Bosques Telteca Reserve

Information

It is a protected area in the province of Mendoza that preserves native "algarrobo" tree forests, where specimens up to 300 years old and 15 meters tall can be found. Its name comes from the Huarpe terms "teca" meaning "fruit" and "teñc" which translates as "ripe", which could be related to the fruit of the algarrobo trees that they consumed.

It is located along National Route 142, about 58 km from the village of Costa de Araujo. The city of Mendoza is about 112 km away.

There is a visitor center and an information office with park rangers located along Route 142. There are trails of varying degrees of difficulty that can be walked to explore the forest and take a closer look at its vegetation. Also along Route 142 is the entrance to another area called Altos Limpios, where enormous sand dunes without vegetation can be seen. Keep in mind that during the summer, between December and March, temperatures can be very high, and for this reason it is recommended to visit the area especially between April and November.

It is located on a plain with an arid and desert climate. In addition to algarrobo, chañar trees, retamo and other shrubs such as jarilla can be found. And because it is a protected area, it is possible to find native wildlife including mammals such as the Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum) and the Pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), reptiles such as lizards, the Red Tegu (Salvator rufescens) and the Chaco Tortoise (Chelonoidis chilensis), as well as a variety of birds that are adapted to the dry environment.