El Cajas National Park

El Cajas National Park is a high-Andean protected area in Azuay Province characterized by an extensive upland plateau, páramo grasslands, and numerous glacial lakes and lagoons. The landscape supports a mosaic of wetlands, alpine meadows and rocky ridges with distinct high-elevation ecosystems.

Visitors explore well-marked trails that pass lakes, small waterfalls and viewpoints; many routes are suitable as day hikes from nearby Cuenca and offer opportunities for birdwatching and observing highland flora. The park is also used for scientific study and conservation of high-elevation habitats.

El Cajas formed through glacial sculpting and retains many glacial lakes and moraines; its ecology reflects cold, wet highland conditions with plant and animal species adapted to páramo environments. Human use is primarily limited to regulated recreation, grazing in peripheral areas and conservation activities.

The park lies northwest of the city of Cuenca in the southern Ecuadorian Andes and is typically accessed by road from Cuenca within a short driving distance.

• Lakes and trails: The park contains hundreds of glacial and highland lakes set among páramo grassland, creating many short day-hike options with lake viewpoints.
• High-altitude conditions: Altitudinal weather is changeable; thin air and cold temperatures are common above 3,000 metres so visitors should be prepared and acclimatise if arriving from low elevations.