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Cajas National Park Travel Guide

Travel to Cajas National Park - Cloud Forest to Rocky Landscapes

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Cajas National Park offers a tundra vegetation on a jagged landscape of hills and valleys besides 270 lakes and lagoons and 125 species of birds which make it one of the most popular outdoor destinations in the area. El Cajas’s 289 000 hectares shelter everything from cloud forest to rocky lunar landscapes.

Cajas National Park is situated in the highlands of Ecuador about 30 kilometres from Cuenca. The park covers an area of 289 000 hectares reaching its highest point at 4 000 metres before dropping down to the coast. The area is crossed by an ancient Inca road, which remained largely it its original state, connecting the city of Tomebamba, nowadays Cuenca, with Paredones, a control point for the trade between the highlands and the coastal areas. Traces of 96 villages witness of the pre-incan Canari population.

The area also boasts of over 250 small lakes and ponds being therefore an important water source.

Attractions in Cajas National Park

The 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, the Violet-tailed Metaltail, the Sword-billed, the Shining sunbeam, the Sparkling violet-ear, the Curiquinga, the wild Llamas, Toucan, Bear, Puma, Tigrillo, and the Giant Hummingbird. Other attractions in the area include the Paramo mountain, Toreadora lake, Puya Bromeliads flowers, Gentian flowers, and the tiny quinua tree.