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TREKKING and HIKING IN ECUADOR

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Photo belongs to Delphine Ménard

In the Southern Andes near Cuenca, we find El Cajas National Park, located in the majestic west mountain range. It is one of Ecuador’s natural wonders that must be added to the repertoire of every trekking amateur. Cajas lies at an altitude between 3200 m and 4500 m and boasts 28,544 hectares of numerous species of flora and fauna and impressive rock formations.  Its 235 glacial lakes feed into breathtaking waterfalls, as its rivers descend toward the Pacific while others flow through “el Oriente”, ultimately arriving to the Amazon River.  In addition to hiking, you can enjoy freshwater trout fishing, while listening to the wild birds singing in the background. There are approximately 125 species of birds inhabiting Cajas which include: the condor, the violet-tailed metaltail, sword-bill, shining sunbeam, sparkling violet-ear, etc.

If you wish to combine culture and nature with active travel, you must do the Inca trail, which takes you along the very same path than the Incas used to follow. This ancient main trail has also been used by merchants and travelers. The trail passes through astonishing natural landscapes, small hidden villages, past Culebrillas Lake, finally arriving at Ingapirca, our most famous Inca ruins. In the area we also find other important ruins such as Colloctor and Cojitambo and the colorful Cañari Indian markets of Ingapirca (Fridays) and Cañar (Sundays). It is also worth mentioning the amazing scenery, formed by farming landscapes of different crops and lots of cattle farming. This photo belongs to Julia Rubinic

The Northern Andes of Ecuador offer beautiful snowcapped mountains and volcanoes for great trekking trips. We must add to any itinerary the highlights of the amazing surrounding area such as lakes, moorlands, forest, Indian markets and villages, haciendas and all the components for a unique trekking experience.

The Central Andes offer excellent trekking options around the Chimborazo (6310m), highest mountain in Ecuador; Carihuairazo (5200m) which requires a moderate effort for a summit attempt and Altar, well known for its amazing landscapes. This photo belongs to Germania Rodriguez

We recommend visitors to have an appropriate acclimatization process for a better adjustment to the altitude. You can enjoy our daily tours or join a moderate trekking adventure of 2 or more days camping in spectacular natural spots.

Choose your preferred tour click here.

HIKE AT CAJAS NATIONAL PARK & HORSEBACK RIDING AT HACIENDA SLT043

El Cajas is considered a paradise for hikers due to its ecological conservation and natural beauty. On our trip, we do a moderate hike for about 3 hours through some of its 230 glacier lakes, admiring the moorland vegetation (high Andean grassland, like moors at high altitude) with amazing micro flora, some patches of Polylepis primary forests and spectacular rock formations. The second walk last about 1 hour in the lower cloud forest zone; rich in plant life and abundant in species of birds. The two walks are in very different environments, showing all the highlights of the park. For lunch we have a box lunch, after morning and early afternoon hikes we will continue to the hacienda Totorillas where we spend overnight and dinner.

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MANTA REAL and THE CAJAS NATIONAL PARK SLT 005 2 DAYS/1 NIGHT

 

 

DAY 1  CAJAS NATIONAL PARK & TAMARINDO

Certainly this is one of the best trips to observe birdlife in the area. In the morning we will visit the mountain rainforest area and paramos of the Cajas National Park, with a range of altitudes from 3200 m to 4000 m.  In this area we will look for the most representative altitude bird species. After lunch, continue towards the lower lands area close to the village of Tamarindo at 260 m above sea level. Here we will visit the famous cacao beans and banana plantations, as we continue bird watching for other species. Overnight in Manta Real. Continue reading

LLAVIUCO SLT 002

At only 20 min (17 km) away from Cuenca, is the lower part of the Cajas National Park: the Llaviuco area. It possesses a highly interesting mixture of habitats for bird-watching: well preserved mountain forests, paramos, lakes and pastures. The Mountain Toucan, Andean Guan, Masked Trogon, Turquoise Jay, various colorful Tanagers and 12 species of Hummingbirds and aquatic birds are among the highlights.

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BIRD-WATCHING IN CUENCA’S SURROUNDINGS SLT 001

 

Private, Any Day, Full Day
Cuenca is strategically located near important ecosystems with an interesting diversity of birds:

The most popular area for bird watching close to Cuenca is undoubtedly the very well known CAJAS NATIONAL PARK (35 Km), it hosts some 150 upper Andean species; the most notable is the Violet-throated Metaltail, a humming bird which is practically endemic to this protected area.

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