PARQUE NACIONAL LIHUÉ CALEL

Rising gently but perceptibly above the arid pampas of southern La Pampa Province, Parque Nacional Lihué Calel’s landscape stands out not just for its topography, flora, and fauna, but also for its archaeological and historical importance. Its topography has created niches for its surprisingly abundant vegetation and animal life, but it also supported the lifestyle of pre-Columbian hunter-gatherers—still visible in several rock-art sites—and sheltered the indigenous resistance against invasions by Spain and, later, the Argentine state.

After the Mapuche cacique Namuncurá finally surrendered to General Roca’s invaders in 1885, Lihué Calel (whose name in Pehuenche means “The Range of Life”) fell into private hands as Estancia Santa María. Following decades of exploitation for agriculture, ranching and even copper mining, it was expropriated by the province in 1964. Later donated to the APN for a national park, it’s become a regular stop on the itineraries of some international overland expedition companies, but is still a welcome alternative to overcrowded units like Iguazú.

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Orientation
Reaching a maximum elevation of 589 meters above sea level, Lihué Calel consists 9,901 hectares of varied terrain, 226 kilometers southwest of Santa Rosa via RN 35 and RN 152. Its northerly slopes are gentle, but the southerly approach is steeper. A further area to the north, comprising the salt flats known Salitral Levalle, is under consideration for inclusion.

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Flora and Fauna
Lihué Calel is arid, with only about 400 millimeters of precipitation per annum, but that precipitation supports nearly 350 plant species in a variety of associations and microenvironments. In a sense, the mountains of Lihué Calel are an archipelago surrounded by desert rather than water.

Water, though, contributes to the park’s biodiversity. While rain may be infrequent, it collects and remains more easily in some areas than others, and it can support surprisingly lush vegetation. The main plant association is the dry scrub known as monte, but more-humid spots support denser groves of caldén (Prosopis caldenia), a relative of the common mesquite tree. In shadier areas, ferns may even grow within cracks in the rocky terrain, while cacti colonize more exposed areas. Lichens form circular patterns on the more-exposed rocks.

Thanks to both forest cover and wide-open spaces, wildlife is more abundant and conspicuous than in the densely settled areas of Buenos Aires Province. Rare pumas (Felis concolor) have been seen in the park, but smaller predators like Geoffroy’s cat (Felis geoffroyi), the jaguarundi (Felis yagouaroundi), and the abundant Patagonian fox also live here. According to a recent census, about 200 guanacos graze the park’s open grasslands; other common mammals include the mara (Patagonian hare, Dolichotis patagonicum) and vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus), related to the domestic chinchilla.

Bird life is also plentiful, ranging from the flightless rhea or ñandú(Rhea americana) to predators including the common carancho, or crested caracara, (Polyborus plancus) and the much rarer crowned eagle (Harpyhaliectus coronatus). When the caldén fruits, there are many loros barranqueros (parakeets).

Among reptiles, harmless lizards are common, but beware the rare but highly venomous pit vipers commonly known as yarará (Bothrops spp.).

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Sights and Activities
One of the best areas to view wildlife is the caldén forest near the campground and park headquarters—in fact, at dawn and dusk, foxes scurry among the campsites and countless birds call from its shade trees. The campground is also the starting point for the Sendero El Huitru, a well-marked nature trail through the monte that leads to some sadly vandalized petroglyphs.

Another trail leads to the park’s highest point, the melodiously named, 589-meter Cerro de la Sociedad Científica Argentina, but the open granite slopes provide numerous alternative routes. The summit panorama includes the entire Lihué Calel range, the arid pampas, and salt lakes like Salitral Levalle to the north and shallow marshes like Laguna Urre Lauquen to the southwest.

Well west of the visitors center, the ruins of the Viejo Casco were the headquarters of the former Estancia Santa María; with a vehicle, it’s possible to loop around through the Valle de las Pinturas, whose unblemished petroglyphs date from around the time of Christ.

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Practicalities
Near the visitors center, the APN operates a free, shady campground with firepits, picnic tables, electricity until 11 p.m., and clean bathrooms with flush toilets and cold showers. The solitude and abundant wildlife make it a better choice than the mediocre ACA Hostería (tel. 02952/436101, US$7/11 s/d) about one kilometer south of the highway turnoff. ACA has a less-than-mediocre restaurant and limited groceries; the town of Puelches, 35 kilometers to the south, has more and better supplies.

The Administración de Parques Nacionales has a Centro de Informes (tel. 02952/436595, apnlc@gralacha.com.ar) only about two kilometers west of the well-marked park entrance on RN 152. Official hours are 8 a.m.–noon and 3–6 p.m. in summer, 9 a.m.–noon and 2–6 p.m. the rest of the year, but in practice the rangers are accessible at almost any reasonable hour.

There is no admission fee for the park.

Edu Bus (tel. 02954/429101 in Santa Rosa) passes the park entrance (US$5) en route to Puelches, departing Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m., Friday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Otherwise, Neuquén-bound buses with TAC (tel. 02954/437779) and TUS (tel. 02954/432140) both pass the park entrance, but leave in the very early a.m. hours.

Edu Bus’s return services from Puelches leave at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Sunday. TAC and TUS buses leave Puelches for Santa Rosa between 9:10 and 10:30 p.m.