The Soldados Route with the Local Community

Soldados, a valley of glacial origin, southwest of Cuenca. The name identifies a hill at 3,954 meters above sea level on the southern border of Cajas National Park, a river, a community, a moorland, and an hacienda. All with exceptional attractions. Especially the landscape. 

The toponym Soldados has its origin in some stones in a vertical position that seem to be soldiers in formation and in uniform, which are found in the mountain of the same name, according to the inhabitants of the sector. Soldados borders the Nudo de El Cajas mountain range. Its landscape is dominated by high and steep mountains. The vegetation is of herbaceous moor, Andean forest and chaparro forest.

In the community of Soldados live 40 families organized around a church and central square. They are farmers and cattle ranchers by tradition. They have found in community tourism and the sale of handicrafts a new source of income. 

For tourism there are several options. Hiking or horseback riding with native guides to the 7 lakes of Estrella Cocha. You can also ride or walk to the lagoons that give rise to the Yanuncay River, in the Gal-Gal sector. There you can visit a cave and the polylepis forest. Landscape photography is another option. It is 2 days of camping. 

Dozens of cyclists pedal on the weekends to visit the town of Soldados and the parish tourist circuit "San Joaquín-Río Yanuncay Route". During the tour, 20 restaurants and typical food stores serve the visitor. An obligatory stop is the Ecomuseum of the Yanuncay, with six rooms that exhibit 5,000 wooden sculptures and stone collections. You can also visit a chocolate factory, the basket workshop or the orchards of the Agricultural Producers Association. There are places to buy farm eggs, raw milk and cheese. 

There is a lookout point at Verde Llano, which can be reached after a three-hour walk through forests that are home to a diversity of flora and fauna. Included in the route are the thermal pools of San Vicente, where sport fishing is practiced, and the thermal waters of Pumamaqui.