Birdwatching Tour in Cajas National Park from Cuenca
Overview
Available languages
8 hours
Mobile ticket
The park is located only 45 minutes from Cuenca. This lagoon system, with over 230 lakes, invites you to enjoy one of the nicest landscapes in South America. There are different ecosystems such as: Andean Mountain forest, Polylepis forest, paramo or grassland. You will have the chance to spot many interesting birds, even the endemic hummingbird of Cajas - the “Violet Throated Metaltail”- one of the most important birds in Ecuador. Also, on this tour you will see the beautiful Tit Like Dacnis, Blue Mantled Thornbill, Stout Billed Cinclodes, Tawny Antpitta, Spectacled Whitestar, Tyrian Metaltail, Gray Breasted Mountain Toucan, Andean Guan, and so much more.
Additional Info
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Minimum age is 12 years
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
El Cajas National Park
El Cajas National Park has different ecosystems as a moorland, high grassland or paramo, cloudy forest, polylepis forest, which allows us to offer the following program. Pick up in your hotel or residence in Cuenca to go to the middles part of the park, approx 3800masl (12800 ft). Here we can see birds like: • Tufted Tit Tyrant • Variable Hawk • Red Rumped Bush Tyrant • Plain Colored Seedeater • Aandean Rudy Duck • Tit Like Dacnis • Stout Billed Cinclodes • Bar Winged Cilclodes • Brown Back Chat Tyrant • Many Striped Canastero • Aandean Tit Spinetail • Blue Mantled Thornbill • Ecuadorian Hillstar • Giant Conebill • Violet Throated Metaltail (Endemic) • Tawny Antpita After lunch proceed to visit the lowest part, Llaviuco Valley located 3200masl (10500 ft). In this beautiful valley you can see birds like: • Masked Trogon • Gray Breasted Mountain Toucan • Turquoise Jay • Black Flowerpierced • Grass Wren • Black Crested Warbler • Brown Bellied Swallow • Tyrian Metaltail • Rainbow Starfrontlet • Shining Sunbeam... and more!This tour will end with your hotel drop-off in Cuenca.
What‘s Included
Box lunch or Lunch
Pick up (hotels or apartments)
Binoculars (please ask for these in advance)
Private transportation
Bird list of the area
Bilingual birdwatcher tour guide
Personal expenses
Tips
Gratuities
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
Private tour
Option for people who prefer to carry out this activity according to their requirements.
Pickup included
Group tour
option for people who don´t mind sharing with other birders.
Pickup included
Reviews
55 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Search for endemic species and specialties PN Cajas
biancabT802QI,Mar 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Of the best tour I've ever had. He knows the area and the birds well. In one day you can observe many of the endemic and special birds of the area.
Beautiful park with an excellent Birding Guide
brendah161,Feb 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was a rainy day in Cajas NP but Eddy’s expertise made the day amazing. He can hear and see the birds quickly and ensures you see them too. Eddy shared information about the park, the bird list and fantastic photos. Pictures don’t do the park justice, you have to see the beauty yourself.
Great Birding Tour
B3170VUjackt,Feb 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Eddy is a great guide! Very helpful getting onto the bird and very friendly. He came prepared with food and drinks if needed and he is very flexible! Saw more than expected and had a great time while doing so!
Cajas
V641SOstephenp,Feb 14, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great trip to the Cajas. Seen many species. Highly recommend.
Top bird guide for Parque Nacional Cajas
PK1953,Feb 8, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00When you get up before dawn on a cold and soggy Saturday, you can only hope that a day trip to El Cajas National Park goes as planned. We could not have done better by booking with Edison Juca & Polylepis Tours as our guide. With decades of personal knowledge, Edison (Eddy) knew every spot in Caja National Park as a bird guide and naturalist. He also had the education/training to back up his field experience. So, yes, under lousy conditions (rain, fog and chilly cold) we saw nearly 3 dozen species, including target birds -- plus we heard the noisy Turquoise Jay. Cajas's weather is notoriously unpredictable, but Eddy anticipated an incoming downpour in time to find us shelter so that we could continue birding. We expect that any booking with Polylepis Tours would be equally successful.
Excellent bird tour.
Becca G8,Jan 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Edison is a very experienced bird guide and also a nice person! He took me on a tour of Cajas National Park to see Andean birds including endemics. He knows just where to look, including side roads and private properties. At the end we had a delicious grilled trout lunch by a warm fire. Dress in layers, it is cold at high elevations and rain is possible.
