providing clear guidance to make sure you see the bird as well. Cajas National Park is a must see in the Cuenca area, with a glaciated volcanic landscape unlike anyplace else I've seen and is recommended whether or not on a birding tour, but the birding tour allows you to more fully appreciate the native species. If you go, wear warm clothes and rain gear because you will be traveling up to 15,000 feet and mountain whether is unpredictable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
392pattyg
Feb 10, 2025
Cajas birds and beauty - What a wonderful day with Edison and Luis of Polylepis Tours of Cuenca and my friend! We saw so many birds and explored a couple of very special places both near and within the exceptional Cajas Park. We were treated to some rare bird sightings as well as getting a taste of the wild weather changes of Cajas. The knowledge Edison shared about bird behaviors and about this unique environment was helpful for making the day even more interesting and enhancing my knowledge about this precious place. I spent the whole weekend with them and I was completely impressed with the quality of this birding experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Garberark
Jan 26, 2025
Great day birding with Edison of Polylepsis Tours in Cajas Park - We had a great day birding at Cajas National Park ( 12,000 ft) and at 10,000 feet along the way. Edison, a local from Cuenca Ecuador, is great. He is a very experienced birder, friendly, patient, a safe driver and he speaks English well. He would be perfect for any birder from the novice to the most experienced. He is also knowledgable about the local geology, flora and fauna of the area. Lunch was included in the package and we had a great meal of trout and the local potato and cheese soup. I highly recommend Edison for anyone wanting a nice tour in the area of Cuenca and especially for birders. He also does birding tours in other areas of Ecuador and Peru.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bizjetdriver_51
Jan 26, 2025
Birdwatching in the Cajas Mountains with amazing views! - Excelent bird watching tour with Polylepis Tours. Edison Juca picked me up at 0615 in a very nice SUV and off we went to the Cajas mountains, about 45-minutes west of Cuenca. Edison is a licensed tour guide and extremely knowledgeable of the various species and their habitats. We made five or six stops during the seven hours, with no strenuous hiking required. In total, we saw different 21 species and enjoyed fabulous mountain vistas. Highly recommend Polylepis Tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anneelizabeth_p
Dec 10, 2024
Great birding, beautiful place - Eddy, my guide, was excellent. He lead me to great views of all the specialties of the area and I got great photos of the Ecuadorian Hillstar. I wouldn’t have seen any of it without him
Review provided by Viator
Ildiko
Oct 7, 2024
Birdwatching for two people - It is a really excellent choice for those who are interested in birds. Fantastic tour guide, knows everything about the birds. Absolute flexible, helps a lot!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grandtour44538710644
Apr 11, 2024
Birding Cajas NP - We had a great day birding with Edison in Cajas NP. He knows his birds and we were able to add new species seen. If you are looking for a birding guide around Cuenca Edison is the best.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D9349unjoes
Apr 4, 2024
Great birding tour to Cajas - A great day tour to Cajas national park. Edison was a friendly and knowledgeable bird guide. He tailored the day towards the birds we wanted to see, which is always appreciated. Would definitely recommend this tour and Edison as a guide to anyone visiting the area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scott
Apr 4, 2024
A fantastic days birding in a beautiful park with an expert guide - We booked a group tour to Cajas national park, with a focus on birding. Edison was really responsive and helpful. We had an amazing day, the park itself is staggeringly beautiful and Edison took my (rather ambitious) target species list and set to work, really focussing on the birds I wanted to see and allowing enough time to see the scenery. I was amazed at the success of the day - we saw much more than I thought we would. Also a delicious lunch included! 100% recommend - Edison is a top quality birder.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Standonzanzibar
Jan 1, 2024
Great birding in Cajas NP - Enjoyed a great first day in Ecuador at the Cajas NP with Eddie. Friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the local flora, fauna, and history, he guided us to see some dream birds such as Sword-billed Hummingbird and Tawny Antpitta and the local endemic Violet-throated Metaltail amongst many others. Great lunch of fried trout in a local restaurant, too. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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