Salar del Huasco National Park

The Salar del Huasco lies at about 3,800 metres in a basin with no outlet - what water enters from springs and snowmelt leaves only by evaporation, which is why the flat is salt and why the shallow lagoons on it are so productive. Chilean, Andean and James's flamingos all breed here, along with horned coot and other high-altitude waterbirds, and the site was designated under the Ramsar convention in 1996 and made a national park in 2010, a status annulled in 2014 and restored in 2023. Aymara communities graze llama and alpaca around the basin and are involved in its management. Rock art and old corrals are scattered around the edges.

Highlights

• A closed basin at 3,800 metres - water leaving only by evaporation.
• Three flamingo species breeding - Chilean, Andean and James's.
• Ramsar since 1996 - and a national park, declared in 2010 and reinstated in 2023.
• Aymara herding around the edges - llama and alpaca on the basin.

When to go

April to November; the summer rains make the roads difficult. A full day.

Things to know

At 3,800 metres altitude sickness is likely without acclimatising. The road is long gravel with no services. Nesting areas must be kept well clear of, and binoculars are essential. Nights are far below freezing.

Nearby

Pica is west down the escarpment; the Bolivian border is east.

Key facts