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PERITO
MORENO NATIONAL PARK
Province of Santa Cruz
Two
interesting systems of lakes, the lenga woods, an ample sample of the
high patagonian steppe, paleontological sites and archaeological remains
all justified the creation of this park in 1937.
It covers an area of 115,000 ha and shows a mountainous relief cut up
by deep valleys, some with glaciers at an elevation of over 900m. It is
in the NW of the province of Santa Cruz.
NATURAL
ASPECTS
Ranges of mountains oriented east-west
and north-south give one the idea of a huge amphitheatre. Eight lakes
are within the park.
There are three vegetation zones within the borders of the park: the steppe
to the east, the patagonian Andes woods and the high mountain peaks. This
last is associated with the coastal areas of lakes Nansen and Azara in
the less extreme conditions grows the evergreen southern beech Nothofagus
betuloides.
The park has an interesting fauna where there are many troops of guanacos.
The predators are the puma and the "red" fox. The lesser or
Darwin's rhea is on the steppe, and the golden mountain viscacha in the
tumble of rocks at the foot of cliffs, this species being endemic of Santa
Cruz province. The huemul or andean deer is also found in the park in
numbers which seem to defy its status as an endangered species. They spend
the Summers on the "alpine" slopes above the tree line but descend
to the shelter of the woods in winter when the higher areas are covered
in snow.
Many small lakes fed by melt-water are the habitat for many species of
waterfowl such as flamingos, great grebes, black-necked swans, various
species of duck including the flying steamer-duck and the spectacled duck,
and flocks of upland geese. The andean condor, the black-chested buzzard-eagle
and the great horned owl are also among the birds found in the park.
Fortunately, unlike the other lakes of Patagonia, introduced trout are
not present in the westward-draining lakes, so the native fish species
still exist in the park.
CULTURAL
ASPECTS
Groups of hunter-gatherers used the park
for some 9000 years, on a temporary basis, according to the availability
of the resources, the main one being the guanaco. It provided meat, its
hide, sinews, bone and the calving period was one month later than on
the lower steppes of Patagonia, giving them a second hunting season in
the year for these "chulengos" as they are called.
Originally they lived in caves and rock shelters but later in "tented"
camps. On the rock faces they left their designs and drawings. Here too
they prepared and dyed their hides, chiped and flaked out their points
and tools and so on. Archaeological research has shown that the park was
not used in the XVIIIth century, probably because of the weather conditions
imposed by the mini ice-age detected by paleoclimatic studies at about
1750 AD
HOW
TO GET THERE
The park is 220 km west of the town of
Gobernador Gregores, 130 along gravel roads (route 25) and 90 on a secondary
road (route 37). The main north-south artery is route 40 running along
the entire length of the country at the base of the Andes.
OF
INTEREST FOR THE VISITOR
There are rough camping areas in the park
and a sparse network of tracks. No services are to be had - bring in all
you need, especially gasoline, from Gregores.
Thanks to APN - Administración
de Parques Nacionales
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