On the last day of our guided tour, we asked the tour company to drop us off at Guayaquil as we were taking a flight to Bogota, Colombia in the evening to to begin our next adventure.
El Cajas National Park – 33 km to the northwest of the city of Cuenca, this National Park has more than 235 lakes, and is one of the most scenic of the 45 national parks of Ecuador. It Is the most visited National Park in the South of Ecuador. We stopped at lake Toreadora which is the third largest lake in the park. We walked a bit around the lake enjoying the amazing scenery, flora, and Polylepis forest. We then visited an interpretive center which has some good info on the plants, birds, and community that live there.
El Cajas National Park, Polylepis forest – The Polylepis tree, also called Paper Tree, is indigenous to the high Andes and can be found at high altitudes well over 4000 meters and is one of the flora species the Cajas park is known for.
Our next stop was a brief one, an overlook in the town of Mollaturo to admire the majestic cloud covered Andes mountain and the valley below.
We had lunch after which we visited a cacao farm where we saw/participated in the making of chocolate. Below is a video/picture of the steps in making chocolate.
We were dropped off at Guayaquil airport after 3pm. Our visit to Ecuador ended here. It was a memorable trip and I would recommend every one who love travelling and experiencing different culture, to visit this country at least once in your lifetime.