Question 1

What are the Yungas?

Accepted Answer

The Yungas are the mountain rainforest of northwest Argentina: they run between 22° and 28° south latitude and climb from about 400 m to nearly 3,000 m above sea level. It is a relatively small ecoregion (sources give figures from about 2 million hectares to about 31,000 km² of remaining forest) but a very diverse one. Argentina's National Parks administration calls it a great 'natural sponge' that regulates water resources.

Question 2

Where are the Yungas in Tucumán and how big are they?

Accepted Answer

In Tucumán the Yungas cover the eastern slopes of the ranges, such as the Aconquija, from the foothills upward. Aconquija National Park, in Chicligasta department, is the main national protected area; sources give different sizes (about 500 km² per an open encyclopedia, over 50,000 ha in the official 2016 announcement, over 70,000 ha per Aves Argentinas). We did not find an official figure for how many hectares of Yungas lie inside the province.

Question 3

Why is it called a cloud forest, and why is it so green?

Accepted Answer

On mountain slopes, low clouds and fog touch the vegetation, which captures that moisture and sends it on to streams and rivers (horizontal precipitation). A scientific study notes that at middle and upper elevations fog can add up to 100% more moisture on top of the rain that falls. That is why the montane forest stays damp and covered in epiphytes.

Question 4

How much does it rain, and when?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the floor: the foothill forest (selva pedemontana) gets about 800 to 1,000 mm a year, over 90% of it in summer (November to March); the montane forest (selva montana) averages around 1,800 mm (range 1,100–2,300 mm). A UNT study says more than 90% of annual rain falls from October to April in the area. The dry season runs roughly from April to October.

Question 5

Which altitude floors do the Yungas have?

Accepted Answer

Four floors are recognised: foothill forest (selva pedemontana, the lowest), montane rainforest (selva montana), montane forest (bosque montano) and, above, high or cloud grasslands (pastizales de altura / de neblina). Limits vary by author: Malizia and colleagues give foothill 400–900 m, selva montana 900–1,600 m and montane forest 1,600–2,300 m; National Parks gives 300–900, 900–1,700, 1,700–2,500 and cloud grasslands 2,500–3,500 m.

Question 6

How many bird, mammal and plant species are there, and which animals live here?

Accepted Answer

According to National Parks, the Yungas Biosphere Reserve (in Salta and Jujuy) has more than 100 mammal species, at least 500 bird species, about 30 amphibians, over 200 tree species and 80 ferns. Aves Argentinas says the Yungas hold about 50% of the country's birds. Typical animals include jaguar, tapir, giant anteater, puma, brocket deer and peccaries. The sources we read give no official count for Tucumán alone.

Question 7

Are there dangerous animals? Is it safe to hike alone?

Accepted Answer

The main practical risk is snakes rather than big cats: Tucumán has three medically important genera (yarará pit viper, coral snake and rattlesnake), with 33 snakebite cases reported in 2015, mostly in summer. The Yungas mammal guide advises boots and gloves when moving logs or stones, insect repellent, taking out your rubbish and never dropping cigarette butts. We found no official source on hiking alone, so tell someone your route and go with a companion or a guide.

Question 8

What is the most threatened part of the forest, and why?

Accepted Answer

The foothill forest (selva pedemontana), which sits on low, flat land with deep soils suited to farming. In the south, the tipa–pacará forest, found mainly in Tucumán, was converted to intensive agriculture (mostly sugar cane) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Across the Yungas, deforestation rose from 18% of the original area in the 1970s to 31% by 2010.

Question 9

Can I see jaguars or tapirs?

Accepted Answer

It is very unlikely in the wild. The jaguar is in serious danger of extinction and is a National Natural Monument (Law 25.463); a camera-trap study got only 2 records, both at Calilegua (Jujuy), and none at the Tucumán site (which had lower sampling effort). The tapir is South America's largest land mammal but is elusive; in Tucumán you can see captive animals at the Horco Molle Experimental Reserve.

Question 10

Why are the Yungas important for water?

Accepted Answer

The forest captures moisture from clouds and rain and releases it gradually to streams and rivers, regulating flows. The La Florida Forest Reserve, created in 1936 as the country's first provincial reserve, was set up precisely to protect the river areas supplying the province's agriculture and households. Specialists warn that invasive privet (ligustro) absorbs more water than native species and may reduce stream flow.

Question 11

What should I do if I find an injured wild animal?

Accepted Answer

Do not handle it or take it home: alert the provincial authorities right away using the form of the Dirección de Flora, Fauna Silvestre y Suelos (see the page on this site). In a press-reported case, a rescued bird received veterinary care and was then sent to the Horco Molle Experimental Reserve for rehabilitation.

Question 12

Are the Yungas protected?

Accepted Answer

Partly. Tucumán has Aconquija National Park (created in 1995 as Campo de los Alisos, enlarged and renamed in 2018), the La Florida Forest Reserve (1936) and the Horco Molle Experimental Reserve (1986). In addition, the Native Forests Law 26.331 requires forests to be zoned into conservation categories (red, yellow and green).

Question 13

Can I keep wild animals as pets?

Accepted Answer

It is a bad idea and may be illegal. National Law 22.421 on wildlife conservation brings hunting, capture, possession, transit and trade of wild animals under its regime, and forbids releasing captive wild animals without authorisation (art. 6). In Tucumán, wild animals kept in captivity have been seized and taken to conservation centres such as Horco Molle.

Question 14

How do the Yungas differ from the nearby Chaco and Monte?

Accepted Answer

The Yungas are humid mountain forest; the Chaco is dry lowland forest, and the foothill forest acts as a transition zone between them. A regional study shows the eastern plain has poor rainfall (under 600 mm a year), while the wet eastern slopes exceed 1,200 mm. The sources we read contain no comparison with the Monte.

Question 15

What is the best time to visit?

Accepted Answer

Heavy rain is concentrated in summer (November to March), so National Parks recommends visiting the Yungas between April and November, in the dry season. Note that snakebites occur mostly in summer. That recommendation was written for a national park in Jujuy, but the rainfall pattern is the same.

Question 16

What is the Yungas Biosphere Reserve?

Accepted Answer

It is a UNESCO-recognised reserve (2002) protecting about 1.35 million hectares in Salta and Jujuy. It has strictly protected core zones (such as Baritú, El Nogalar and Calilegua national parks), buffer zones and transition zones where communities carry out sustainable activities. Important: according to the sources we read, Tucumán is not part of this reserve.

Yungas tucumanas