Las Vicuñas National Reserve, Nature reserve in Parinacota Province, Chile

Las Vicuñas National Reserve is a protected area in the Andean puna of Chile's Parinacota Province, with peaks rising above 5,500 meters (18,000 feet). The landscape consists of open, rocky steppes, highland rivers, and volcanic ridges.

The reserve was established in 1983 and is part of the larger Lauca Biosphere Reserve. This classification links it to the neighboring Lauca National Park and Salar de Surire Natural Monument within a shared conservation system.

Aymara communities have lived in these highlands for centuries and built stone altars on ridges that are still visible today. These sites were considered sacred by local people and remain part of a living Andean tradition.

The reserve spans 4,300 to 5,800 meters above sea level in the precordillera and altiplano southeast of Lauca National Park, in Putre commune. Daytime averages run 8 to 15 °C but nights drop to -5 to -15 °C, with summer rain and winter snow. Water concentrates at Paquisa lagoon, with Japu lagoon as another source.

The reserve's subsoil is protected as a scientific site for mining purposes under Article 17 of Chile's Mining Code, established by Supreme Decree No. 29 of 8 March 1983 and published on 12 May 1983. Mining work there requires written permission from the President of the Republic countersigned by the Minister of Mining.