Monday 10 April 2017

Santiago: a new beginning Part 2

The Yerba Loca Nature Sanctuary is located in the Central Andes to the east of Santiago, Chile, and only takes about an hour by car to get there. The forests, birds, and mountain chains give this place its unique natural features where you will find small forests with species like mountain cypresses, pines, poplars, elms, and ash trees - these have been artificially introduced in the country by the locals and Conaf, the entity in charge of protecting the Chilean forest. Yerba Loca is surrounded by two mountain chains, the highest peaks being El Altar and Los Piches, with 5.222 and 4.274 m respectively.

Being so close to Santiago means it is very popular with both campers and day visitors. The area is also great be both short and over night hiking. My main interest is birds and this area does not disappoint despite it being relatively dry and hot in summer. The broader area also allows for even more species, including the Andean condor.

A short visit of only 4 hours allowed me to get to know the area and very casual birding also provided a number of different lifers for me.



















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