Cajas Unveiled: A Half-day Escape From Cuenca

My wife and I had an absolutely magnificent experience. Everything was exactly as described, if not better. We traveled in a very comfortable car, which made the journey relaxing from the start. Our guide, Luis Gonzalez, was exceptional—highly competent, precise, punctual, and incredibly kind. His expertise truly elevated the experience. The nature in Cajas is simply splendid, and every person we interacted with along the way was warm and welcoming. To top it all off, the restaurant where we had lunch was wonderful, offering a perfect end to the trip. I highly recommend Cuenca Bestours and Luis for an unforgettable excursion

Great tour with fantastic view. Worth to walk around the lake and enjoy the scenic. Guide was open minded and shared a lot of insides

Christian was an amazing guide! Extremely knowledgeable, spent a lot of time in NY so his English was perfect - we thought he was a living encyclopedia!

I really enjoyed Cajas. I was paired with Xavier and we had a great pace for the trek. I really appreciated how much my guide loves the national parque because it made the experience that much more enjoyable. Thank you

Wilson was a wonderful guide! He knows so much about the history, geography & ecology of Cajas. We had a great tour with him & cannot recommend him enough.

Excellent tour guide with Esteban. Punctual and friendly. The sight was spectacular.

Very different climate . Beautiful trees and fauna. Our guide Wilson is very knowledgeable about the different species of plants and birds. He is also well versed in the history of the park .

Xavi was an excellent guide who picked us up and dropped us off at our location. He was extremely knowledgeable about the history, plant life and geography of the area. I would highly recommend this tour and guide if you want to experience a taste of the National Park and a short hike to appreciate its beauty!

Adrián took my husband and I to Cajas National Park and we had a great time. He knew a lot about the park and had many things to share. He was very patient with me and assisted me over some rocks and mud more than once. I would definitely recommend this company and especially Adrian if you wish to go anywhere. Thanks again Adrian! Diana and Greg

What a gorgeous place, and only 45 minutes from Cuenca. Well worth the time to visit. We were blessed with a beautiful day. Our hike took us to six lagoons, up through the forest, and to breathtaking vistas.

I booked this as a private tour because I wanted to be able to go at my pace and take lots of photos. My guide Moises was fantastic - so knowledgeable and friendly. The park is spectacular with so many different flowers. 100% recommend

Our tour in Cajas, was absolutely magical! The landscapes were breathtaking, and every moment felt like stepping into a painting. Moises was an incredible guide — knowledgeable, kind, and passionate about the park. He shared so much about the local history, nature, and culture, making the whole experience unforgettable. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Cuenca!

We had an amazing experience at Cajas National Park with our guide, Juan. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the park, its history, and the surrounding ecosystem. His energy made the tour engaging and enjoyable, and he was very attentive to everyone in our group. Juan also provided excellent English translations for part of our family, which made the experience even more accessible and meaningful. We highly recommend this tour and Juan as a guide!

Was very interesting and fun. Pedro was very informative and knowledgable and always willing to help.

The landscape is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. We were told to go in the morning, however we could only book an afternoon due to our schedule. We were glad we did! No one was there. Though it was cold and cloudy, we enjoyed the 1.5 hour hike around one of the lakes. Adrian our guide was very knowledgeable about the park. Be prepared. It’s 13,000 ft above sea level and the weather is very different than Cuenca.

Jenny was a great guide - kind, knowledgeable, patient, attentive. My husband and college-aged daughter loved every minute.

The views were amazing and we had a really nice time. It was just the right amount of walking and looking for my 5 and 12-year-old kiddos. Our guide Adrián was really knowledgeable and fun. He was flexible and responsive to our desires, and the communication about the trip was on point. Don't forget that it is very cold, at higher altitude, and often rainy at El Cajas!

Our half-day tour of El Cajas with Pedro was a highlight of our trip to Ecuador. Pedro is an excellent guide and driver, sharing lots of information about the ecosystem in El Cajas and its importance to Ecuador. He was very patient, kind, and considerate of our physical needs as we hiked through the national park. We felt fortunate to be able to experience this natural wonder with the expert guidance of Pedro.

We’ve visited Cuenca and Guayaquil, Luis was a great guide, very knowledgeable and told us lots of local stories, we really enjoyed the trip!

Our guide Eddy was so friendly and knowledgeable! We had a wonderful time learning about Cuenca and Parque Nacional Cajas!

We went on a group tour with Wilson and Carlos on 4/13/25, and the experience was amazing! This was our first time to Cuenca (and even our first time in South America), and this tour had everything to give us an idea of what Ecuador has to offer. Wilson took very good care of us and made sure to always give us the English translation since we were the only English speakers on the tour. Very informative and I would recommend to anyone!

We had a great private tour of Cajas with Wilson. I recommend him. We had a great hike of the park and detailed information about flora and fauna was provided.

Cuenca BesTours made it very easy to experience the Cajas National Park half-day tour. Our excellent guide, Wilson, met me at the front door of the building I was staying at. This door to door pickup/drop off service from Cuenca to the park and back saved me the round trip cab faire I was expecting to pay. Wilson shared his extensive knowledge about Cajas’ geology, hydrology, human history, plant and animal life, including invasive species inadvertently introduced to the park’s environment decades ago. From the moment I signed up, Cuenca BesTours provided good communication about the tour’s itinerary.

