El Cajas National Park     El Cajas is easily visited as the main highway from Cuenca to Guayaquil crosses the park and reaches its highest point at 4000m before dropping down to the coast. This high altitude region of 3000m to 4500m boasts of over 250 small lakes and ponds being therefore an important water source. Those lakes are also ideal for raising trout and sport fishing is allowed in them. Toreadora is one of the largest lakes and situated at the main entrance to the park but many more can be admired form high above. One of the most interesting high mountain plants to be seen are the puya bromeliads. Their hairy flower spike can grow up to 3m  and support many colorful flowers, sitting  in the protected wool. Although that high up the paramo supports still many tiny but beautiful flowers, often growing low on the ground or in more protected areas on lower shrubs. Gentian is a family of flowering plants found in all the major mountain ranges of the world. Those tiny beautiful gentians are classified as Genciana sedifolia and always grow together in bunches. Polylepis trees, also locally known as Arbol de Papel or paper tree because of their papery bark is one of the highest altitude growing tree in the world. In Ecuador you can still find them over 4000m but in Bolivia they might range up to 5000m. Many birds still inhabit the paramo region like the Blue-mantled Thornbill, a hummingbird, Paramo Ground-Tyrant and the Giant Conebill. El Cajas is an older area of the Andes without any active volcanoes. The   peaks are already more eroded and thus lower. The region is great for hiking and trekking with the drier season in August and September.

Facts   Location: Provinces of Azuay Area: 28 808 ha Time of Creation: July 26th of 1979 Administration: INEFAN (National Parks of Ecuador) Borders: North:  Lagunas Diabloscocha, Estrellacocha and Paicacocha, Cerro Cajuco West:  Tigranaloma, Arquitecto and Quebrada Playa Encantada South: Cerro Yanahurco and Rio Angas East:   Quebradas Taquiurco, Patoquinuas, Corazon de Maria Altitudes: 3000m to 4500m Precipitations: 1000mm - 1800mm Temperatures: 3-18°C Ecosystems: bmhM, bhM, bmhSA, bpSA