Embedded in the Central Andean Cordillera, Yerba Loca Nature Sanctuary has a surface of 39 thousand hectares, of which 11,575 are taken care by the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf). This sheltered area has several attractive places, among them Villa Paulina, Piedra Carvajal and La Paloma and El Altar glaciers.

Beyond the administration sector, there are 4 km of gravel track in relatively good condition before one gets to the place known as Villa Paulina. Here are the campsites, the fundamental services and picnic areas with tables, benches, small ovens and parking.

To visit the reserve safely, one must follow the pathways signaled by Conaf. The most motivating one is that which leads from Villa Paulina to La Paloma and El Altar Glaciers. It is a 14 km walk across the Yerba Loca estuary. Along the way one may admire the ranges of hills limiting the estuary on both sides: the El Plomo-La Parva range on the east and the Yerba Loca range on the west.

At the foot of the estuary canyon and forming a backdrop to the trek are the peaks of La Paloma, El Falso Altar and El Altar (5222 meters altitude). However, El Altar only comes to view after one has climbed to the top of Piedra Carvajal, and the mountain you see first is the Falso Altar.

The pathway follows the main watercourse up stream, this is the Yerba Loca, whose source is at 3,900 meters altitude, on the slopes of Mt La Paloma. Its waters contain large quantities of sulfate, which give it a deep turquoise color while making it unfit for use as drinking water.

Its tributaries are the streams La Leonera and Chorrillo del Plomo ,as well as a number of springs that well up near the main river bed contributing water volume and forming numerous cascades.

Since the Yerba Loca area varies in altitude from 900 to 5,500 meters, the flora is richly varied (actually, the Sanctuary's name derives from a herb which is found in great quantities in the area). Forestry species such as bollen, litre, quillay and lun are abundant up to 1,300 meters altitude.

Between 1,300 and 2,000 meters altitude is found the olivillo de la cordillera (miniature olive tree of the Cordillera), which is in danger of extinction in the region. In the Villa Paulina sector there are also woods with foreign species (introduced both by the local inhabitants and Conaf) which have adapted well to Andean conditions. These are conifers such as cypresses and Oregon pines, as well as poplars, elms and eucalyptus trees.

It is doubtless that birds are everywhere to be observed in Yerba Loca. The most commonly seen are turtle doves and the peucos and cernicalos, among the birds of prey. At higher altitudes, the eagles and condors are the masters of the sky.

The other members of the animal world, specifically mammals and reptiles, are not so abundant. The animal specimen most widely represented in the Sanctuary is Rodentia, mostly represented by the cururo, the degu and Darwin's "large eared" mouse. ("Nature Sanctuary" D.S. N 937)

Offered activities:

• Horseriding in wonderful natural settings.
• Bird Watching, including their migration, behaviour and habitats.
• Photography, including shots of interior and exterior views in allowed places.
• Flora and fauna observation - different animal and plant species aboriginal to the area may be admired.

Source: www.sernatur.cl