The Salar de Surire Natural Monument is located at 4,245 meters. of height and occupies 17,500 hectares. It is 266 km away. to the southeast of Arica and its relief presents a flat surface that corresponds to the Salar de Surire, with a predominant altitude in its center of 4,322 meters. which corresponds to the Oquealla hill.
Its name is due to the characteristic animal species of the place called ‘suri’ or ñandú. Other species of fauna that live in the area, depending on the altitude, are the vicuñas, llamas, alpacas and the Puna partridge, or in the internal lagoons, the big parina or Andean flamenco, the parina chica or flamenco james, flamenco Chilean, the caití and the juarjual duck.
The most abundant flora of the place is the tuna, which grows in the altiplano between 3,300 and 4,500 mts .; the tola in the foothills, at about 3,000 m., and in the altiplano, the brave straw and the bofedal, between 3,300 and 4,500 m. of altitude The fauna that is recognized in the area depends on the height, so in the surroundings of the Monument The climate, generally cold, fluctuates between -15 ° C in winter nights and 5 ° C during the day.
During your visit you can go hiking, camping (with a good team) and take a pleasant swim in the Termas de Polloquere. For details on access routes administration of the Monument, visit the CONAF website.
At 4,200 m above sea level, this monument is characterized by covering salt areas and high ecosystems. The 11,298 hectares of surface that comprise it protect the existence of valuable species such as ñandú, flamenco, caití, duck juarjual, vicuña, alpaca, llama, etc. The temperature ranges between -15ºC at night and 5ºC in the day. The relief corresponds almost entirely to the salt, highlighting the Oquealla hill in the center of it, with a height of 4,322 m. Its name comes from the word “suri” or ñandú, a species of Chilean ostrich that inhabits the area and that you can observe during the journey.
At over 4,200 meters above sea level, this incredibly white salt flat invites you to stare at its beautiful deep blue inner lagoons hidden in the middle of the world’s driest desert.
The cushion bogs of this natural monument are the home of different families of flamingos, like the Chilean, Parina and James kind. Get your camera ready to snap pictures of rheas, vicunas and llamas that roam freely in the area.
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