Vegetation at Pan de Azúcar National Park is mainly xerofitic - e.g they are species that have adapted to the lack of water. Among them the most remarkable are cetacean, columnares and globosas.

The animals that live at Pan de Azucar Nacional Park are represented by marine animals, among which the most important are chunchungo or sea otter and SowthAmerican sea lion. At the coast there are a lot of bird species as – for example – seagulls, terns, pelicans, cormorants, swallows, gallina ciega, junks, jotes de cabeza colorada, harrier, plovers, willets, pilpilines and the Remarkable Humbolt Penguin. At the inside, where there is more vegetation you can see guanacos, chilla and culpeo fox and birds, among which the most atractive are eagles, harriers, condors, cernícalos, dormilonas, chercanes, swallows, cometocinos and turcas.

There are some observation places at Pan de Azucar Nacional Park as for example: Castillo Canyon’s mouth. From where you can see cactus and guanacos; another one is Las Lomitas pathways from where you can see the differences in the vegetation between the sea level and 700 meters high. And finally Pan de Azucar island which constitute the main colony of Humbolt Penguins.

From Pan de Azucar Nacional Park one of the most important places is Pan de Azucar island and Las Lomitas, from where you can see the remarkable beauty derived from the union between the beach and the desert.

Pan de Azucar Nacional Park is a good place to live nature through excursions, trekking, sport diving, animal and vegetation observation, mountain cycling, camping and picnic among other activities.

Weather conditions at Pan de Azucar Nacional Park let about 14.776 people (9.4 foreigners) to visit it every year, being January and February the best months in terms of people attendance. Rains are occasional in winter and temperatures do not vary a lot during the year. Higher average temperature is 19,3º C and the Lowest is 12,2º C. When there is a lot of rain some canyons drain water to the coast.

At the area which conforms Pan de Azucar National Park you will find the remains from different precolombine cultures, hunting villages, collectors, and fishermen who lived in that place.



Semi Permanent Snowfields

You can access Pan de Azucar National Park through three different roads which can be used all year round. One of them is C-120 route that goes from Chañaral to Park’s Management which is 29 kms (17, 9 miles) long, the other one is Route 5 – Panamerican Highway at km 1014, at Las Bombas, you can reach it through a secondary road. Finally also by Route 5 at km 968.

Pan de Azucar National Park management is located at Pan de Azucar cove, 29 kms (17,98) far from Chañaral and 10 kms (6,2 miles) far from the Nacional Park. In this area you will also find the Environmental Information Centre. Management office and Environmental Information Centre are open from 8:30 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 18:00.

Among the most atractive activities to ne performed at Pan de Azucar Nacional Park there are a lot of places to visit. If you want peacefulness this is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a privileged weather for this side of the country. Rains are hardly unexistent in winter and temperatures do not vary a lot during the year. That is why the average high temperature is 19,3º C and the lowest one is 12,3º C.

Since the presence of coast mist - also known as camanchaca - it is possible to find in the place located next to Pan de Azucar National Park’s beach a greater and more diverse vegetation that makes this National Park’s landscape something unique and unforgettable.

To enter Pan de Azucar Nacional Park, you can do it during the following hours: from september to march from 8 to 20; from april to august from 8 to 18. Entrance fee costs $2.000 and $500 for children.

In front of Los Piqueros beach, 8 kms (4,96 miles) far from Pan de Azucar Nacional Park’s entrance you Hill find the management office, the Environmental Information Centre and the Cactarium with species you can find in the park are exgibited. Yo can visit it from Monday to Sunday from 8:30 to 12:30 and from 14 to 18 hours.

Pan de Azucar Nacional Park has camping and cabins, in summer there is a small market and a restaurant. Cabins must be reserved in advance at CONAF’s Regional Office in Copiapó.

Pan de Azucar Nacional Park has coast plain, prairies and coast mountains and interiores. The retiene is abrupt and the highs varies between 0 and 800 mts, characterized by the coast border. There are five big canyons, drained by smaller ones, it constitutes one of the main ecological resources from the park. In the side located in the beach you will find Pan de Azucar Island and Chata and Mariposa islets.

