Wetland at the Mouth of the Lluta River

Information

It is a wetland formed at the mouth of the Lluta River into the sea, located 9 km from Arica. It has marine beach environments, lagoons, scrub and cattails.

To get there, from downtown Arica first take Chile Avenue, and then follow the road that runs along the coast. It is about 9 km on asphalt, until you reach a bridge that crosses the Lluta River, which is where the wetland is located.

There is a trail to get to know the area. Take into account that there are no services at the site, so it is advisable to bring everything you need, such as food, drinks, etc. If you go by cab it is recommended to combine the return with the cab driver.

It is an excellent place for bird watching. On the beach are abundant grey gull (Larus modestus), Belcher's gull (Larus belcheri), Franklin's gull (Larus pipixcan), grey-headed gull (Larus cirrocephalus), elegant tern (Thalasseus elegans) and American oystercarcher (Haematopus palliatus). A species of interest is the Peruvian thick-knee (Burhinus superciliaris), which is not found in other regions of Chile. Wherever there is vegetation, the slender-billed finch (Xenospingus concolor) and the Peruvian meadowlark (Leistes bellicosus) frequent the area.