Cajas National Park · Walking route

Cajas Route 8: Gran Osohuaycu

From the road at Luspa through the Osohuaycu area to Burines.

Mapped distance: 12.4 km
Walking time: 7 h 00ETAPA estimate for the full route
Difficulty: High
Average altitude: 3,946 m

The route

A long walk through the lake country south of Luspa. The mapped path finishes at the Burines junction with Routes 6 and 7; arrange your onward route and return before leaving.

Relief map of Ruta 8 · Gran Osohuaycu — Map: © OpenStreetMap · Relief: Copernicus

Highlight this route on the map

Elevation profile

≈ 3,756–4,104 m

Total gain: ≈ 630 m
Total loss: ≈ 490 m

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

4,150 m3,750 m

0 km6.2 km12.4 km

Approximate terrain elevation · Copernicus GLO-30

If returning along the same path

24.8 km · gain ≈ 1,130 m · loss ≈ 1,130 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.

Continue from Burines

Follow Route 6 from the junction to either road exit.

Download GPX

Carretera · LuspaStart
Laguna Luspa
Sector Osohuaycu
Cruce de BurinesEnd

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

More Cajas routes

1Nature and Human History5.5 km · 5 h 05 · Moderate
2Cerro San Luis Summit2.6 km · 3 h 50 · High
3Quinuas Valley7.9 km · 6 h 55 · Moderate
4Historic Paths3.6 km · 4 h 05 · Moderate
5Avilahuaycu Summit1.8 km · 6 h 20 · High
6Burines Valley6.1 km · 5 h 50 · High
7Inca Road and Great Lakes15 km · 14 h 10 · High
8Gran Osohuaycu12.4 km · 7 h 00 · High
9García Moreno Road1.6 km · 1 h 00 · 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 OSM paths named Ruta 8 from the road at Luspa, through the Osohuaycu area, to the junction with Routes 6 and 7 in Burines. ETAPA lists 15.78 km; the map distance covers this connected OSM alignment.

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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