Great tour, Diego our guide was a wealth of knowledge not just about the ecosystem of the hike but the history of the area and the geology.

great trip south to Cajas. with the guide we could see the park from a different side and learn stories about fauna and flora. very interesting experience. we highly recommend :)

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!!

This was a beautiful and very informative tour. Wilson Galaza was very knowledgeable and event lent one of his walking poles to my dad to help with the hike. Highly recommend!

The Cajas National park is magical. We walked/hiked around one of the large beautiful glacier lakes. Our guide, a naturalist with years of experience in the Cajas was great. He pointed out the flora and fauna which we would have missed on our own. For me, a half day in the national park followed by a stop in a sit down chocolate shop was perfect.

We had a great experience with our guide and learned about Cuenca and also Cajas National Park. We hiked approximately 2 miles and our guide stopped periodically to talk about the flora, birds that were spotted, and the two distinct ecosystems that we encountered.

Fantastic tour.. well worth it and the service was excellent. Pick up from our hotel on time in a SUV since we were just two people. Ended up being a private tour for us where we could spend time at Cajas National Park and see everything at our own pace. Our guide Wilson was very friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. Overall, one of the best tours available to Cajas, very affordable and top quality. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Cuenca.

Fabulous guide. We learned so much about so many things. Loved it. The hike was awesome with such gorgeous scenary.

Wilson our guide was knowledgeable and led us on an awesome hike. Just the right length for all of us including our 3 and 5 year old grandkids.

Our tour with Sebastian to Las Cajas National Park was amazing. The views were breathtaking, and Sebastian’s knowledge of the history and current situation affecting the park and region provided really valuable context to understand what we were seeing. We really enjoyed the hike and appreciated his insights into all of the plants and animals in the park. It was a fabulous tour with a really talented guide. 100% recommend.

Enrique was a fantastic guide and we had a great time exploring Cajas! Would definitely recommend for anyone visiting Cuenca.

As a solo traveller, having Willson as my guide I felt safe & comfy. He has a lot of knowledge about the plants and ecosystems and is easy to get on with. Also Javier from Cuenca Bestours office was very helpful with the itinerary tailored to my needs. Highly recommended.

This tour is incredible and the view is astounding. A very good and unique experience for someone always staying inside city. A good chance to admire the mother nature in close distance. Also,our guide Christian is also very professional.

My friend and I went today on the four-hour hike (half-day tour) in the park. Fortunately the day was clear, sunny, a bit windy, and with beautiful views. Eddy, a marvelous guide, spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable about the plants, fauna, history, and the geography. The National Park, about a 45-minute drive from Cuenca, is a beautiful, very large protected area with many lakes and vegetation. We felt our hike was adequate to see the majority of the diversity. The hike was moderately easy, but due to the elevation, I needed some time to acclimate. I highly recommend this tour for all nature lovers.

Maria was an excellent tour guide and I learned so much from her about Cajas NP… Having grown up in the Smoky Mountains National Park I certainly appreciate the need to preserve and protect natural resources anywhere in the world. The majesty and beauty in Cajas NP is just breathtaking

Had a great tour with a very knowledgeable guide , Sebastian. Would highly recommend. Park is very beautiful

Great value and a great time! Our guide was Eddy, very good English and extremely knowledgeable about Cajas. It was fun and enjoyable, highly recommend.

My favourite part of the trip was learning from Wilson. I appreciated his flexibility in tailoring the trip to our needs. The park was gorgeous. We got some amazing photos, we learned a lot and had a fun time with Wilson, our guide.

Sebastian the tour guide was very knowledgeable, we did our hike in 2 hours. Excellent time, clean air, rained at the end of the hiking trip. Got amazing nature photos.

very nice tour, very friendly guide who did know a lot about the local plants and history. the landscape is amazing. we were picked up at our hostal on time. all in all very recommendable

Our guide was amazing, giving us great insight into the flora and fauna of the biosphere in Cajas. The park itself is a jewel mo one should miss. Beautiful and tranquil. Five stars from us for the tor and guide!

Wilson is a wonderful tour guide who's very knowledgeable. Thank you to Javier for organizing the tour. Highly recommended that you visit this park if you're in Cuenca.

What a wonderful tour! Sebastian was amazing! He knows all about Las Cajas - history, geography, birds, flowers, and animals. He was on time and worked with us to give us the best possible experience. I would take a tour with him again anytime. He also was very knowledgeable about other areas in Ecuador and very helpful and made good suggestions for us.

Half-day cajas national park private tour was splendid with our guide Wilson. My husband and I are not sporty type and a little bit worried if we could fully enjoy the walk, but Wilson showed us the best of the national park and explained everything in detail. The path he chose for us was a safe but a lot of beautiful high land flowers, birds. It was a wonderful experience. We strongly recommend this tour.

It was an incredible hike. We loved Andreas; he was on time, his English was excellent. As we hiked around the lake, we discovered his knowledge of the flora and fauna was great. We even spotted a toucan.

This was a wonderful trip and well worth the visit! Our guide was excellent. I would have loved to have done the full day tour, but we didn't have time.