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The high landscape of Cajas National Park

351 · Further Horizons

Cajas National Park

Highland lakes and páramo vegetation make a water-rich mountain landscape whose apparent openness hides a demanding climate.

PhotographDelphine Ménard (notafish }<';>) · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr

Summary

Cajas National Park is a highland landscape in Ecuador, with many lakes among páramo vegetation and exposed mountain ground. Water, altitude and changing weather shape an environment above the surrounding settlements.

The repeated lakes give the landscape its distinctive pattern. Small water surfaces and broad upland views reveal a mountain world whose apparent openness contains considerable ecological variety.

301–400 · Further Horizons

The essentials

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Allow time

2 days as an initial allowance, excluding approach travel

Choose a base

Cuenca

Getting there

From Cuenca, take the Cuenca–Molleturo road to the designated park controls and Toreadora trail area. Llaviucu has its own access; choose the trail before arranging transport.

Plan ahead

Register at the appropriate park control and check the open routes. Arrange a local guide for a longer lake circuit and agree your return transport.

Practical notes updated 30 September 2026. Visitor information and sources

Ecuador · Nature
Country guidesEcuador
Open my 100Record a visit

The essential experience.

A detail that changes the visit

Navigation, fog and cold can matter even on a short high-altitude walk.

The highland landscape of Cajas National Park
The highland landscape of Cajas National ParkPhoto: Diegoarielvega · CC BY-SA 4.0

For the curious reader

History, landscape and context.

El Cajas National Park or Cajas National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional El Cajas) is a national park in the highlands of Ecuador. It is located about 30 km west from Cuenca, the capital of the province of Azuay. The area of 285.44 km² (28,544 ha) between 3100m and 4450m above sea level is characterised by páramo vegetation on a jagged landscape of hills and valleys.

Abridged background from El Cajas National Park, by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and shortened; this adapted background remains under the same licence. Retrieved 23 September 2026. Source revision.

Laguna Toreadora in rainy weather seen from the viewpoint, El Cajas National Park, Azuay, Ecuador
Laguna Toreadora in rainy weather seen from the viewpoint, El Cajas National Park, Azuay, EcuadorPhoto: Ymblanter · CC BY-SA 4.0
The highland landscape of Cajas National Park
Cajas National Park, EcuadorPhoto: Sabrina Setaro · CC BY 2.0

From inspiration to a practical plan

Plan your visit.

Physical demands
High-altitude paths with boggy ground, rapidly changing visibility and cold conditions. Even a short circuit needs suitable footwear and spare layers.
The consequential detail
Navigation, fog and cold can matter even on a short high-altitude walk.
Add to my travel workbenchResearch access requirements

Through the seasons

A place in the world.

Ecuador.

A place in the world
Cajas National Park location mapCajas National Park location map

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Map: Natural Earth
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In pictures.

Cajas’s high lakes gather among páramo plants beneath a changeable mountain sky.

The high landscape of Cajas National ParkPhoto: Delphine Ménard (notafish }), CC BY-SA 2.0 fr
Laguna Toreadora in rainy weather seen from the viewpoint, El Cajas National Park, Azuay, EcuadorPhoto: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
The highland landscape of Cajas National ParkPhoto: Diegoarielvega, CC BY-SA 4.0
The highland landscape of Cajas National ParkPhoto: Sabrina Setaro, CC BY 2.0
A small house beside a lake in Cajas National ParkPhoto: Sabrina Setaro, CC BY 2.0
Laguna Toreadora in rainy weather seen from the viewpoint, El Cajas National Park, Azuay, EcuadorPhoto: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lakes and mountain slopes in Cajas National ParkPhoto: amalavida.tv from Ecuador, CC BY-SA 2.0
The landscape of Cajas National Park in warm lightPhoto: Sabrina Setaro, CC BY 2.0
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Follow the connection

Keep exploring.

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197 · Ecuador

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The façade of Ecuador’s National Assembly in Quito

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A mountain capital with an extensive historic centre rewards attention to both its architecture and its dramatic setting.

Useful links and further reading.

Choose a source for the job: official visitor information for access, the UNESCO record for the named property’s designation, and background or library resources for deeper reading.

Read · Wikipedia

Cajas National Park: background reading

Encyclopaedic context and its bibliography. Follow the cited research for a deeper examination of particular claims.

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Visit · Wikivoyage

Find travel information for Cajas National Park

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Books · WorldCat

Find books about Cajas National Park

Search library holdings and editions, useful for finding specialist histories, field guides and works beyond a general travel guide.

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Maps · OpenStreetMap

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Inspect the surrounding area.

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