El Yali National Reserve, Coastal wetland reserve in Santo Domingo, Chile

El Yali National Reserve is a Ramsar wetland in Santo Domingo, Valparaíso Region, made up of 13 water bodies, including the albufera, Laguna Colejuda and Laguna La Matanza, plus esteros, salt flats and dunes. Its 520.37 protected hectares lie within an 11,500-hectare wetland complex shaped over 18,000 years, partly by the Navidad Formation.

The wetland complex took its present shape over roughly 18,000 years, shaped by the Navidad Formation and by El Niño cycles that still drive its seasonal water levels. In 1996 Chile protected 520.37 hectares as a national reserve under Supreme Decree No. 41, managed by CONAF, and in the same year the site was listed as Ramsar site No. 878. Luis Risopatrón's 1924 dictionary already recorded the Estero de Yali draining west into the Salinas lagoons.

The name Yali probably comes from the Mapudungun word for mosquito. About 30% of the birds recorded here are migrants that stop over, while the rest are resident. In the past, the large Chilean frog was hunted in Laguna La Matanza for food.

The reserve is best reached via Route 68 from Valparaiso, continuing on Route 66 toward Santo Domingo. Wear sturdy footwear since the paths are damp and sometimes soft, especially after rain.

The reserve hosts over one hundred bird species, including rare migratory birds that arrive only during specific seasons. Visitors might spot species that normally inhabit only South America or northern regions.