Cajas National Park: Scenic Half Day Tour from Cuenca, Ecuador

Cajas National Park is unmistakably among the most picturesque natural locales in Ecuador, boasting over 200 glacial bodies of water and a variety of hiking options suitable for all. Relish the vistas of the Andean Highlands on this guided journey of roughly 4 hours.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • El Cajas National Park - Be picked up from you accommodations in the morning and drive for approximately 1 hour to Cajas National Park, located 32km west of Cuenca. Visit the middle part, 3,960 meters, located in the area of Toreadora where you will walk about 1 hour 30 minutes. Along the trek will cross gaps and Polylepis forests and the guide…
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Professional guide
  • Transport by private vehicle
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Food and drinks
Location
El Cajas National Park
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(126 Ratings)
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Roxyv3000
Oct 15, 2024
Superb half-day tour with Diego - A beautiful morning experiencing nature -- don't miss this experience! Happy to have seen Cajas National Park, as it's definitely a must-see while in Cuenca. We had a private tour with a superb guide who was very informative, patient & easy-going -- and my 84 year old mother was able to walk with us (at her pace) as the trails are quite easy in the lower Cajas. Highly recommended, a highlight of our trip to be sure : )
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ireneut1
Oct 13, 2024
Amazing - The landscape and the knowledge of the Guide are valuable. It is close to Cuenca, about 30 km away. It's for nature lovers. Prepare for the cold, wind and difficult climbs.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Monicavt7519xv
Sep 25, 2024
Great Cajas tour with Polylepis - The private tour with Edison from Polylepis has been a delight. The Cajas National Park tour gives you great insights on flora and fauna, which need to be seen up close. Edison is very knowledgeable and always in good spirits. So far I have had only positive experiences in lovely Ecuador. I highly recommend Ecuador and especially a tour with Polylepis when in Cuenca, which is a delightful town. Monica
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charlotte_r
Sep 24, 2024
Great tour with beautiful scenery - We really enjoyed the half day tour. Communication was excellent and we were picked up from our accommodation right on time. We were very lucky to have beautiful sunny weather so really enjoyed our hike in the national park. The hike was slightly challenging in places due to the altitude (the last bit was uphill, and we hadn't really had any acclimitisation time) but was manageable if you take it slowly. We also did a quick detour to a viewpoint at the highest point of the park on the way back to Cuenca.
Review provided by Viator
Sven
Aug 29, 2024
Come to Cuenca, come to Ecuador ! Now ! - We did a half day tour from Cuenca to Cajas National Park with our personal guide Diego. The trip was amazing. His knowledge and guidance was tremendous .During the (literally) breathtaking hike through the Cajas National park, he explained to us every possible detail about the flora & fauna and also about the animal life, He was able not to only answer every of our questions, but provided us with so much more details about all aspects of our hike. During the beautiful drive from and to Cuenca of about 45 min each, he entertained us with more stories on Cuenca and its neighborhoods, about its history and current situation. His English was excellent. At all times we felt a 100% safe. It was sad to see how little tourism was visible due to claims of safety isssue. We can only say they are completely unfounded after traveling for three weeks with our 17 year old son through this georgeous country. A trip to Ecuador should be on everybody’s bucket list. Especially now. I have travelled all around the world. You will have a hard time to find a country cleaner and safer as long as you use some common sense and listen to the advise of local guides. I really hope that soon people will rediscover this gem of this planet !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q7464djscottc
Aug 28, 2024
Half day tour with Edison - Eddie was a great tour guide! He offered the tour in english or spanish and was very informative! All of our questions were answered and we enjoyed a beautiful sunny day at Cajas. We would reccomend anyone who is interested in seeing Cajas to go through Polylepis Tours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
648joanam
Aug 4, 2024
Awesome half-day trip to the Cajas National Park - Diego is an amazing guide. Very knowledgeable and he was able to adjust to our interests well. We can highly recommend him. He speaks almost perfect English, though we preferred speaking Spanish to practice a bit. We saw lots of interesting birds and the views at Cajas National Park are fantastic.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
La
Jul 30, 2024
Eddie can answer any of your questions! - Eddie was a wonderful guide. The tour was supposed to be just a hike and he was extremely knowledgeable about all the plants and birds. But when we showed interest in the history of the area back to before the Incan times to the Canari and their conflicts with the Incans, he gave us a very detailed history. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tom
Jul 4, 2024
Touching the sky - A trip to Cuenca would be incomplete without a day trip to Cajas National Park. My wife and I were happy to let our guide Edy do the driving as we climbed to 15,000 feet above sea level to some of the most otherworldly landscape we have ever seen. Along the way, Edy shared his knowledge of the geography, geology, and human history of the area. After arriving at the visitor center we embarked on a 90 minute loop trail which displayed the alpine Andean flora and brought no less than 3 mountain lakes into view. The air was thin, so the 2.5 km trail was taxing, but something we will never forget. Edy was patient as we took the time we needed (having only been in Cuenca 3 days) to trek along. Having a guide made the experience far richer than it would have been had my wife and I visited on our own.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ssegovia99
Jul 27, 2024
The basic tour to the Cajas - It is 1 hour from Cuenca. The half day tour could have been better, we were only allowed to stay 50 minutes at Laguna Toreadora and it was the only destination of the Cajas that took us. I would recommend that the tour visit at least one other destination in it Boxes Rather they took us more than 1 hour to a restaurant, which is not of interest to me
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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November 2024
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