The National Park Lauca was created in the year 1970. It covers a surface of 137.883 hectares across the pre-cordillera and the Altiplano. Administratively, it belongs to the municipality of Putre in the province Parinacota, Region of Arica and Parinacota. In 1981 is was declared integral part of the Global Network of World Biosphere Reserves.
The National Park offers overwhelming landscapes. Especially famous are the two twin volcanos Pomerape and Parinacota, which reach up to more than 6.000m, and the lake Lago Chungará with its crystal clear waters, located at 4.500m above sea level and therefor one of the highest lakes in the world.
The general landform of the park is multifaceted. Various volcanos like the Parinacota (6.342m above sea level), the Pomerape (6.282m above sea level), the Guallatiri (6.060m above sea level) and the Acotango (6.050m above sea level) form the dominant peaks. In the sector of the Altiplano, which constitutes a big part of the center of the park, one can find volcanic craters like the Ajoya and the Tejene, as well as the lava fields of Cotacotani.
Considering that the National Park Lauca is located high in the mountains and receives much solar energy to foster the growth of a variety of plants, it is not surprising that the region is abundant with pasture, shrubs like the Chachacoma (a subspecies of the Senecio), the Yareta, forests of quinoa and herb species. All of these plants find their natural habitat in the park and form grassland and thicket along the mountains and canyons.
Given the quality of natural surroundings and the variety of flora in the park, many wild animals also find their habitat here. Some of the most representative species of the regional fauna are the pumas, foxes, guanacos, vicuñas, tarucas, Chilean flamingo, ibis, Andean geese, ducks, taguas and many more. At least 60 different bird species can be found and easily observed in the park.