- Year of foundation: 1948
- Area: 441.62 sq. M. km
- Height above sea level: 900 m
Argentina is among the leaders in environmental protection and ecotourism development in the country. Here, more than three dozen reserves, parks, nature reserves are open to tourists, including the not so well-known El Rai reserve. It is located in the north-west of Argentina, in the province of Salta , 80 km from its capital.
From the history of the park
El Rey was opened to visitors in the middle of the last century, in 1948. Earlier on this site there was private ownership, and then decided to create a reserve to protect local flora and fauna and preserve the ecoregion in the southern Andes. Today it includes three parks where moist mountain forests grow, dozens of birds and mammals live, including rare breeds.
The climate of El Rei
The reserve is located at medium altitude, mountain peaks are often covered with clouds, so that even in the hottest and driest summer months, all vegetation grows luxuriantly, blooms and always green. The climate here is warm, precipitation falls from 500 to 700 mm per year.
What is interesting about El Rei Park?
The flora of the reserve is very diverse and depends mainly on the height on which it grows. If we talk about the fauna, in El Rey you can find about 150 species of birds, including parrots, eagles and a symbol of the reserve - a giant toucan. In this park, for all lovers of bird watching, excellent conditions have been created and even a special path of Senda Pozo Verde has been built, the length of which is 13 km.
Representatives of mammals are much smaller, but among them there are rare and endangered species, for example, pumas and jaguars, as well as anteaters and bakers. Tapirs, also called anta, are the largest South American mammals and can reach a mass of 300 kg. In the rivers, streams and lakes there are fish in the park.
How to get there?
In El-Rey National Park, it is best to leave the city of Salta in the province of the same name. To Salta there are buses from major cities of Argentina, including Buenos Aires and Cordoba , as well as there is an internal flight connection with the capital. Further, after reaching Salta, go to the reserve, renting a car or using a taxi. The distance from Salta to El Rey is about 80 km.