Liucura and Icalma

Those coming from Curacautín, have over- or underpassed the Cuesta las Raices, and continue their journey in direction to the border between Chile and Argentina, will note a marked change in the landscape: the southern beech forests are less dense, non-forested areas become more frequent not only directly at the valley floor but also on the slopes, and almost pure groves of monkey puzzle trees as well as park-like landscapes can bee seen: meadows with dispersed araucaria trees. The rain shade of the Andes with their high volcanoes becomes obvious here. However, average annual rainfall still exceeds 1000 mm in places, and the area around Lonquimay, Liucura, and Icalma is used for agriculture. This means that it is not always easy to clearly distinguish between natural and human influences on the ecosystems.

Click on the title image to see the landscape from another perspective.