|
This park
was created in 1970 and encompasses an area of 134,000 hectares
(294,800 acres) to the south of Coyhaique. The stretch
of the Austral Road that leads to the city of Cochrane crosses
the mountainous chain of Cerro Castillo which separates
the hydrographic basins of the Aysén and Ibáñez rivers.
The predominant
native tree of the reserve is the lenga, and can be found
forming pure lenga forests at altitudes between 600 and
1,200 m (1,968 and 3,936 ft) above sea level. With its aim
to protect the land, the park reforested around a thousand
hectares (2,200 acres) with exotic species. Among
the animals and birds that live here, there are guemuls,
guanacos, foxes, pumas,
condors, cachañas (small parrots), eagles, etc. The most
beautiful sites are Cerro Castillo (2,320 m. or 7,609 ft.
above sea level), Cerro Iglesia (1,750m. or 5,740 ft.),
and Conde Stone, a rock shaped over the years by natural
elements to look like a human profile.
|
