Day3 -Cajas National Park

The National Park del Cajas

Half an hour from the city of Cuenca, an Andean plateau with more thatn two hundred lagoons and mountains four thousand meters high in altitude, where nature plays with such mystery that man is left with no other remedy than comply with his oldest obsession: worship.

Day 3

In the early hours of the morning, we will take our transportation (20 miles) norwest from the City of cuenca.

During this strecht we will notice the difference of vegetation, which will change according to the altitude, before arriving at Cajas National Recreation Area.

We will begin our hike next to one of the principal lakes existing in the area, all of these being glacially formed approximately 18 million years ago. This lake is located at 3810 (12495 feet) above the sea level.

We will enter a forest of Polilepsis incana, or more commonly known as quinua, which will allow us to discover the secrets of the nature in the area. We will plass thorugh small caverns which are found in the interior of the forest.

The hike will be smooth, since we will always walk on top of the so called “green mattress”, formed by foliage.

Lunch at “Dos Chorreras”, a restaurant located right at the bottom of a high peak, you will feel the dimension of this mountains, while lunching in a warm and great atmosphere. (Fresh trout is serve among other local dishes).

If you like fishing we will be able to try our luck with the rich trout, the only fish that exist in the area.

Coming back to the city we will stop for hot chocolate to warm ourselves after a “cold day”.