Travel Guide Santuario De La Naturaleza Yerba Loca

This park, created in 1973, is one of the best preserved in the Andes. It covers 39,000 hectares and will charm hikers looking for a good dose of fresh air: located in a beautiful valley, the sanctuary is home to pine forests, rivers, hiking trails and a local fauna just as amazing: here, you can admire the condors soaring overhead! The park can be explored by day or over several days, and you can sleep at the base camp of Villa Paulina. It is the rallying point for visitors, with a picnic area, an arboretum and a campground. At the time of the Spanish conquest, the people of the region were the Chiquillanes and Picunche, and you can appreciate archaeological remains dating back about 6,000 years. Mountain ranges dominate the landscape, including the Cerro La Paloma, the highest point covered with snow all year round. The flora is made up of Andean xerophilous vegetation, up to 1,300 m in altitude. There are forests of mountain cypress, Oregon pine, poplar, elm and ash, all introduced species. Then, up to 2,000 m, the olive tree of the cordillera shows a transitional vegetation. From 2,000 to 4,000 m, the landscape gradually changes to resemble the high Andean steppes.