Bosque Fray Jorge National Park

A National Park And UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Protecting A Relict Temperate Rainforest Kept Alive By Coastal Fog In The Middle Of The Semi Arid Norte Chico · Ovalle, Coquimbo

Bosque Fray Jorge is one of the strangest natural sights in Chile: a patch of damp, green temperate rainforest, with moss, ferns and tall olivillo trees, growing on the top of coastal hills in the middle of the semi-arid scrub of the Norte Chico, more than a thousand kilometres north of the forests it resembles. It survives only because the camanchaca, the thick sea fog that rolls in from the Pacific, condenses on the leaves and drips to the ground, watering a forest that is a relic of a wetter age. The park is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. A short boardwalk trail winds through the forest on the ridge, with views down to the ocean on clear days and fog swirling through the trees on most mornings; below it, the dry hills have cactus, guanacos and foxes. The park is reached by a long gravel road off the Pan-American highway south of La Serena, and it opens only on some days, so plan ahead. Nearby, the Valle del Encanto holds petroglyphs and cup-marked rocks left by the ancient Molle culture, and the beaches of Tongoy are on the coast.

Ruta D-540, Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge, Ovalle, Coquimbo, Ovalle, Coquimbo, Chile

The park opens only on some days of the week and in daylight hours, with the forest trail reached by a gravel road from the Pan-American highway; confirm the current opening days and times before driving. Coastal fog is usually heaviest in the morning.

Bosque Fray Jorge National Park on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos