Yerba Loca Sanctuary

With its glacial ravines, rocky peaks and hillside meadows blanketed with wildflowers, the Yerba Loca Sanctuary presents a startling contrast to bustling Santiago and the natural reserve makes an easy day trip from the capital. Sprawling through the central Andes, the reserve is home to an impressively diverse landscape, with highlights including the looming peaks of Los Piches and El Altar, both reaching over 4,000 meters, the dramatic La Paloma Glacier and the picturesque pine, cypress and eucalyptus forests of the Villa Paulina valley.
Hiking, mountain climbing, horseback riding and camping are all popular pastimes for visitors to Yerba Loca and the protected reserve is also home to over 500 plant and animal species, including Chilean condor, culpeo fox, Darwin's leaf-eared mouse and the tiny cordilleran hummingbird.

Practical Info

The Yerba Loca Sanctuary is located 25km northeast of Santiago in central Chile and is open daily from 8:30am-6pm in winter and 8pm in summer. Adult admission is $2500 CLP.