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Cajas National Park Tour: Explore South America's Glacial Lake System
4.8
19 Ratings
Cuenca
Embark on a full-day tour of Cajas National Park and immerse yourself in the stunning glacial lake system of South America. Explore the Andean vegetation, spot beautiful birds, llamas, and alpacas, and experience the authentic beauty of this 28544-hectare park.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- El Cajas National Park - Get collected from your place of stay in the morning and embark on a roughly 1-hour journey to Cajas National Park, situated 30km west of Cuenca. The excursion encompasses visits to two different elevations within the park. At the central elevation (3,960 meters), you will engage in an approximately 3-hour trek in the Toreadora region. This hike allows you to take in the stunning vistas, which include the Polylepis Forest and the Paramo resembling a moorland, while the guide enlightens you about the local plant and animal life. Following a meal at a nearby eatery, you will proceed to Llaviuco (3,150 meters). Nestled in the park’s lower section, this locale is a part of a distinct ecosystem known as the montane primary forest. There, you will enjoy a leisurely 1 ½-hour stroll around the lake.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Expert-led tour with a professional guide
- Gourmet lunch included (alternative without lunch available)
- Travel in comfort with a private vehicle
What's Not Included
- Drinks
- Tips
- Personal expenses
Additional Information
Discover the magic of Cajas National Park, one of the most beautiful places in South America, on a full day tour of approximately 8 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!
- Minimum age is 6 years
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Children rate applies only when sharing with 1 paying adult
Location
El Cajas National Park
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(19 Ratings)
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Catherinebh5048xy
Mar 14, 2022
Great day with an experienced tour guide - Edison was such a knowledgeable tour guide; we learned a ton about the local plants, geology, and ecosystems. He showed us two of the major areas of Cajas and we felt that we got a good feel for the park and all it has to offer. Edison also brought us to a lovely local restaurant. We had a great day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deanna
Mar 9, 2022
Rewarding day - Hiking through Cajas National Park was an awesome experience! On the car ride there, Eddy already started to share a bit about the history of the park and the region. He would point things out along the way to give insight into the local culture. We had a perfect day for the hike. It took us 3 hours and it was very rewarding. Eddy explained a lot about the history of the trail, and pointed out special plants as we walked along the trail. I was glad to have a guide for this experience as he was able to show us exactly where to go and what was special about the area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Inspire07766998572
Jan 13, 2022
Very interesting experience in beautiful national park - This was one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had in Ecuador! Our guide Adrian was very knowledgeable about the local fauna and flora. We did 2 hikes, one at lower and one at higher altitude. It was amazing to see the huge difference between these 2 places. Both hikes were incredibly beautiful, but not too demanding for people not used to hiking a lot. We finished with a great lunch at a trout farm. Although you can you to the Cajas national park on your own, I would recommend going there with Polylepsis. It makes it way more interesting, because they know the best spots and have a lot of knowledge about the place.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Onair260198
Dec 31, 2021
Great group of 8 hike in the Cajas - We all really enjoyed our hike on trail #1 in the Caja's national park. Andres our guide was amazing, knowledgable and funny. He was very gracious and professional with our large group of 8 people of different ages (24-65) and abilities. The hike was 8K, which would normally be no issue, but it was a bit challenging for some due to the altitude. It took us 5 hours due to multiple stops for photos of the gorgeous scenery. We had perfect weather and would highly recommend this hike.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dream55007847779
Nov 30, 2021
An exiting day - Eddy is a very good guide. He explained so many interesting things about the nature and he cared about his guest. Thanks a lot for this experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tourist04298813387
Sep 8, 2021
Excellent tour outside Cuenca! - This tour was awesome! Our guide, Diego, was excellent- very informative and his English was great! He was very prompt in picking us up and a very safe driver. We’re very glad we chose this tour and would highly recommend it if you enjoy hiking!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charlesalan_h
May 5, 2021
Amazing Cajas National Park, Ecuador - The views surrounding lake Llaviucu were amazing, our guide Milton, from Polylepis Tours, was an extremely knowledgeable guide with a wealth of historical, ecological, botanical and animal life information in the region. His English was outstanding and he was extremely personable. I highly recommend this tour and this tour guide. Amazing views abound!
Review provided by Viator
Rvc555
Dec 10, 2020
Beautiful national park! - Great place to explore nature, unique plants in such a beautiful park! Our guide Addison was very knowledgable and spoke english very well. I would reccomend him to my friends for this and other tours.
Thank you for the tour :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pctl
Dec 4, 2019
Cajas Hiking - Had a great all day hike in Cajas National Park near Cuenca with Edi. He picked us up from our hotel and took us on two hikes at Cajas with lunch in between. Edi was very knowledgeable about the park and Ecuador in general.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cory
Oct 1, 2022
Review of Polylepis - The guide was very knowledgeable about Cajas, however, I reserved a full day (8 hour) trip and it only lasted 6 hours. That was a bummer. We also only hiked one fairly easy trail, followed by walking up some stairs to a viewpoint with a radio tower. The tour didnt blow me away.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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