Flora of The Andes

The great diversity of habitats along the southern Andes includes some of the most spectacular flora in the continent. The scenery throughout this itinerary is simply stunning. Starting in Buenos Aires, we will visit extensive stands of Pampas Grass growing just out of the city. Northwestern Argentina is dissected by a system of mountain chains and valleys. Cloud forest (or Yungas) habitats are found on the eastern slopes, while dry shrub-lands are on the rain-shadowed western slopes. The Yungas have lush vegetation, and branches are laden with orchids, giant bromeliads and epiphytic cacti.

The arid Humahuaca valley has many coloured hills where terrestrial bromeliads grow, and we will visit a botanical garden in the pre- Hispanic settlement of Tilcara. Not far are high Andean grasslands and a large field of columnar cacti. In the lowlands, the Chaco woodlands are the reign of the Quebracho (Schinopsis spp), one of the hardest woods in the world. Around Cafayate –a prime wineproducing region– spreads an endemic ecosystem of Argentina, the Monte brush-land. Patagonia brings a dramatic change in landscape, with humid subantarctic rainforests amid huge glacial lakes, reminiscent of northern Europe. Once in Chile, the Valdivian rainforest (one of the wettest spots in the continent) is home to ancient Alerce trees (Fitzroya cupressoides), fuchsias and dense bamboo stands. We will visit the monkey-puzzle (Araucaria araucana) fields settled in volcanic landscapes, and end our trip with a visit to the Chaparral near Santiago, an endemic biome characterised by the Chilean Palm (Jubaea chilensis).