Yerba Loca Nature Sanctuary, Nature reserve in Lo Barnechea, Chile.
Yerba Loca Nature Sanctuary is a protected area in the Andes above Lo Barnechea, Chile, covering 5,664 hectares from 1,500 to 5,400 meters in altitude. Its main watercourse, the Yerba Loca creek, carries high levels of sulfates that make it undrinkable. The sanctuary has three sectors: Villa Paulina, Piedra Carvajal, and the hanging glaciers of cerros La Paloma and El Altar.
The area has been used by humans for thousands of years, with archaeological remains showing early settlement. The highest mountain within its borders held sacred meaning for the Inca, who performed rituals at the summit.
The sanctuary's name comes from the creek: yerba loca, "crazy herb", refers to a plant that grows along its banks and was once used in local folk medicine. Arrieros, mule drivers who crossed the Andes with livestock, rested at Piedra Carvajal, a site that also holds archaeological remains. The valley still carries traces of these mountain travel routes.
The entrance lies at curve 15 on the road to Farellones. From Villa Paulina, 4 km in, five trails start; Piedra Carvajal sits 13 km further at 3,000 m, and the hanging glaciers of La Paloma and El Altar are 4 km beyond that. The Yerba Loca creek carries heavy sulphates, so its water is not drinkable.
The Yerba Loca creek carries so many dissolved sulfates that its water cannot be drunk; the name means "crazy herb" in Spanish. The sanctuary entrance sits at curve 15 of the road to Farellones, and the stream rises on the slopes of Cerro La Paloma at about 3,900 m.
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