Wonderful Bird Photography Day Trip in El Cajas
eliassix,Jan 12, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I had a spare day in Cuenca and decided to go on a private birding photography tour in El Cajas National Park with Polylepis Tours. Right from the first contact, Edison was very clear and correct in his pre-tour communication. He answered every question clearly and timely, so the contents of the tour were completely clear to me before departure. On the day of the tour, Edison arrived in time for the pickup and gave a short briefing while also inquiring about my expectations. A tour tailored to photographers or birders is a very different thing and it's important to get on the same line. Edison is an experienced guide and great person to be around. For people who struggle with Spanish, he also speaks English very well. Throughout the day we visited a couple of locations looking for specific species. Edison made sure to explain very well which birds to expect (based on the vegetation and altitude) and kept us informed. He adapted to unexpected conditions, for example it was a very warm day in El Cajas, so most of the birds remained in the shadow. This means lighting for proper photography isn’t optimal, so Edison promptly proposed to focus on unique hummingbird species, which are less affected by the weather. He also tailored the pace to whatever I wanted or needed. If I wanted to stick around to photograph an individual hummingbird, he let me. If I wanted to move on to the next location, he also let me. All the while explaining the reasoning and expectations from a guides point of view. I don’t have a single complaint about the day trip and thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, all the locations we visited can also be visited without a guide as well, but if you’re looking for a natural guide, it's because you already know there’s so much more to see when someone with knowledge of the ecosystem, habitat and species is around to help. On top of the great experience, the included lunch was delicious as well. In summary, Edison went above and beyond to provide a tailor-made experience. In nature, there’s always factors you can’t control, but I feel happy and confident that we managed to explore and see as much as the day allowed. I have no problem to highly recommend Polylepis Tours to anyone looking for a similar experience. For any guided activity do keep in mind that in nature and wildlife, no sightings or photos can be guaranteed. Always focus on the experience, guide interaction and tour contents over actual results.
Great Birding and Gorgeous View
Jimmy L,Dec 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We went with Eddie to El Cajas for bird watching. He guided us to places not just Cajas, but also nearby areas where different targets are. He knows exactly where birds are in the region. Besides birds, Cajas is a fantastic place for hiking and sightseeing. Lakes are the best in Ecuador. Very enjoyable trip.
Fantastic tour of beautiful Cajas National Park and great success finding and photographing birds
damonacole,Dec 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a fantastic day tip to Cajas National Park with Edison of Polylepis Tours. I was mainly looking for the amazing local species; we found them and with some persistence got excellent photos. Also greatly enjoyed Edison's knowledge of the local legends, geography, and especially the flora. As a bonus, I ran into Edison the next day when I was looking for the Purple-throated Sunangel and he was able to tell me the exact tree to stake out. What a hero! Very highly recommend a tour with Edison.
Unforgettable Birding Day in Cajas National Park with Eddie – Highly Recommend!
BarkerSoccerBoys,Dec 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My friend and I spent an absolutely fantastic day birdwatching in the breathtaking Cajas National Park with Edison (Eddie) as our private guide, and it was hands-down one of the best experiences of our entire trip to Ecuador. Eddie is an outstanding guide – incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and patient. His ability to spot and identify birds (even the tiniest, fastest hummingbirds!) is nothing short of magical. Thanks to his expertise and perfectly chosen spots, we were lucky enough to see several rare and dazzling hummingbird species, along with many other high-altitude Andean specialties we’d only dreamed of seeing. He’s equally impressive when it comes to plants and the whole páramo ecosystem – every question we had was answered in detail. We arranged the tour on a national holiday because of our tight schedule, and Eddie happily accommodated us without hesitation (and the price remained very fair and excellent value for a full private day). We started at 6 a.m. and finished around 4 p.m., with exactly the right amount of gentle-to-moderate hiking based on what we felt like doing – no pressure at all, just pure enjoyment. Eddie’s English is flawless, which made the whole day even more enjoyable – he shared stories, conservation, insights, and plenty of laughs along the way. To top it all off, he took us to an amazing family-run trout restaurant – the perfect way to end a perfect day. If you love birds, nature, or just want an authentic, personalized experience in one of Ecuador’s most stunning national parks, book with Eddie. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide – he made our day in Cajas truly memorable. Thank you, Eddie – we hope to bird with you again someday! (Private birding tour – full day – Cajas National Park)
From US$99.99
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