All 4 in 3 days here: ~30%
Lauca National Park
🇨🇱 Chile
Altiplano, Chile 335 spp. recorded
Lauca National Park is a protected high-altitude grassland situated in the Chilean Altiplano, featuring vast plateaus, high-altitude wetlands, and towering volcanoes. Visitors walk along tracks that wind through sweeping Andean steppes and shimmering bogs surrounded by snow-capped peaks.
-18.232° S 69.400° W
🦜 Nature
157 Species sighted
29,799 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jan Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 213 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
Recent sightings in Lauca National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
37Jan
32Feb
34Mar
33Apr
33May
31Jun
35Jul
27Aug
28Sep
34Oct
33Nov
32Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Putre
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Socoroma
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Rufous-collared Sparrow~80%+30%
Mourning Sierra-Finch~80%+20%
Chiguanco Thrush~80%+50%
Spot-winged Pigeon~70%+20%
Bare-faced Ground-Dove~70%+30%
Greenish Yellow-Finch~60%+10%
Andean Hillstar~60%+10%
Hooded Siskin~50%+10%
Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch~50%-10%
Creamy-breasted Canastero~40%≈
Black-hooded Sierra-Finch~30%-40%
Buff-winged Cinclodes~10%-60%
-
Estación CONAF
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Las Cuevas
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Northern Mountain Viscacha>90%+10%
Bolivian Big-eared Mouse~90%+10%
Tarapaca Smooth-throated Lizard~60%+20%- Buff-winged Cinclodes~50%-20%
Chungará-glatstrubeleguan~40%-10%
Vicuña~40%-40%- Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch~20%-30%
North Andean Huemul~20%-40%- Black-hooded Sierra-Finch~10%-60%
- Creamy-breasted Canastero<5%-40%
- Rufous-collared Sparrow<5%-50%
-
Parinacota
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Free
Tourism
Low
Typical stay
2–3
daysTrails
Moderate
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
2.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 227
🐒 Mammals 69
🦎 Reptiles 31
🐸 Amphibians 8
335 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
21 Threatened 16 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.6
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
67% 📊
Coverage (109 species at ≥5% of 335 in the inventory)
33% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (7 bird, 4 mammal, 1 reptile)
72% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
89 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
9 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
36 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.9
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Free High
Tourism Low High
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
FlamingosT under aapaca Volcano Flamingos Flamingos Flamingos Not only were there flamingos, but we saw dozens of viscachas scampering between the rocks.
I spent the better part of three days searching for life in Lauca National Park and along the Pacific coastline near Arica.
Our 16 th day of birding was a memorable one, as we explored Lauca National Park and reached our maximum elevation of 15,100 feet, the highest we have ever been (our previous high was around 14,200 feet in the Colorado Rockies).
For two days, I visited Lauca National Park in northern Chile, the northernmost national park in Chile that is located about 15 kilometers east of the town of Putre.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Lauca National Park?
335 species
Lauca National Park has 335 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Northern Mountain Viscacha (about 90%), Vicuña (about 80%), Bolivian Big-eared Mouse (about 80%), Buff-winged Cinclodes (about 70%) and Black-hooded Sierra-Finch (about 70%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Chungará-glatstrubeleguan (about 60%); among amphibians, Warty Toad (about 40%).
When is the best time to visit Lauca National Park for wildlife?
January, March–July and November
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in February, August–October and December.
Can you see a Vicuña in Lauca National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Vicuña sighting in Lauca National Park on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February–March, May–June and November–December (about 80%).
Can you see a Northern Mountain Viscacha in Lauca National Park?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Mountain Viscacha sighting in Lauca National Park on a given day, based on 94 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February, May–July, September–October and December (about 90%).
Can you see a Chilean Flamingo in Lauca National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Chilean Flamingo sighting in Lauca National Park on a given day, based on 636 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January–March and July (about 60%).
Can you see a North Andean Huemul in Lauca National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a North Andean Huemul sighting in Lauca National Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April and July (about 80%).
Where in Lauca National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Putre
The richest sighting zone is around Putre, followed by Socoroma and Estación CONAF, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Lauca National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Lauca National Park rates 3.3/5: 246th of 316 parks worldwide and 30th in South America. 45 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
