Ocoa palms
Tall groves.
Carlos Figueroa Rojas — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mar del Sur — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kenov66 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kenov66 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mar del Sur — CC BY-SA 3.0
La Campana National Park lies in the Coastal Range of Quillota Province in the Valparaíso Region, about 12 km in a straight line east of the town of Olmué and about 67 km north-west of Santiago. It covers about 80 square kilometres, and in 1984 UNESCO declared it, together with Lago Peñuelas National Reserve, a biosphere reserve. The park protects one of the last forests of Chilean wine palm, a palm that once grew far more widely in prehistoric times, with its groves in the Ocoa valley. It takes its name from Cerro La Campana, which Charles Darwin climbed in 1834 during the second voyage of HMS Beagle. Trails climb through woods of boldo, peumo and litre, among Mediterranean scrub, cactus and puya, to the summit of La Campana, which on clear days looks out over the Pacific and the peaks of the Andes. In the Ocoa valley tall palms stand in groups on the slopes, and clouds sometimes pool in the valleys below the peaks. An entry fee applies, and the park has several entrances, including Granizo and Ocoa. The climb to the summit is long and demanding, so start early and carry plenty of water; spring and autumn are better than the summer heat.
Tall groves.
Ocean views.
In the valleys.
Quillota Province, Valparaíso Region, Chile
Yes, long and demanding; start early.
In the Ocoa valley.