Paso El Infernillo

by Carina Kozmich and Hannah Perlinger

Climate and vegetation of the Eastern Cordillera

Coming from the Valle Santa María and having passed the cactus semi-desert around the Observatorio Astronómico de Ampimpa, one crosses the Paso El Infernillo at approx. 3000 m asl. Here, the view opens to the fertile Valle de Tafí with the Lago El Mollar. Through a wide valley, the journey leads down to the lake, 1000 m lower than the mountain pass. Before reaching the tourist spot of Tafí del Valle, one crosses a landscape which might look familiar for travellers from Central Europe - unless one meets some grazing animals, not looking European at all. Stops directly at the pass, and another one farther down, are recommended, offering nice views over the Valle de Tafí with the lake. In the background of the title image you can see a sheet of clouds, hiding the mysterious yungas beneath. You can dive into those clouds by visiting the contribution on the Virgen de las Flores.

Encounters at the Paso El Infernillo

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Click on the arrows or into the photo to approach the llamas more closely. But be careful, sometimes they spit!

In the area around the slightly more than 3000 m high mountain pass, connecting the Valle Santa María and the eastern Andean forelands, the landscape somehow reminds of the Alps - the vegetation cover becomes denser, and the semi-desert is replaced by alpine meadows. If you are lucky you might encounter llamas grazing here.

Visit the contribution on the camelids of the Andes in order to gather more information on the llamas and their relatives!

The flora upslope from Tafí del Valle

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Click on the arrows or into the photograph to view some of the plants more closely.

What do the plants in the images remind you of? Can you recognize plants which you might have seen in other parts of the world, such as Central Europe?

Try to name those plants you can see in the detailed views of the photos 2-5!

Show solution

Photo 2: thistles are equipped with thorns. The term thistle is part of the names of several species and genera of the Carduoideae, a sub-family of the composite family.

Photo 3: the crowfoot, also known as ranunculus (genus Ranunculus), is a species-rich genus which belongs to the buttercup family. Many of these plants live at rather damp sites.

Photo 4: the dandelion (genus Taraxacum) is a well-known and widely distributed plant in Central Europe. It is considered a weed in many gardens, even though it is, actually, a medicinal plant and can also be used in the kitchen.

Photo 5: the clover (Trifolium), like the dandelion, is a species-rich and widely distributed genus. It is well-known for its leaves split into three parts, and for its inflorescences with several individual flowers. In agriculture, it is used for feeding animals and as fertilizer. It is also of some importance in everyday culture - it stands, for example, for trinity, summer, or love. Four-leaf clovers are considered good luck charms.

Wikipedia article on the thistles [Access source]

Wikipedia article on clover [Access source]

Wikipedia article on the white clover [Access source]

Kidsweb: Löwenzahn [Access source]

Medienwerkstatt - Software zum Lehren and Lernen: Butterblume - Hahnenfuβ [Access source]

This contribution was revised, extended, and translated from German by Martin Mergili.