Cajas National Park · Walking route

Cajas Route 7: Inca Road and Great Lakes

From Luspa through Burines and Mamamag toward Llaviucu.

Mapped distance: 15.04 km
Walking time: 14 h 10ETAPA estimate for the full route
Difficulty: High
Average altitude: 3,465 m

The route

A long crossing through the heart of the park. The highlighted path ends above Llaviucu. Plan the full itinerary and return transport with the park staff before setting out.

Relief map of Ruta 7 · Camino del Inca y Lagunas Mayores — Map: © OpenStreetMap · Relief: Copernicus

Elevation profile

≈ 3,166–4,025 m

Total gain: ≈ 510 m
Total loss: ≈ 1,170 m

In the direction shown below. Walking in reverse swaps gain and loss.

4,050 m3,150 m

0 km7.5 km15.0 km

Approximate terrain elevation · Copernicus GLO-30

If returning along the same path

30.08 km · gain ≈ 1,690 m · loss ≈ 1,690 m

These totals include walking the highlighted path both ways. For a crossing, arrange onward travel from the end.

By car, allow time to get back to your parking place. By bus, plan your finishing stop and the last service before setting out.

Highlight this route on the map

Mapped OSM path: 15 km. Map sources and distance differences

Laguna LuspaStart
Valle de Burines
Laguna Mamamag
Sector alto de LlaviucuEnd

Before you walk

Register at the control
Ask which way the route is marked that day, and stay on it.
Start early
No walk may start or continue after 16:00.
Dress for cold and rain
Warm waterproof layers, good shoes, water and food. The weather changes fast at this altitude.
Stay out of the lakes
Swimming and wading are not allowed.

Getting there: Start in the Luspa area. Plan your walk back or transport from the finish before setting out. Transport and registration

The other Cajas routes

Route 1
Nature and Human History
Lakes, woodland and a historic road on one loop.
5.5 km · Moderate
Route 2
Cerro San Luis Summit
Short and steep, to a summit above 4,000 m.
2.6 km · High
Route 3
Quinuas Valley
A full day of páramo and lakes.
7.9 km · Moderate
Route 4
Historic Paths
From Tres Cruces past Larga and Togllacocha.
3.6 km · Moderate
Route 5
Avilahuaycu Summit
A summit climb, returning the same way.
1.8 km · High
Route 6
Burines Valley
Cucheros, the Burines valley and Caballo Shayana.
6.1 km · High
Route 8
Gran Osohuaycu
From Luspa through Osohuaycu to Burines.
12.4 km · High
Route 9
García Moreno Road
A walk along the historic García Moreno road.
1.6 km · Moderate

Compare all nine routes →

Plan your visit

Sources

Path and distance from OpenStreetMap, checked 16 October 2026. Route name, difficulty, average altitude and estimated walking time from ETAPA; its published distance may differ.

The highlight follows the connected OSM Ruta 7 paths from Luspa, through Burines and past Mamamag, to the end of the named path above Llaviucu. It uses the shorter named branch east of Luspa and two mapped connecting paths. ETAPA lists 18.49 km for its full route; the final descent to Llaviucu is not included in this match.

OSM paths checked 16 October 2026. The 2012 ETAPA guide covers Routes 1–6.

Elevation profiles use Copernicus GLO-30 terrain, approximately 31 m resolution, sampled every 50 m or less and smoothed over three samples. Gain and loss sum the changes within each section and are rounded to 10 m. Disconnected sections remain separate; gaps add no distance or elevation change.

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