For those who want to know part of the Aconcagua 360 Route environment and its base, trekking through the Aconcagua Provincial Park is an excellent option. In addition to the mountaineering routes that allow you to ascend to the top of Aconcagua, the Provincial Park offers numerous circuits with different levels of difficulty.The walks through these circuits invite you to know how to climb Aconcagua and to pass through landscapes of snow-capped mountains, deep valleys with panoramic viewpoints and mighty rivers. Some of these routes correspond to gentle 2-hour hiking trails, while other more complex ones comprise 7 days of trekking.
Continuing with the group of birds, you will be able to locate the Muscisaxicola cinerea that frequents the proximity of mountain rivers and streams, the Andean comosebo with a showy dark cap that contrasts with the yellow-white ventral part, the leaden yal, the agachona necklace whose name refers to the custom of “flattening” against the ground.
Another characteristic animal of the area is the guanaco whose ability to live in steep terrain is greater than that of the vicuña, there are also populations of the emblematic puma and red fox.
It is the most important water mirror in the Aconcagua Park, this lagoon is created by the melting of the glaciers that are in the surroundings and is also fed by the meltwater of the Tolosa hill.
The Laguna de Horcones is located 2,950 meters above sea level, it is part of a small wetland formed by five lagoons and meadows; These wetlands are characterized by presenting a biological diversity of plants and animals. This entire valley was covered during successive periods by large glaciers.
The Laguna de Horcones circuit is a route of almost 2 kilometers long that can be covered in an hour. It is the only path that is allowed to be done throughout the year, unlike ascents to the summit or trekking to base camps that have well-defined seasonal dates.
There is the possibility of hiring Aconcagua Guided climb, it is recommended if you do not have previous experience, or want to know every detail and path of this wonderful natural environment.
In the 73 thousand hectares that the park covers, it can be observed that a shrub, stunted or creeping vegetation predominates, and in the areas near the peaks the dominant vegetation is the shrubby steppe, low and scattered, with a predominance of the iros, which are hard compact shepherd shrubs, generally yellowish.
As for the fauna of the Aconcagua Provincial Park, you can see the condor that with a wingspan close to three meters and a height that when perched exceeds 90 centimeters is considered the largest flying bird, flies with extraordinary skill over the valleys and the hills of the area. It is the great protagonist of the area!