Best trails in Cajas National Park

Get ready for a high altitude adventure! The Laguna Toreadora trail in Cajas National Park will transport you to a magical landscape. You will walk around a lagoon of dark waters and enter a forest of Polylepis, known as "paper trees" for their reddish bark that peels off. Don't be surprised if you encounter some curious alpacas along the way! It's a place to explore at your leisure and enjoy nature.

Discover a treasure trove of biodiversity at high altitude. The Laguna Toreadora circuit is home to fascinating flora and fauna. As you hike, look for the cushion-shaped plants that act like giant sponges and keep your eyes open for the giant hummingbird or the llamas and alpacas grazing peacefully. The park is a birdwatcher's paradise and an incredible place to learn about the adaptations of life in the páramo.

Climb a place with history and meaning. Cerro San Luis has been a landmark in the Cuenca Valley since ancient times. For the ancient Cañaris, it was a perfect observatory, and today it remains a landmark crowned by a cross. As you ascend, think of the generations that have looked out over this same landscape. This hike is more than a hike; it is a way to connect with the history and spirit of the Azuay region.

Discover a "little piece of Heaven" in Cajas National Park, walking towards the sanctuary born from a story of faith. The tour immerses you in a spectacular landscape, with the typical flora of the páramo such as the chuquiragua and paper trees. The fresh air and tranquility of the place will accompany you until you reach the sanctuary, a pilgrimage site for many. Whether you are a believer or not, the beauty of the surroundings and the peace you breathe make the visit worthwhile.

Discover a landscape of legend in Cajas, where it is said that an ancient and opulent hacienda became a lagoon as a punishment for its owner's arrogance. Starting your tour in Tres Cruces, you will be immersed in a páramo ecosystem, home to unique frogs such as the Tres Cruces harlequin and birds such as the curiquingue. The road to the Luspa Lagoon offers an unforgettable experience among grasslands and wildflowers, a route that connects you with nature and the ancestral stories of the area!

This hike starts at the beginning of the Luspa Trail a few meters from the parking lot and Tres Cruces, it closely follows the Luspa river and passes through the Lagunas: Negra, Larga, Togilacocha, and finally Luspa, on whose shores you can camp and continue enjoying interesting points to appreciate the landscape and nature of the Cajas National Park.

This section of the Inca Trail or Ingañán departs from Guagrahuma, very close to the Luspa Lagoon and will travel along a historical route, which is currently part of the Cajas National Park, to the Zorrocucho Lagoon also known as Llaviucu Lagoon. The landscapes of mountains and lagoons will surely take your breath away!

This trail takes you around the Llaviuco Lagoon, a hidden treasure within the Cajas National Park. The lagoon is also known locally as "Zorrocucho", a name that translates as "fox hole", giving you a clue about the forest's inhabitants. The route, considered moderately difficult, immerses you in a páramo ecosystem. Local legends of Cajas tell that its numerous lagoons were formed as divine punishment for a greedy landowner, flooding his land and creating this mystical landscape.

Explore the aquatic heart of Cajas National Park in this circuit that connects you with two of its numerous lagoons: Patoquinuas and Totores. Walk through the unique Andean páramo, a high altitude ecosystem dominated by golden grasslands and dotted with water-retaining cushion plants. Admire how the sky and mountains are reflected in these glacial lakes' cold, crystalline waters. The Cajas, recognized as a Ramsar wetland, is a refuge for aquatic birds such as the Andean duck and the Andean...

Ideal for a nature escape! The route from Laguna Luspa to Laguna Taitachungo or Mamamag is surrounded by fantastic landscapes within the Cajas National Park, where you can camp and enjoy unspoiled nature. In addition, this trail covers more or less half the route of the Inca Trail that goes to Laguna Zorrocucho.