In Chile’s remote north is a pristine wonderland, waiting to be explored. Lauca National Park has so many picture-perfect scenes of volcanoes, mineral lakes, and unique wildlife that you will quickly fill your camera’s memory card. Let’s take a look at this special park in northern Chile.
Lauca National Park
The twin volcanoes, Parinacota and Pomerape, are the park’s main features, but as we found, there is so much more to see. Lauca National Park is located on the Altiplano, a high alpine plateau that stretches between northern Chile, most of Bolivia and southern Peru. Located near Chile’s tri-border with Bolivia and Peru, these lands are not often seen by foreigners, which makes them even more special.
Bofedal Wetlands
Once we climbed above the hills near Putre, we reached a flat plain at 4,385m (14,400ft). It welcomed us with sweeping views of the colourful mountains on one side and the twin volcanoes on the other. The valley around Putre is like a desert, but on the Altiplano, there is more vegetation, a sign that it receives more precipitation, especially in the summer.
Our first stop was at the Bofedal Wetlands. Since we visited before the rainy season, it was fairly dry, and we could walk between the rocks to explore this strange land. As we did, the twin volcanoes, Parinacota and Pomerape, kept a watchful eye over our shoulder.
We had seen these volcanoes from the other side in Bolivia’s Sajama National Park a couple of years ago. Now seeing them from the Chilean side, we noticed a much different landscape at their base.
You can read about Sajama in our post Llamas, Alpacas and Volcanoes in Sajama.
The mineral lake in the centre of the wetlands fills with water from December to February, so our visit in November meant the water level was very low. This worked to our advantage because it was the perfect depth for Andean and Chilean Flamingos.
Not only were there flamingos, but we saw dozens of viscachas scampering between the rocks. These rodents look a little like rabbits, but are more closely related to chinchillas. The ones in Lauca are mountain viscachas, which only live above 4,000 m (13,100 ft).
Chungará Lake
One of the best viewpoints of Parinacota Volcano is from Chungará Lake on its other side. As we looked up at the dusting of snow on the volcanoes, we were told that it had snowed the day before. Two days earlier, the volcanoes were brown, so we felt very fortunate to have them glistening with snow.
In the mornings, Chungará Lake is often flat, allowing it and the other volcanoes to perfectly reflect off its surface. Between the new snow and the mirror lake, it is a breathtaking scene.
In addition to being treated to these gorgeous views, the high-altitude lake is also home to a variety of waterbirds such as Andean Geese, Puna Teal and Flamingos. We wondered how they could survive at 4,517 m (14,800 ft).
The most interesting birds were the Giant Coots. Their laughing call, horned beak and island nests made it exciting to see them.
We should have also been able to see Nevado Sajama in the distance, but unfortunately, it was covered in clouds. We saw the volcano in Bolivia, a couple of years earlier. The second picture below is from Bolivia’s Sajama National Park. You’ll notice that the skies were much nicer when we visited Sajama, but it was in August, so it was very cold.
One of the cutest animals in the park is the vicuña. We have seen them many times, but it is always a treat. They are the oldest and smallest of the camelids in South America, and like the viscachas, they only live above 4,000 m.
Cotacotani Lagoons
Not far away from Chungará Lake is another wetland. Its four separate lagoons are connected by channels. The undulating ground was formed when volcanic eruptions left dozens of islands in the lagoons. In addition to admiring the view, we also noticed a few interesting plants near the lagoons.
Las Cuevas
Named after the caves (cuevas) in the cliffs, a short walk takes you through another wetlands region of the park. Some of the caves have evidence of pre-Hispanic occupation, but the best reason to visit is to see more adorable viscachas.
Puebla Parincota
The final stop that most make in the park is to Puebla Parincota. It’s almost a ghost town now, with a population of two, but it was once a busy place. During the Spanish rule, the puebla was on the road between the silver mines of Potosi and the port in Arica. As a result, it saw a lot of traffic and acquired a lot of wealth. Today, however, almost all that remains of the community is its church.
The local Aymara people built a small church after they converted to Christianity, but as the trade route became busier, the Spanish moved in, and so a larger church was required. Most of the building supplies were locally sourced. For example, the roof and pillars were made from queuña trees, while the buttresses are volcanic rock. As well, the roof is covered in tussock grass and tortora reeds from the lakes.
The church is a little unusual because it blends Aymara traditions with Christian beliefs. For instance, the bell tower represents the male phallic symbol, and the church entrance symbolizes women.
Although not many live in the village, there are several llama farms in the area. Unlike vicuñas and guanacos, llamas do not live in the wild. Llamas are descended from the wild guanacos and are mostly raised for their wool, but sadly, also for their meat.
How to visit Lauca National Park
Unless you have a car, the only way to visit Lauca is on a tour. There are very few visitors to this area, so most will be private tours. Our guide Pablo Lopez from Aventura Putre York was excellent, and we highly recommend them.
Tips For Visiting Lauca National Park
- When to visit – The warmest weather is from late January until mid March, but the highest chance of rain is in January and February. Winter will be cold and many of the mountain roads will be snow covered.
- Elevation – Putre is located at 3,500 m (11,500 ft), and Lauca National Park is above 4,000 m (13,125 ft). These high elevations mean you need to acclimatize. Either do this by visiting other places, such as San Pedro de Atacama first, or plan to spend your first few days in Putre. To help prevent altitude sickness, stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water; many recommend 3 litres a day. The elevation also means that nights will be chilly, but the sun is intense during the day.
- Money – There is no ATM in Putre, but businesses operate in cash, so bring enough to last the duration of your stay.
For information on where to stay and how to get to Putre, please visit our post Putre In Chile’s Remote North.
Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Chile.
To read more of our adventures in Chile, click here.
Coming Next – What To See in Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui
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