Lauca National Park Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Lauca National Park is an 1379 km² protected area in Northern Chile. It's in the Andean range and is characterized by volcanic mountains. It's also a good place to spot many typically Andean animals, from alpacas and llamas to flamingos and – if you're lucky – condors.

The park's highlights include Lake Chungará, an emerald-green lake framed by the snowy peaks of Payachatas; the Tambo de Chungará, an archaeological site; Parinacota, a 17th-century indigenous colonial architectural ensemble; the Cotacotani lagoons, interconnected waters; Chucuyo, a village of adobe houses with thatched roofs; the Rocky Refuge and Incaic Chacus Las Cuevas, archaeological sites; Las Cuevas hot springs, bubbling waters at 31°C; the Lauca River, near the Chapiquiña and Milagro hills; and the Parinacota marshland.

The park was opened in 1965 and is 1,379 km² (532 sq mi) in size.

Mainly altoplano and mountains, the latter consisting mainly of enormous volcanoes. There are also several lagoons and one of the highlights of the park is the lake Chungará.

Vicuñas, vizcachas, alpacas, llamas, guanacos. There are 140 species of birds like puna ibis, Andean goose, giant coot, puna tinamou, silvery grebe, crested duck, puna teal, Andean condor and Chilean flamingo.

The day temperatures are between 5–20 °C. The nights can be very cold (down to -15 °C).

• conaf.cl (official website; Spanish only)

A popular way to enter the park is to head for Putre first. At just 12 km from the park, this is a good place to get acclimatized to the altitude.

If you want to go on our own, you can take a Bus Arica-La Paz and hop off at the CONAF station at the Chungará lake close before the Bolivian border.

Because the international Route 11 runs through the park you can also try your luck with hitchhiking.

You can book a tour from Arica or Putre. The tours are from one to three days. Before booking a one day tour be aware that the park is at 4500 m.

The park is free.

• -18.2425-69.15251 Lago Chungará. One of the highest lakes in the world (4,520 m). It offers a spectacular view and has plenty of wildlife. (updated Jul 2023)
• -18.1879-69.22182 Laguana de Cotacotani. A group of very nice lagoons. (updated Jul 2023)
• Volcanoes – There are several volcanoes inside the park and most of them are higher than 6,000 m (20,000 ft). The highest and most spectacular one is -18.165753-69.1416113 Vulcán Parinacota (6,342 m).
• -18.2021-69.26824 Parinacota. Visit this small village with its nice old church. (updated Jul 2023)

Hiking, climbing, enjoying the landscape and the silence (a bit off the road of course).

There is a restaurant at the international road in a village called -18.2162-69.29511 Chucuyo. It serves basic menus, mainly for the truckers.

A second option is the restaurant in the village of Parinacota, but it might have closed.

• The CONAF-station at the lake offers 4 basic beds (5,000 pesos).
• There is a hospedaje in Parinacota, but don't count that it is open for sure. Some of the inhabitants of the village offer private accommodation as well.

There is a small camping site just near the CONAF-station.

• -18.633333-69.21 Las Vicuñas National Reserve. Its neighbour to the south, for further exploration. (updated Jul 2023)