Cajas National Park
Cajas National Park | ||
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A lagoon in El Cajas | ||
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Location: | Azuay , Ecuador | |
Surface: | 288.08 km² | |
Founding: | 5th November 1996 | |
Cajas National Park |
The National Park Cajas ( Spanish Parque Nacional El Cajas ) is a 28,808 hectare national park in the highlands of Ecuador . It lies between 3100 m and 4450 m above sea level. The hilly landscape offers tundra vegetation and has around 270 lakes and lagoons. It is located over 30 km west of Cuenca , the capital of the Azuay province .
The area was declared a protected area in 1977 and designated as a national park on November 5, 1996. As a Ramsar wetland , it has international significance and is classified as an Important Bird Area .
An old Inca road, which has largely remained in its original state, crosses the park. It connected the city of Tumipampa , today's Cuenca, with Paredones , a now in ruins checkpoint for trade between the highlands and the coastal region, located in the area of today's Molleturo along the road that crosses the Cajas and then to Naranjal in the Coastal region leads.
Traces of 96 pre-Inca Kañari villages were also found.
The national park offers protection for a variety of endemic and endangered animals. Of particular note are the Andean Condor , of which there are in Ecuador only 80, the carunculated caracara , a large black-and-white bird of prey , Tapaculos , Schopfkarakaras , ocher-cheeked formicariidae ( Grallaria quitensis ), the giant hummingbird , the only agave lives blossoms, and hummingbird violet-throated glossy tail ( Metallura baroni ) endemic in the Cajas National Park . Other species found in the national park are spectacled bear , mountain tapir , puma , ocelot , northern tiger cat ( tigrillo ), toucans , foxes and rabbits .