Cuenca is having a busy stretch. Ecuador's southern highland city just marked the 30th anniversary of Cajas National Park, is hosting an international feminist film festival, and has new credit card regulations that quietly make life easier for anyone paying by card in the country.
Start with the park. Cajas was declared a national park on 5 November 1996, after two decades under a lighter recreation-area designation. It covers 28,544 hectares of páramo, forest and lakes just above Cuenca, and it's the main water source for the city and the wider Azuay province. The anniversary came with renewed commitments from the Cuenca fire department, which maintains special brigades to prevent and fight forest fires in the reserve. For visitors, it remains one of Ecuador's easiest high-altitude hikes — an easy day trip from the city, with cold, changeable weather to plan for.
Culture lovers have better timing than they might think. The eighth edition of the EQUIS International Feminist Film Festival runs in Cuenca from 17 to 22 November, screening 17 films from 13 countries. The opener is Being Maria (France, 2024), Jessica Palud's film about actress Maria Schneider, which played at Cannes; Animale, Emma Benestan's genre-blending fantasy-horror, follows on the 18th. A family-friendly selection of six short films screens on the 21st at Teatro Pumapungo. Anyone in town that week can also catch the free Festival de Videoarte at the University of Cuenca's Casa de los Arcos on the 11th, featuring award-winning experimental video work by Ecuadorian artists.
Practical note for travellers: Ecuador's financial regulator has issued rules meaning merchants must charge the same price for card and cash payments, with no surcharges or loyalty-program pressure. New cards will ship without printed numbers or CVV codes, issuers must offer real-time fraud alerts, easy card blocking, 24/7 support and refunds for fraudulent transactions after a card is reported stolen. Processing companies must pay merchants within five working days, and exclusivity deals between businesses and card brands are banned. Enforcement on small merchants may take time, but it's a consumer-friendly shift worth knowing about.
One thing to watch if you're in Ecuador this month: President Daniel Noboa has taken a two-week leave of absence (12–26 November) to campaign for his ADN party ahead of local elections on 29 November, with Vice President María José Pinto stepping in. Expect campaign activity and possible road closures or gatherings in city centres. Separately, the IESS social security agency has warned of increased flu, bronchitis and pneumonia risk during El Niño conditions, and Azuay province is rolling out 150,000 flu vaccine doses for children and seniors — pack layers and a rain shell. Also of note: charter flights planned between Cuenca and Chiclayo, Peru were cancelled due to low demand, though work to make Cuenca's Mariscal La Mar airport international continues.
For anyone planning a Cuenca trip in late November, the film festival alone is a good excuse — combine it with a hike in Cajas and you've got a genuinely full few days.
