Llullaillaco National Park

A sunset of Llullaillaco in 2006

Llullaillaco National Park, home to the Llullaillaco volcano, is one of the Atacama Desert's most iconic national parks and destinations of northern Chile. Llullaillaco is the second-highest volcano in the world, after Ojos del Salado on the Argentine border.

Understand

The park isn't a draw for casual sightseeing, but is a major draw in mountaineers eager to hike the Llullaillaco volcano. Should you wish to explore the park, make sure to sign in at the entrance; this way, if something goes wrong, the local authorities will be alerted. You can visit the park from September through May.

Landscape

The area is mostly mountainous, with Llullaillaco at 6739 m. The salt plane of Aguas Calientes is at 5060 m. There are also vegetated planes at lower altitude and even woods. Río Frío has a canyon.

Flora and fauna

The flora has a high percentage of endemic species.

Groups of vicuñas can often be seen in the Pampa Llullaillaco.

Visitor information

• conaf.cl (official website; Spanish only)
• visitchile.com (in English and Spanish)
• Park office, Av. Argentina 2510, Antofagasta, ☏ +56 552602824, antofagasta.oirs@conaf.cl. (updated Mar 2024)

Get in

Llullaillaco National Park is quite remote from the main national highways. To get to the park's northern entrance, you need to take Route B-55 from Antofagasta towards the Socompa border crossing. The road is paved up to the Escondida mine, and from there, it's a dirt road to Estación Ilimac, followed by about a 57-km journey to the park entrance. If you are visiting the volcano, use this route.

To get to the park's southern entrance, follow Ruta 5 from Antofagasta for 210 km (130 mi). Exit right onto B-885 (entirely unpaved) towards Aguas Calientes and continue for 132 km (82 mi) until the park's entrance.

Fees and permits

Before climbing Llullaillaco, you must fill out a climbing permit and disclaimer of liability and hand them in to the park office. A Google Form is also available (check with CONAF if you need to fill out both).

This is in addition to the entrance permit which all visitors will need to fill (even if you are not climbing Llullaillaco).

The park is only open between 1 September and 31 May.

Get around

There is a network of trails for backpackers. The main legs are those of Correntoso–Río Pangal, Río Pangal–Refugio, Lago Sargazo–Laguna Fría, Saltos Ríos Chaicas and Laguna Chaiquenes. Good fitness is needed.

It is also possible to see parts of the park with a vehicle.

See

By far, the thing to see is Llullaillaco, the volcano perched at 6,739 m (22,110 ft). Getting here, however, requires at least a week and a half (return).

There are also five archaeological sites in the park. Part of the Inca Trail system passes through it, in the Río Frío area. The landscapes by themselves are worth seeing, in addition to the mountains, e.g. the salt planes of Aguas Calientes, the Pampa Llullaillaco, and the canyon of Río Frío.

Eat

All food must be brought with you; leave-no-trace principles apply.

Sleep

Within the park there is a camp set up for mountaineers, with it being almost the only accommodation in the area. Otherwise, there are no designated lodges or campsites within the park.

Stay safe

Advice for altitude sickness apply to all the park. Even the lowest parts of the park are at 3,500 m, which is very high, close to the altitude of Lhasa. Aguas Calientes is at 5,060 m, which is near what any humans can acclimatize to. If you are going to climb Llullaillaco itself, you must decide how much time you need to spend near the peak.

Depending on your plans, you may also need mountaineering skills.