Pan de Azúcar National Park is a national park of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. The park straddles the border between the

Antofagasta Region The Antofagasta Region (, ) is one of Chile's Administrative divisions of Chile, sixteen first-order administrative divisions. Being the second-largest region of Chile in area, it comprises three provinces, Antofagasta Province, Antofagasta, El ...

and the Atacama Region. Its name, ''Parque Nacional Pan de Azúcar'', means "sugar loaf national park".

Geography

The park is located 30 km north of Chañaral and 180 km north of

Copiapó Copiapó () is a List of cities in Chile, city and communes of Chile, commune in northern Chile, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal List of towns in Chile, town of Caldera, Chile, Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capi ...

. It was founded in 1985 and has an extension of 437.54 km² (including 1.1 km² of insular terrain).Supreme Decree 527, 1985, Ministry of National Assets of Chile
/ref> It is importance derives from the relative diversity of species.

Isla Pan de Azúcar

Isla Pan de Azúcar is located 24 km farther. Humboldt penguins breed on this island. The island can be reached by boat from the mainland but passengers are not allowed to leave the boat.

Caleta Pan de Azúcar

Caleta Pan de Azúcar (Pan de Azúcar Cove) is a small fishing settlement which now caters to tourism. Formerly, copper was worked here and freighted by boat. Divers can still explore parts of the wharf and the loading crane below the water. From here the look-out point of ''Mirador'' 8 km farther can be reached. On the mountain slopes nearby, fauna can be observed which stays alive thanks to the coastal mist.

North of Caleta Pan de Azúcar

From the cove northward there is a gravel road which connects to the

Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway is a vast network of roads that stretches about 30,000 kilometers (about 19,000 miles) from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in the northernmost part of North America to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southern tip of South America. I ...

. Along the way there are numerous geological formations.

Biology

Pan de Azúcar NP is divided into two ecosystems: the coastal desert of Taltal and the steppe desert of the Sierra Vicuña Mackenna. The absence of rain is compensated by coastal mist, which is known locally as Camanchaca. There are more than 20 cactus species in the area, mainly of the genus '' Copiapoa'' which also can be observed in the cactarium located in the environmental office of CONAF in front of Los Piqueros Beach 4.96 miles from the park entrance. It is open for visits from Monday to Sunday from 8:30 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 18:00.Pan de Azucar National Park Article
in Letsgochile.com The guanaco is the main mammal found in the park. Other mammals include culpeo fox, chilla fox and European hare. The shoreline area is home to

marine mammal Marine mammals are mammals that rely on marine ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, sea otters and polar bears. They are an informal group, unified only by their reliance on marine enviro ...

s, such as the marine otter and the South American sea lion. Among the birds are the Humboldt penguin and Peruvian pelican. Also reptile species of the genera '' Tropidurus'' and '' Callopistes'' inhabit the park. File:2005.11.08 083 Cactus PN Pan de Azúcar Chile.jpg, Cacti in the park File:HusqvarnaSM610 through Pan de Azucar.JPG, Riding through the Valley File:fox pan de azucar.JPG, Picture of a chilla fox in the park

References

External links

"Official CONAF website reference (Spanish)"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pan de Azucar National Park National parks of Chile Protected areas of Antofagasta Region Protected areas of Atacama Region Atacama Desert Protected areas established in 1985 1985 establishments in Chile Coasts of Atacama Region