Cuenca, Ecuador 🇪🇨 

Very excited to be going to the El Cajas National Park today. It’s one of those places that isn’t on your radar but once you read about it, it seems to grow as a ‘must do’ destination and it is only 30mins outside of Cuenca.  

As we arrive in the park we start with an easy walk in lower cloud forest. The lake Llaviuco is calm with spectacular hills  surrounding it. It has many reeds around the shore leading up into cloud forest which is filled with moss covered trees. Our guide points out orchids and plants used by indigenous people as we go round.

The next stop is busy, but we can see across the Toreadora lake to moorland which will provide our quiet hike. The blue sky is coming through as we start this 3 hr route, past several glacier fed lakes taking it easy as we are at 4000masl. The land is interesting with lots of alpine flowers in the Andean tundra vegetation which is springy underfoot. We continue on and step into a Polylepis forest full of twisted Paper trees that form what is claimed to be ‘the highest forest in the world’.

The final section shows us Totoras and Patoquinuas lakes which continue on to provide Cuenca’s main drinking water. We climb up to where our van in waiting, pleased with ourselves and keen for lunch. We enjoy traditional potato soup with avocado and egg, followed by grilled trout. Arriving back in Cuenca late afternoon, I arrange to meet Juliette from the tour for dinner and drinks. Great end to a invigorating day!