Flamingos
Nesting on the lake.
marssipa — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Pablo D. Flores — CC BY-SA 2.5 · marssipa — CC BY-SA 2.0 · marssipa — CC BY-SA 2.0 · marssipa — CC BY-SA 2.0
Llancanelo is a broad salt lake on the plains of southern Mendoza, a nature reserve since 1980 and a Ramsar wetland of international importance since 1995; in 2007 the reserve was enlarged to about 88,000 hectares. The Malargüe river, streams and underground springs feed it, and marshes around it draw the birds. Its name joins two local words: yanca, the quartz once shaped into arrowheads, and nelo, blue-green, as from above the lake looks like an arrowhead. It is one of the region's key waterbird sites, with Chilean flamingos that nest here, black-necked and coscoroba swans and many kinds of duck. It is visited on organised trips from Malargüe of at least six hours, with stops at bird-watching viewpoints and, roads and weather permitting, a walk of about 45 minutes to a lookout on the Trapal volcano. Bring binoculars.
Nesting on the lake.
Black-necked and coscoroba.
Over the lake.
About 75 km from Malargüe, southern Mendoza
On a guided trip from Malargüe of at least six hours, including bird-watching viewpoints.