Lauca National Park

Understand

This park is located at very high elevetion, around 4,500 meters above sea level. 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.

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

Landscape Alpine tundra and snowcapped mountains, the latter consisting mainly of enormous volcanoes. Some areas are basically deserts, while there are also wetlands and several lakes, with one of the highlights of the park being Lake Chungará.

Flora and fauna

The flagship large animal here is the vicuñas, which is the closest wild relative of the alpaca (but always slender and short-haired with reddish brown above and white below). They can be seen in small groups all over the park, and are hard to miss if you're looking at all. Herds of domestic llamas and alpacas are also present in the lowest part of the park and near some of the human settlements. Less commonly seen are guanacos, the closest wild relative of the llama, which look similar to vicuñas but bigger, with longer ears and contrastingly gray faces. Another reliable mammals is the Mountain Viscacha, a rabbit-sized relative of the chinchilla. There are usually several of them near the beginning of the Las Cuevas trail, which is also a good place to see vicuñas relatively close. Also commonly seen here is the very cute Bolivian Big-eared Mouse. The park is also great for birdwatching. The most accessible highlights are flamingos, mostly Chilean Flamingos with some Andean Flamingos around too. One of the best areas to see

Getting there

By car In theory, the park is only about a 3-hour drive from Arica, a straight shot up Highway 11, which is also the main route from Arica to Bolivia. However, it is not uncommon to be delayed about an hour for roadwork along the way, and at times the road might be closed all afternoon - try to find out about scheduled work before planning the drive. There is no fuel station between Arica and the park, or in the park itself. If you end up running low, ask around in Putre and someone can probably sell you some from a jerry-can (be aware though that it's reportedly illegal to carry containers of fuel inside your car). A common plan would be to first drive up to Putre and spend the night there. At just 12 km from the park and 3,500 meters above sea level, this is a good place to get acclimatized to the altitude and an easy base for driving into the park.

By bus All buses heading from Arica to La Paz, which leave from the International Terminal just east of Arica's main bus terminal, pass right through the middle of the park. Most will probably allow you to get off at places within the park itself, but ask the driver first, and be aware that you won't likely be within walking distance of anywhere you can spend the night. On the other hand, if you take a morning bus you'll likely be able to get lots of great views just passing through on the way to Bolivia, especially if you sit on the lefthand side. A better plan might be to just get to Putre town first, where there are several hotels and guesthouses. The Arica-La Paz buses don't pass right through the town, but will almost always be willing to drop you off at the junction, which they call "Alto Putre". From here it's a 5km, mostly-downhill walk into town. There is also a bus that leaves Arica's regular bus terminal directly to Putre town at 6:50am every day, and leaves from Putre back to Arica at 3pm (April 2025). However, be aware that it's not easy to get into Lauca National Park from Putre without a car (see "G

Getting around

By car Driving is the only convenient way to get around the park. Driving from Putre to the far end of the park takes an hour or so without stops. Remember there are no fuel stations (see "Get in"). Highway 11, which is entirely paved except for a few very short rough spots, will get you to the majority of sites of interest, and there are a few paved side roads going off of it too. Going further afield may require 4-wheel-drive vehicle and careful planning.

By foot The park is too big to walk from place to place, unless you're an experience thru-hiker with cold-weather camping equipment. The park is 55 kilometers across along the main road, and temperatures usually drop below freezing at night. However, there are various routes you might take for day hikes, all the way down to the easy 1km loop at Las Cuevas. And walking along the highway isn't too bad - traffic is sparse and there's a good shoulder - it just won't likely get you anywhere in particular within a few hours.

By thumb It is possible to hitchhike into and around the park, but not exactly easy, and potentially dangerous if you don't have cold-weather camping equipment: Even much of the main highway is far out of walking range of shelter, and traffic can be very sparse (sometimes up to two hours at a time with zero vehicles passing). The park is windy, and temperatures drop below freezing night - think hard about it, and give yourself lots of time.

From Putre Note that if you're staying in Putre town (which you'll probably be doing), it's a 1-1.5 hour uphill walk to the main highway where most longer-distance rides will be. It is possible to hitchhike up this road too, of course, but again, traffic can be quite sparse.

By bus There are no local public buses that run in the park, only tour buses and long-distance Arica-La Paz buses passing through. The latter may drop you off or pick you up within the park, but are unlikely to want to give you a short ride from one part of the park to another

See

1 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) 2 Lagunas 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 3 Vulcán Parinacota (6,342 m). 4 Parinacota. Visit this small village with its nice old church. (updated Jul 2023)

Do

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

Wildlife watching. Lauca is an especially good place to see high Andean wildlife, with vicuñas, viscachas, and flamingos all being pretty reliable, and quite good birding overall. For more details, including tips on where to see them, see "Flora and fauna" under the "Understand" section above. (updated Apr 2025) Hot springs. There are at least two hot springs with small constructed pools for bathing. One is on the Las Cuevas