Ojos de mar de Llolleo, Natural wetland system in San Antonio, Chile
Ojos de mar de Llolleo is a coastal wetland made up of three permanent lagoons near the town of San Antonio, in central Chile. The lagoons sit on flat, open ground close to where the Maipo River meets the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by low vegetation and sandy terrain.
The wetland took shape after 1939, when construction of the harbor's southern breakwater altered how the Maipo River drained into the sea. Over the following decades, sediment built up and the three lagoons gradually formed.
The name "Ojos de mar" means "eyes of the sea" in Spanish, referring to how the lagoons look like open eyes staring up from the flat coastal land. Today locals and visitors walk along the edges of the water to watch birds and enjoy the open sky.
The lagoons are easy to reach on foot from central San Antonio, with natural paths running along the water's edge. No special equipment is needed, but wearing comfortable shoes is a good idea given the sandy and sometimes uneven ground.
Although the lagoons were formed by an accidental consequence of port construction, they now host over 80 bird species, many of them migratory. This makes the site one of the notable stopover points on the Pacific flyway along the South American coast.
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