A place to visit
In ite place there are several interesting places to visit, the most important ones being Villa Paulina, Piedra Carvajal, and the glaciers La Paloma and El Altar.
To visit the reserve safely and ecologically, you just have to go along the paths marked out by CONAF. The most interesting is the one leading to La Paloma and El Altar glaciers through Villa Paulina. It is a 14-kilometer way through the valley of Yerba Loca creek. Along the way, you can see the range limiting the hydrographic river basin, or the range El Plomo – La Parva to the east and Yerba Loca to the west.
The mounts of La Paloma, Falso Altar and El Altar (5,222 meters above sea level), located at the end of the valley, can be seen during the trek, but don’t get confused, El Altar mount can be seen only from Piedra Carvajal sector; the one in front of you along the way is is the Falso Altar.
The path follows the main water stream, called ‘Yerba Loca’, whose origin is located at 3,900 meters above sea level, at the foothills of ‘La Paloma’. Its waters contain a great amount of sulfates that not only give the water a turquoise color, but also make it not suitable to drink.
Its affluents are the brooks La Leonera and Chorrillo del Plomo, apart from the numberless springs flowing near the main stream, which not only add water, but also produce many waterfalls.
Basic Information
Location: Región Metropolitana, curve 15 on the road to Farellones.
How to get there: Leave Santiago heading East (Kennedy and Las Condes avenues), and take the road to Farellones, which is paved. On the curve 15 you will find the entrance to the sanctuary. From there it is another 4 kms to Villa Paulina.
When to go: Year round.
Activities: trekking, montaineering, wildlife observation, photography, horseback riding, ice climbing. Activity guide.
Climate: shortage of precipitacions, snow in winter, lasting until spring. The year average temperature is 14,4ºC until 1.500 msl. Above that heigh the temperature decreases progressively.
Services: campground, picnic areas.
What to do
Walking along the paths of the sanctuary, enjoying the exercise and the landscape seems to be the most common and relaxing choice. Another possibility is hiring horses and riding along the paths. It may be fun, amusing and relaxing.
On the other hand, mountaineering lovers consider the mounts of La Paloma and El Altar as interesting goals, not only to get to their summits, but also to climb their hanging glaciers.
Although it is true that the best time to visit the sanctuary is during spring time, fall and winter also have their charm. For all those who like snowy landscapes, snow can even cover the road into the park (and even farther), and the mean low temperatures may fall well below freezing, being the park closes when it is impossible to walk around.
The best time to visit Yerba Loca elapses between the December and March. The sector of Villa Paulina is really hot but the temperature decreases as you go up. Despite this, the sun rays are really dangerous at that height, so wearing sunscreen is highly recommended.
What to bring
If you are visiting the sanctuary during summer time, don’t forget to bring a good sunscreen lotion, SPF 30 minimum, light clothes, and trekking shoes.
Enough food and water (remember not to drink from Yerba Loca stream), cap, sunglasses, and warm clothes for the evenings or at higher altitudes.
If you go to the park in winter take everything mentioned above plus gloves and a parka.
Flora and Fauna
Because the altitudes at Yerba Loca range between 900 and 5,500 mts, there is a rich variety of flora is very rich (in fact, the sanctuary’s name belongs to a herb widely spread in the area). Up to 1,300 meters above sea level, there are some arboreal species such as bollen, litre, quillay and lun.
Between 1,300 and 2,000 meters above sea level, the olivillo of the cordillera is very common, though it is an endangered species in the Metropolitan Region. Apart from this, in Villa Paulina sector, there are small forests of foreign species (by inhabitants of this area as well as by CONAF), which have adapted to the Andean sector conditions. They comprise certain coniferous such as the cypresses, pines (oregon), poplars, elms and eucalyptus.
Doubtless, the presence of birds in the sanctuary is predominant. The most common species are the turtledoves (Zenaida Auriculata), and Peuco (Parabuteo unicinctus) and kestrels among the birds of prey. At a higher altitude, eagles and condors dominate the skies.
The rest of the representatives of the animal kingdom, among mammals and reptiles, is not so abundant. The family of mammals with the biggest number of inhabitants is the rodents, being the representative species the cururo, the degu (Octodon degus) and Darwin’s long-eared mouse. Although is not uncommon to see gray foxes (Dusycion Griseus) around.
Recommendations
The weather in the Metropolitan Region is temperate with rains in winter and very dry summers. The average annual temperature is around 20 ° C. In winter is around 8 ° C and in summer temperatures easily surpass 30 ° C. It’s important to be well hydrated and apply sunscreen
Do not litter on parks or streets. Taking care of our environment is everyone's responsibility. Avoid fines by following the rules.
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