Hike level: Moderate to Challenging
As you’ve seen in our other posts, Ecuador is a prime spot for hiking, and one of the top spots is located just outside of Cuenca at Las Cajas National Park.
Less than one hour away from Cuenca, you can find a vast area that is perfect for hiking. Las Cajas has some of the most unexpectedly unique environments I have seen in the area. This high altitude area is called Páramo, and I was surprised by how different it is to other hiking areas in South America. Interesting flora and fauna abound and there are so many lakes everywhere you look– it’s like an otherworldly dream!
Tips for a successful hike in Las Cajas:
- Layer up. It was quite cold in the morning with little cover from the wind, but got fairly hot by the middle of the day.
- Wear quality hiking shoes– it gets slick!
- Pack a lunch or bring sufficient food for yourself. You are really out there in the wilderness, so you want to make sure you have enough food to last you until you head back to Cuenca!
- Plan a route that you feel comfortable with. Las Cajas is not the most difficult hiking area ever, but with high elevation and steep cliffs even seasoned hikers can be challenged.
- The altitude here is no joke. You will be winded, and likely will get tired much quicker than you expect. Take breaks to alleviate this. For more information on altitude sickness, check out our pro tips here!
- Check in at the Visitor Center and let them know what hike you are going on. This is a good precautionary step anywhere, but Las Cajas is very remote so the rangers need to know who is in the park and where they are going for safety reasons.
How to Get to Las Cajas
To get to Las Cajas, take a bus from Cuenca’s main bus terminal, Terminal Terrestre, towards Guayaquil.
Ask the driver to let you off at Parque Nacional Las Cajas. This is a very common bus route, so there should be buses going to Guayaquil somewhat frequently ($2 for the trip).
Once the bus gets going it will take about 45 minutes to arrive at your destination. The bus will likely let you off at El Refugio, a small visitor center, where I chatted a bit with a park guide to get some information about the park. Again, I highly recommend that you check in with the park guide so that they know you are there and what route you are taking for safety purposes.
Trail tips for Las Cajas
From El Refugio you have many options for trails.
There is a simple loop around the Laguna Torreadora that is very nice and provides you with a good amount of hiking. I chose route 2, which seemed to be the most popular option as I encountered a few other hikers on the trail. This route was excellent, and summiting the peaks provided for excellent views of the surrounding area and it was just marvelous to take it all in.
Be careful with your footing, as it can be a bit treacherous, but otherwise the trails were in great shape and the vistas were absolutely stunning.
Once you are done hiking, you will want to follow whatever route you took back to the main road where the bus dropped you off. To get back into Cuenca, just flag down one of the buses going in that direction, and if they have room they will let you onboard for $2 or so.
Don’t miss our other Ecuador content, including a walking guide to Quito, a day trip to Mitad del Mundo, day hiking guides to Cotopaxi Volcano and Quilotoa Crater Lake, Top 5 Baños + biking La Ruta de las Cascadas in Baños!
Ecuador is one of our favorite places that we’ve ever visited– we know you’ll fall in love, too! We can’t wait to go back.
