The cloud forest

La Serena city was only a pit stop to visit the surrounding area, so we rented a car and hit the road, heading first for Fray Jorge National Park, about an hours drive south.
At the entrance to the park, after a few warnings from the rangers about the condition of the road, we drove uphill to one of the cloud forests. The drive was along a very steep, sandy dirt road, littered with big rocks, but we managed to arrive, despite not having a 4x4.
I wish I'd recorded the state of the road, as I couldn't quite believe we'd made it without getting a flat tyre (Nick was unconcerned).
The walking routes on the other hand, were extremely well maintained, they even had access for people with disabilities. This was the first time we'd seen this in a National Park - and a great idea, assuming the person with the disability could get past the dirt road!
Fray Jorge National Park is next to the Pacific coast, and has a very particular landscape, surrounded by desert valleys and filled with cacti. Despite a measly 147mm of rain annually, some cacti were massive, much taller than us, and some even had beautiful red flowers budding from the top.
The vegetation then changes drastically when climbing the hills towards the ocean. The cold air from the ocean is pushed up into a warmer air, allowing the hills to create an almost permanent cloud.
This allows the existence of a cloud forest, surrounded by a huge desert. The ocean mist allows the plants growing on the peaks to collect an extra 1,000mm of water, helped along by the moss and lichen.
The forest is similar to those found much further south - the Valdivian rainforest. It's thought to be a vestigial fragment of that Rainforest, which would have covered this whole area thousands of years ago. However, the rest was lost as when the Andean mountain range formed, (its a very young mountain range) causing 'aridisation' of the area. About 14 of these fragements remain, surviving due to the clouds.
The plants were amazing, many still in flower and constantly immersed in clouds. We also saw hummingbirds, owls and another types of bird. A very unique forest!
Afterwards we drove back to La Serena, and then onwards towards the Elqui Valley, where we would stay the night. Our accommodation was at 1,400m, perched right up against the sandy desert mountains.
The mountains surrounding the Elqui valley look like giant piles of coarse sand, seemingly ready to cause a landslide any minute. Occasionally there are colourful rocks sticking out, green, red and sometimes purple. There's little vegetation, except for the ubiquitous scattered shurbs.
However, the bottom of the valley looks completely different, as it's full of vineyards and trees.
With water flow controlled by a large dam at the entrance of the valley, the vineyards here produce tonnes of grapes, as well as some of the best Pisco (a type of Brandy) in the world.Читать далее