Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve is a protected area located in the regions of Arequipa and Moquegua; Peru.

[1] Precipitation carried by the eastern winds is captured by the local vegetation and stored in the lakes, meadows and soil; thus giving a valuable environmental service to the region.

[1] The reserve is populated to some extent; most of its territory belongs to thirteen peasant communities and more than 100 private smallholders recognized by law.

[1][4] Some plants found in the reserve are: Jarava ichu, Nassella depauperata, Lepidophyllum quadrangulare, Parastrephia lepidophylla, Festuca ortophylla, Nassella mexicana, Azorella compacta, Pycnophyllum molle, Werneria paposa, Calamagrostis curvula, Baccharis buxifolia, Alchemilla pinnata, Distichia muscoides, Ranunculus flagelliformis, Myrosmodes sp., among others.

[4] Biking and trekking can be done in the numerous paths inside the reserve,[1] while enjoying the landscape emmarked by the volcanoes of the area where mountaineering can be practiced.

Guanacos with Misti volcano in the background at Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve.
Flamingoes at Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve.