Cajas National Park

The starting point of our walk, Toreadora Lake

It was time to turn the page on our Andean chapter and begin the next part of our Ecuadorian adventure.

Our final morning in the highlands took us to Cajas National Park, a movie worthy beautiful páramo moorland dotted with over 200 glacial lakes. The park’s name, El Cajas, comes from the Quichua word cassa, meaning “gateway to the snowy mountains”. Quite fitting really, as it felt like a final farewell from the Andes themselves.

Cajas isn’t just stunning, it’s important. It is Cuenca’s main water source, home to countless endemic species and is officially recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for its biodiversity.

Our guide picked a “short” 4.7 km walk designed to show off the park’s contrasts: rolling tundra-like grasslands, mirror-clear lagoons, and misty patches of forest where moss crept over every surface. The altitude, however, was less charming. The peak of the trail sits at 3,395m above sea level. Even the gentle inclines left us gasping for air. Still, the reward was worth every laboured breath, a raw landscape that felt both fragile and eternal.

Afterwards, we stopped for a much-needed chocolate refuel and picked up our packed lunches before hitting the road. What followed was a descent for the ages, nearly 4,000 metres downhill as we wound from misty moorlands, past 2 levels of "clouds" to the coastal lowlands. Two hours later, our ears popped, our layers were shed, and the lush humidity of Guayaquil greeted us like a warm slap in the face.

Holiday traffic was predictably chaotic, but we eventually reached our modern home for the night, the Oro Verde Hotel. After seven days of mountain lodges, cobbled streets, and rustic charm, its glossy chain hotel lobby felt almost alien. At check-in, we were handed a stack of cruise paperwork, the prelude to our upcoming Galápagos adventure.

We made a brief, polite appearance at the welcome drinks before admitting defeat to exhaustion. Bags were repacked, cold weather gear retired, and lights out came early. Tomorrow: a new ecosystem, a new chapter, and a whole lot of blue.

Day 8: Thin air, thick clouds, and a downhill drive straight into the next adventure.

Trying something different for breakfast this morning

Goodbye Hotel Itza! We love you but it was a little stuffy in the rooms

Hello llama!

What looked like boring grass held so many interesting plants who have evolved intelligently to survive the altitude

Most flowers have no stems and lay flat on the ground to protect themselves from the wind

Valerian - the root used to help with sleep

Underfoot, sometimes it felt like walking on artificial grass

Strange plants we'd never seen before!

Many many lakes, creeks, and waterfalls

Temperature was also a challenge. It could feel like 20 degrees when the sun was shining. 10-15 when it was not. And down to 5 when the wind blew. Throw in possible rain in there too...

During ascends, we'd often walk 15-20 steps slowly then stop.

Peak of the trail at 3,995m! Sylvia our amazing guide

Then suddenly, it was like we were in a Lords of the Rings movie set

Moss covered rocks

Still breathing...

These pretty things are called Globito "little balloons"

Lake of reeds, native to Peru and Bolivia, like those at Lake Titicaca and brought here by the Incas

One of many rest stops

The only other person we saw on our walk. A local fisherman who was so happy to show us his catch

Trout were a pest so he could take as much as he wanted

Nearing the home stretch

Our reward! Yummy chocolate cake and hot chocolate

The peak of the pass at 4,167m. On the other side, water flowed to the Pacific. On this side, water flowed to the Amazon River

Going all the way down. The first layer of clouds, created by the Andes blocking the rain/humidity from the warm Pacific

You can see the second layer of clouds

Our packed lunch

Up next...

Our room