Lauca National Park seasonal visitor timing guide for Arica-Parinacota Region

High-altitude Andean wilderness protecting volcanoes, wetlands, and iconic South American wildlife

Lauca National Park

Lauca National Park represents one of Chile's most significant protected wilderness areas, encompassing a remarkable slice of the Andean altiplano where extreme altitude and volcanic forces have shaped an extraordinary landscape. The park lies within the Central Andean dry puna ecoregion, a region characterized by sparse vegetation, vast plains, and some of the highest active volcanoes in the world. The landscape is dominated by the Payachata volcanic group, a cluster of dormant and active stratovolcanoes that includes Parinacota, Guallatiri, and Acotango, their snow-capped peaks providing a dramatic backdrop to the stark high-altitude terrain below. The heart of the park features a distinctive lacustrine system centered on Chungará Lake and Laguna de Cotacotani, bodies of water fed by glacial melt and volcanic springs that create vital wetland habitats in this otherwise arid environment. Within the park boundaries sits the small town of Parinacota, notable for its well-preserved colonial church that anchors the human history of this landscape. The international Chile Route 11 traverses the protected area, connecting the Pacific coast near Arica with the high-altitude border crossing at Tambo Quemado Pass, making Lauca one of the more accessible high-altitude parks in Chile's Far North.