Cajas is the high country west of Cuenca: grass, rock and hundreds of small lakes, with the road to the coast running through the middle. This guide is for you if you want to walk there without committing a whole day. It helps you choose between the morning and afternoon start, prepare for the weather and know the rules before you reach the gate.
What kind of place it is
Cajas is a national park, and since 2002 it has also been a Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance. Its lakes and pools are the point. A count reported in 2023 put the total at 786 bodies of water, about 165 of them lagoons larger than a hectare. It is also home to the spectacled bear and the Andean condor, though you should not plan a visit around seeing either.
It is high. The park lies between 3,200 and 4,500 metres, well above Cuenca. Tres Cruces, the viewpoint on this tour, marks the continental divide, the line where the water of the Andes splits between the two oceans.
Morning or afternoon
You choose 07:00 or 13:00, and both last five hours. Visitors can enter between 08:00 and 16:30. On the morning tour your driver times the drive to reach the control point once it opens.
The morning has two advantages. Parking at Toreadora, the most visited part of the park, is limited, and the park's own advice is to arrive early on busy days. And the weather in the mountains often turns as the day goes on. Visitors who know the park say rain is common in the afternoons.
The afternoon still works. You reach Toreadora at about 13:45, with enough time for the full loop before the gate closes to new arrivals. It suits you if you arrive in Cuenca late the night before, or if you want the morning for the city. Just pack for weather that may already be closing in.
How cold, and how wet
Colder than Cuenca, and quicker to change. Fog, rain and low temperatures can slow you down on the trail and cut the view to a few metres. The park authority asks visitors to check the forecast before they go.
To give you an idea: over three days in early July 2025, a weather station inside the park averaged under 5°C, while Cuenca averaged about 11°C over the same days. Light snow and frost covered the higher ground around Tres Cruces. ETAPA, the city utility that manages the park, called it uncommon, but it shows what the high part of the road can do.
Do not count on a dry month. Cuenca's driest stretch is usually July to September, but the cold spell above came at the start of July.
The walk and the rules
At Toreadora you register at the control point. The park records your planned route, how many of you there are and how long you expect to be inside, so that someone knows where to look if you get lost. The park has an app with route information, but it does not replace this registration.
The loop around Toreadora lagoon is the easiest trail in the park. It takes about an hour and a half to two hours. It is not steep, but at this height you will breathe harder than you expect, so go slowly and stop when you need to. You can also walk only part of it and turn back.
The rules are short. No pets, no fires and no litter, and stay on the marked trails. Guides are required for organised groups and for anyone who does not know the routes. A guide is not included in the tour; tell us if you want one. The longer routes in the park, three hours and more, are better left to a guided day.
One sector is shut. Llaviucu closed after the forest fires of 2024. Check with the park whether it has reopened before you plan on it.
On your own, or with a car
You can reach Toreadora by public bus. Buses on the road towards the coast leave from Cuenca's main bus terminal, and you ask the driver to let you off at La Toreadora. Getting back means standing by the road and flagging down a bus heading to Cuenca. Visitors report that drivers are reluctant to stop on the bends, so you may need to walk to a straighter stretch.
That works for a strong walker with time to spare. What the private car adds is the return. Your driver is at the trailhead when you finish, cold or wet, and takes you on to Tres Cruces, which is a separate stop higher up the road. The car also makes the lunch stop easy: trout at a roadside restaurant on the way down. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to carry
- Warm layers and a waterproof jacket, even if Cuenca is sunny when you leave.
- A hat and gloves for Tres Cruces.
- Shoes with a good grip that can take mud and water.
- Water and something to eat on the trail. Lunch is not included.
- Sun cream and sunglasses. When the cloud lifts, the sun at this height is strong.
- Your passport or ID for registration at the control point.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits anyone who can walk for two hours at a gentle pace and wants to be out of the city. If you bring children, the cold is the thing to dress them for, more than the distance.
Think twice if you have heart or breathing problems, or if you have just flown in. Cajas is much higher than Cuenca, and a day or two in the city first makes the walk easier. Dogs cannot come.
Questions people ask
Can we combine Cajas with the city?
Yes. The Cuenca and Cajas full-day tour does the park in the morning and Turi, Pumapungo and the cathedral in the afternoon.
Can we visit Llaviucu?
Not at the moment. It is closed while it recovers from the fires.
What if the weather is bad?
Talk to your driver. You can shorten the walk or change the order. If you cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up, you get a full refund; see our cancellation page.
Booking the half day
Go in the morning if you can, pack for cold rain whatever the month, and give yourself a day in Cuenca first. For the other trips from the city, read our guide to day trips from Cuenca. Pick-up, timings and what is included are on the Cajas National Park half-day tour page, where you choose your group size and book.
