Safari to Lauca

the best location for wildlife in the high Andes

Set in the extreme northeast of Chile, Lauca is a large and significant conservation area which was listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1981.

This area is one of the great undiscovered treasures of South America, relatively close to popular locations like Lago Titicaca, yet visited by literally only a handful of people each day.

The reserve comprises three protected areas, Lauca National Park, Las Vicunas National Reserve and Salar de Surire Natural Monument, which are contiguous with Sajama National Park across the border in Bolivia.

This region is the best location in the high Andes for wildlife, with a good range of characteristic animals.

In particular these reserves offer truly spectacular close-up viewing of vicunas, vizcachas and lesser rheas, as well as outstanding viewing of all three of the colourful flamingo species of the high Andes.

Unfortunately there are no spectacled bears up here due to the lack of trees at these extreme altitudes and whatever pumas there are remain elusive and unhabituated, but otherwise the wildlife is often unusually approachable.

The landscapes up here are really beautiful and an absolute joy to explore in the company of an expert guide. The fact that you will most likely have the place virtually to yourself for much of the time really is the icing on the cake.

The best time to visit Lauca is generally considered to be during the Oct-Apr warm dry summer season.
Lauca has a cold desert climate, with two clearly defined seasons.

During the Oct-Apr summer conditions are usually relatively warm and very dry, with lots of sunshine. Average daytime temperatures usually reach around 19C/66F, with nighttime lows holding up around 1C/34F. Average sunshine is up around 9 hours per day, peaking in Nov-Dec.

During the May-Sep winter the weather is usually cold and very dry. Average daytime temperatures usually manage to reach around 14C/57F, with nighttime lows plunging to around -11C/12F, with regular frosts and snow cover at all altitudes. Average sunshine remains high at around 8 hours per day.

Getting there

Getting to Lauca can be a little complicated.
We most commonly include it in trips as part of a private guided overland safari between La Paz in Bolivia and Santiago in Chile.

From La Paz we first route south to Sajama, crossing the border to Lauca in Chile, then crossing back into Bolivia to continue on to the salt flats at Uyuni, down through Eduardo Avaloa, before crossing back into Chile to end at San Pedro de Atacama, flying on to Santiago.

The route is a really fascinating exploration of some lovely, remote and little-visited mountain areas. The fact that vehicles cannot usually cross the border between Bolivia and Chile may complicate the logistics, but nothing we can’t handle.

This type of expertly-guided overland trip is almost certainly the best way to explore the region and something we strongly recommend if you are up for the adventure.

If you want to visit this Lauca area alone, then another way to get here is to fly from Lima to Tacna is southwest Peru, cross the border by road into Arica on the north coast of Chile and drive inland from there, usually returning the same way. However if you do come in this way, then it is best to have been staying previously in Cusco, since you will need to be acclimatised to altitude before heading up to Lauca.

Where to stay

If you are planning to visit Lauca and not Sajama, then it’s usual to spend two nights here, probably at one of the simple lodges in the small town of Putre.
If you are planning to combine Sajama and Lauca, then it’s usually best to spend a night in each location. If you have a third night available, then that would usually be deployed in the Lauca area.

You shouldn’t expect too much out of your lodgings here. If we manage to get you a reasonably comfortable bed in a clean and warm room of any description, then you’ll be ahead of the game. At least the hospitality is almost guaranteed to be warm and genuine in such a remote rural backwater.

usually accessed overland from Bolivia