Pan de Azucar National Park present a xerolitic aspect, whith adapted species to the lack of water, in where you will find more than 20 cetacean species. The hills and coast borders have a greater quantity and diversity of vegetation by the presence of the camanchaca. When it rains over this area the marvelous Flowered Desert emerges.

Among the main Pathways at Pan de Azucar National Park you will find Las Lomitas pathway, 60 kms (37,2 miles) long in a round trekking. It is a road for vehicles which is marked by signs that can be used just by fitted roads.
Another pathway you will find at Pan de Azucar Nacional Park is the Mirador de la Cumbre (Peak’s ViewPoint), located 15 kms (9.3 miles) far. It can be used in any kind of vehicle by a good road that passess an area of cetacean to get to a viewpoint over the island, the cove and the bay.

El Castillo canyon is located 7 kms (4,34 miles) south from the cove, it is indicated. Te road let you observe cetacean and the pillows and – occasionally – guanacos. You can only visit it together with a guard.

On the road from Chañaral to Pan de Azucar Nacional Park you can enjoy an interesting walk by beautiful beaches with a vegetation typicall from a desert coast environment and a beautiful place for camping.

It is a 62 kms (30,44 miles) circuit on a round trip from Chañaral, with a good road paved in salt. To continue to the north there are 23 more kilometers to reach Panamerican highway; just 9 more kms (5.58 miles) than going directly without visiting the park. You can put fuel at Chañaral; take snacks. There are daily trips to the park at 8:30 and 15 hours, in fornt of Chañaral City Hall.

Begin at km 0 from Chañaral and then take the road to Pan de Azucar Nacional Park and drive until the end of Chañaral bay. To the right you can see Camanchaca traps at the top of Falda Verde Hill, which trap the water to use it for cultivating tomatoes and flowers. Then you cross the channel that led – until 1990 – to El Salvador mine tailings to Bahía Hedionda (Smelly Bay) (km 12), which used to drain at the sea and Refugio beach (Shelter Beach), conformed by mineral sediments.

At km 18 you Hill find the entrance to Pan de Azucar Nacional Park. It is advisable to continue next to Playa Blanca (White Beach) – the most beautiful – as well as the white mineral sediment; with hills full of vegetation and cactus in the prairie. Do not feed the animals or collect vegetal material; avoid producing noises.

At km 24 you will pass Pan de Azucar island, habitat from various marine birds among which the most important are Humbolt Penguins as well as chungungos and sea wolves. There are boats that surround the island, begining from Pan de Azucar cove. You can not go down in the island.

Ther are access roads to the rocks located in the beach, with remarkable stones inlayed in thin quartz veins. The bay is closed by a big road, in which border you will find Piqueros beach and a good camping.

At km 25 there is a big beach full of rocks in where you will find CONAF’S campings, Park’s management and its Environmental Information Centre.

At km 27, surrounding the big rock you will reach Pan de Azucar Cove located in a protected beach with an amazing view and some fishermen’s houses that offer trips to surround the island.

Pan de Azucar Cove is the remain of the old loading port from Carrizalillo’s mineral, which got the greatest importance through 1863. The port was bombed by the Peruvian corvette “Union”– in 1879 – and destroyed by a tidal wave in 1922; the remains of the dock kept under the water.

The most attractive places at Pan de Azucar Nacional Park are its canyons and hills in which and unique vegetation is protected, with desertic characteristics, feeded by the camanchaca, which is the best representative from Fomación Lomas, vegetal community with a great endemism, which can be found in isolated places from the coast between 6° 52’ and 29°54’ of south latitude. (about 50 places in Chile and 40 in Perú).

To continue to Panamerican highway take a good road at km 28 which crosses a great inclined prairie untill it reaches the central plain. During the trip you will be surprised by white signs which indicate mining belongings.