Fray Jorge National Park

After a month of caring for Mia and a couple of weeks recovery, we were finally ready to get back to exploring our adoptive country! One of the places we had heard about and really wanted to visit was the remnant cloud forest (a tiny section of temperate rain forest on the top of a mountain) in Fray Jorge National Park. When I’d originally looked into visiting the forest in February, the road was closed for repair. However, when I checked again, it was open!

So, the weekend before Easter, we packed a lunch, filled the car with gas, and set Google Maps to take us to Fray Jorge. Except… for some strange reason, Google Maps decided to take us the LONG way around. We didn’t really check the route before setting out and were pretty far along before we bothered to check. Yep, definitely the long way around! We really need to learn to check the route before we go. But… Todd and I both like loops – both for hiking and driving. So, maybe Google Maps decided that we really wanted to do a loop?

Two and a half hours later, we made it to the wonderful 10+ mile washboard dirt road that leads to the park. Our new (used) car, a Kia Rio 5, isn’t really the best for this kind of road. But if we kept it very slow, we could enjoy the rear-end massage rather than bemoan the teeth-rattling sensation!

April is definitely the off-season here, so we only shared the road with one or two other cars during our journey. Of course, it was also about 10 am on a Sunday, so most people were probably just starting to get up.

As we approached the park, we commented that it seemed strange to be within a few miles of a cloud forest without seeing anything resembling either a cloud or a forest! We eventually made it to the park and were able to understand the park ranger’s Spanish instructions on what to do from there. We needed to go another 8 km to the cloud forest, up a very steep mountain road. But once we got there, we were definitely in the clouds and could start to make out the outline of a forest. Yeah!

We’re not sure if it was because of the off-season, Covid, or both, but only one of the three trails we could see was open. (Apparently there are other trails as well, but we couldn’t access the areas of the park in which they were situated.) This was because of the very limited staff. Unlike parks in the United States, there was a guide at each stage of your journey – where you parked, where you started the trial, etc. They verbally explained (no pamphlets) where you were supposed to go and what rules you had to obey. Since they only had enough staff for the entrance and one trail… Hopefully we can hike some of the other trails at some point in the future.

The trail itself was great. There was a beautiful boardwalk for the entire trail along with numerous interpretive signs. Along the trail, we passed through various climactic zones with different plants that we’d never seen before. In the areas with more sun and less humidity, the plants were more desert-like. However, in the areas with more clouds and humidity… cloud forest! Moisture! Moss!!! The first moss I’ve seen since leaving Washington. (Hello, moss. I’ve missed you!)

One of the interpretive signs was about the conditions that are necessary to get a cloud forest. It was very amusing. Take 1 cup of cold water, 3 tablespoons of cold air and a pinch of the Cordillera mountains, mix continuously for 1 year, tell the trees that the clouds are coming, etc…

After enjoying the interpretive trail, we headed back off the mountain to warm up and have our picnic lunch. It was definitely cold, windy and wet in the cloud forest!

Our route back to La Serena was much more straightforward. We took the main highway instead of the alternate route. However, since the day had really warmed up and the sun had come out (much rarer in the fall/winter), we decided to stop in the beach town of Totoralillo on the way back. Apparently this is the best surfing area around. I can see why. The waves were absolutely gorgeous! Plus, there was a beautiful beach nearby and some cabañas that can be rented. It’s probably overrun in the summer. But it would be a great place to stay in the off-season.

Overall, this was a wonderful day with some great exploring!