Zárate Forest Reserved Zone, Protected forest reserve in Huarochirí Province, Peru.

The Zárate Forest Reserved Zone protects a dry cloud forest on the southern slope of a 3,600-metre mountain in the San Bartolomé district, from the upper San Bartolomé gorge down to 1,850 metres. Oreopanax, Myrcianthes and Escallonia trees dominate the stand, which shelters 63 bird species and the Peruvian orchid Chloraea undulata.

The reserve was created on 13 October 2010 by Ministerial Resolution No. 195-2010-MINAM, setting aside 545.75 hectares in the San Bartolomé district of Huarochirí Province. It is administered by SERNANP, Peru's national protected areas service, and is also classed as an Important Bird Area.

The reserve protects the hamlets and the village of San Bartolomé from landslides during the summer rains, so the forest above the San Bartolomé gorge is watched over as a shield for the settlement. Its name Zárate is Spanish for a surname; in German the area is simply called Wald von Zárate.

You need to get permission from both SERNANP and the local community before entering this reserve. The main way in is through the La Capilla entrance near San Bartolomé, where staff can advise on current trail conditions.

The reserve protects two endemic plants, Barnadesia blakeana and Myrcianthes quinqueloba, found in the mountain forest of an arid Andean landscape. It is also classified as an Important Bird Area, and the Andean condor has been recorded there.