NATIONAL PARKS OF THE YUNGAS

In subtropical northwestern Argentina, most storms come out of the east and, as they lose their power, drop most of their moisture on the eastern Andean slopes. The fragmented terrain creates a number of microclimates, one of which is the narrow longitudinal strip of cloud forest known as the yungas, stretching from the Bolivian border through Jujuy and Salta south into Tucumán and even a spot of northernmost Catamarca.

Within Jujuy and Salta, three major national parks preserve remnants of the rare ecosystem: Calilegua, Baritú, and Finca El Rey. As public transportation is limited and access is especially difficult in the wet summer months, rental cars or guided tours are the best options for visiting them. Salta travel agencies organize tours, but for more information also check the website www.yungasandinas.com.

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Parque Nacional Calilegua
Much if not most of Jujuy Province is high-altitude desert. The major exception is the area along the province’s eastern limits, where the verdant subtropical yungas cover the slopes of the Serranía de Calilegua, home to the most accessible of several national parks that preserve this ecosystem in Jujuy and Salta. Its dense woodlands and deeply incised canyons provide one of the last Argentine refuges of the endangered yaguareté (jaguar).

In recent years, the area between Calilegua and Parque Nacional Baritú, to the north, was the subject of a contentious dispute between environmental organizations and indigenous communities of the altiplano on the one hand, and commercial interests on the other, over construction of a gas pipeline from the Chaco to Chile. According to the Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina, perhaps the country’s leading environmental organization, the controversy has reached a satisfactory conclusion, with significant environmental mitigation on the part of gas and construction interests, plus the provision of natural gas to the indigenous communities of the altiplano.

Encompassing 76,306 hectares of rugged terrain, Parque Nacional Calilegua is about 110 kilometers northeast of San Salvador via a roundabout route via eastbound RP 56 and northbound RN 34 to Libertador General San Martín, and westbound RP 8. It is 170 kilometers from Salta via RN 34.

Flora and Fauna
One of Argentina’s greatest centers of biodiversity, Calilegua boasts a variety of ecological zones that depend partly on altitude and partly on the microclimates created by its rugged topography, as the annual rainfall varies between 800 and 1,800 millimeters. There are also seasonal differences, as the winter months are almost invariably dry.

At the lower elevations, between 350 and 500 meters, the selva de transición (transitional forest) most closely resembles the arid Chaco, with deciduous trees like lapacho (Tabebuia spp.) and palo amarillo (Phyllostilon rhamnoides). Between 500 and 1,800 meters, though, the selva montana consists of dense cloud forest that also supports clusters of epiphytes, verdant ferns, and climbing lianas. Above 1,800 meters, the bosque montano consists of various conifers and queñoa (Polylepis spp) until the roughly 2,600-meter tree line, where drier puna grasslands take over.

Rare mammals like the jaguar, tapir, and otter inhabit the densest forest at lower elevations, where there are also fruit-eating bats. The grayish deerlike taruca, or northern huemul (Hippocamelus antisensis), grazes the higher elevations. There are hundreds of bird species, among them the toucan, torrent duck, brown eagle, and condor (the latter at the highest elevations).

Sights and Activities
There are several trails in the vicinity of the Aguas Negras and Mesada de la Colmena, all of which offer opportunities for wildlife sightings, though birds are easier to spot than mammals in this densely wooded country. At Aguas Negras, the Sendero Burgo is a 600-meter nature trail through the transitional forest, while the Sendero Mirador leads to an overlook of the Río San Lorenzo. The Sendero a la Lagunita is a two-kilometer walk to a bird-rich wetland.

Also near Aguas Negras, the Sendero Tataupá is a steep and longer hike through the forest that returns by the streambed of the Arroyo Negrito. The Sendero a la Junta passes through similar terrain to the confluence of the Arroyo Negro and Arroyo Toldos. Sendero La Herradura is an easy nature trail.

At Mesada de la Colmena, the Sendero a la Cascada is a steep descent to a waterfall in Arroyo Tres Cruces, where there are plenty of animal tracks. It’s also possible to climb 3,600-meter Cerro Hermoso for spectacular panoramas toward the east, but this is cross-country walking.

From Valle Grande, west of the park, it’s possible to hike through the Sierra de Zenta to Humahuaca. For details, see the fifth edition of Tim Burford’s Chile and Argentina: the Bradt Trekking Guide (Bradt Travel Guides, 2001)

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Parque Nacional Baritú
Along with Calilegua, Parque Nacional Baritú is one of Argentina’s only two truly tropical national parks, lying north of the Tropic of Capricorn on the border with Bolivia (Calilegua is just south of the line). Like Calilegua, it preserves a substantial sector of yungas cloud forest; like the isolated village of Iruya, the 72,000-hectare unit belongs to Salta Province, but access is even more difficult because the only road passes through Bolivian territory via the border post of Aguas Blancas, at the northern terminus of RN 50.

There is, however, access to the park via westbound RP 19 from Aguas Blancas and a northbound footpath that follows the course of the Río Lipeo—in winter only, as the rising and fast-moving river can be dangerous in the wet summer months. Thanks to its inaccessibility, the park is a refuge for rare mammals like the Brazilian tapir, jaguar, capuchin, and howler monkeys, and the southern river otter. It also offers habitat for the harpy eagle, the world’s largest eagle.

While the park proper has no tourist infrastructure, the nearby Portal del Baritú (tel. 0388/422-6998 or 0338/15-685-4357, portaldelbaritu@hotmail.com, www.portaldelbaritu.com.ar) offers half a dozen forest cabañas with full board for US$190 for up to four people. For more information on the park, contact the national parks office in Salta or the visitors center at Parque Nacional Calilegua (tel. 03886/422046) in the village of Calilegua, Jujuy Province.

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Parque Nacional El Rey
Created in 1948 by expropriation from private land, Parque Nacional El Rey protects 44,162 hectares of yungas forest and similarly diverse environments on the eastern edge of Salta Province. Because of its proximity to Salta, it’s probably the most visited of several similar parks in the region.

Directly east of Salta, Parque Nacional El Rey is 200 kilometers from the provincial capital by paved RN 9 and RP 5, and dusty (in winter) or muddy (in summer) RP 20.

Flora and Fauna
El Rey’s flora and fauna closely resemble those of Calilegua and Baritú, the other national parks of the yungas, though it does not reach the same high altitudes. El Rey is a particularly good bird-watching destination, however, as evidenced by its emblematic giant toucan. In the wet summer, though, mosquitoes are the most abundant fauna.

Sights and Activities
From the visitors center, there are several short footpaths and one main vehicular trail, the 10-kilometer Senda Río Popayán on the drier Chaco side of the park. Of the footpaths, the best is the 12-kilometer Senda Pozo Verde, a bird-rich trail that climbs through dense forest to a small lake; the first part of the trail follows an abandoned road. Another worth consideration is the 10-kilometer Sendero Chorro de los Loros, which climbs the watershed of its namesake creek.