Cajas National Park Unveiled

We had a great time with our guide wilson Javier, he was very knowledgeable of the botany and history of the area. Also our driver Homero made us feel safe and very secure along the route.

We had an absolutely amazing day on our tour of Cajas National Park with Javier!! He is an exceptional guide who shared his extensive knowledge of the local flora and fauna as well as engaged us in discussions about the history, culture, and politics of Ecuador. As a native of Cuenca he knows so much about the area and you can truly tell that he loves his home. A highlight of the trip was the Polylepsis forest which was other worldly and like nothing else I’ve ever seen in all my travels. We opted not to stop for the trout lunch and instead Javier took us to one of his favorite restaurants back in Cuenca for a traditional Ecuadorian lunch. All in all it was an absolutely wonderful day!!

Javier is an excellent guide. He was on time for the pickup and ready to go. We went to Cajas and did a couple of hikes, seeing some great scenery. Javier is very knowledgeable of the flora of Ecuador and explained some of it as we went. We even stopped in Cuenca when we returned to eat some Cuy Asado. If you want a guide for Cajas National Park, I'd highly recommend Javier.

What a wonderful guide! The more time spent with him, the more we appreciated Javier! We (actually) booked two tours through the company and Javier was flexible with the days we would do either. Originally planned on the Ingapirca tour for Tuesday and Cajas Thursday, but weather dictated otherwise and we flipped days. Cajas was gorgeous and traveling with Javier was like traveling with a botanical expert, truly a joy! Stopped 1st at Homero Ortega to purchase hats for our treks through the Andes- Loved it!

Wow! What a stunningly beautiful park. If I ever return to Ecuador, I want to come back here and see more. Javier brought us to a couple different locations in the park where we were able to walk around, take pictures, and enjoy nature. He was very knowledgeable about the park, and we learned a lot during the hikes. Definitely would recommend that you book this tour!

Javier was knowledgeable about everything we asked him. We enjoyed the two hikes and the contrast between the lakes and elevations. The high light was the forest, El Bosquete de Polypepis, which has twisted trees and caves. A great place to explore. Javier was patient with my kids (7 and 11). The younger walked slowly and wanted to look at every flower, and my eldest talked nonstop to Javier on the return hike. The trout lunch was also delicious. You'll end up eating late (~2 pm) so pack lots of snacks.