Calilegua National Park

Calilegua National Park is in the Jujuy region of Argentina.

Understand

Calilegua National Park was created in 1979 to preserve a representative area of the “Oranense Forest”, also known as the “Yungas”. This forest is the most biologically diverse environment of Argentina along with the Misiones rainforest.

The park offers many excursions attracting nature lovers who comes to the area for trekking, hiking, birdwatching and horse riding.

History

Calilegua got its name from the surrounding mountains, which also took the name from a well-known Aboriginal chief who inhabited the area in the old times.

Landscape

Calilegua is the largest national park in Northern Argentina and it represents the sub tropical jungles of the Yungas ecozone. The park features numerous endemic birds and plants as well as tapirs, jaguars, giselles and foxes.

Flora and fauna

It is possible to see certain species of birds and mammals in particular, which makes this site an ideal place to observe wildlife, especially birds, about 270 species were identified and its estimated that 230 more could inhabit the area, which makes Calilegua the home of 50% of all bird species in the country and a paradise for birdwatching.

The largest predator of America, the jaguar, also known as tiger, lives here along with other cats like the jaguarundi, ocelot, puma and cat of grasslands inhabit these forests. The tapir or “anta” is the largest of all mammals in the Yungas and you could see their footprints in the mud of the riverbanks and lakes.

Climate

The jungles of Calilegua has a subtropical climate with the dry season between April to November.

The rainy season falls in summer (December-March).

Get in

From San Martin Libertador either by taxi or with a bus once a day. There is a bus going to San Martin Libertador from Jujuy Capital.

Do

Native Guarani Indians run guided tours through the land with explanations about their culture.

Sleep