Lachay

It is situated in the department of Lima, province of Huara over an area of 5070 hectares. The Lomas or Hills are the result of a combination of coastal climate factors and are subject to a peculiar geography. They originate at the exact point where the primary spurring of the Andes contacts the clouds which cover the area most of the year. There are two distinct seasons in Lachay: the humid season - which is the most important - from approximately June to November; and the dry season, from December to May. Typically, during the first season the vegetation becomes green again and attracts the fauna of the region; during the second season, instead, there is a drying process which ends when the first fog appears in the fall.



In the Lomas of Lachay, 74 species of plants have been recorded, 25 of them in danger of extinction. Among the most notable species we can find the mito or Peruvian papaya (Carica candicans), the palillo (Capparis prisca), the tara (Caesalpinia tinctoria) and the dwarf nettle (Loasa urens), which covers the Reserve with yellow colorful flowers. Other species that can be observed in a large number are the gramineous, the tillandsias and the succulents.
The most abundant mammals that can be found are the rodents, followed by other species such as the Sechuran fox (Pseudalopex sechurae), the Andes skunk (Conepatus rex), the leaf-eared mouse (Phyllotis spp.) and the Peruvian mountain vizcacha (Lagidium peruanum).

Moreover, there are approximately 55 species of birds that belong to 16 families, such as the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), the Andean tinamou (Nothoprocta pentlandii), the American Krestrel (Falco sparverius peruvianus), and diverse species of hummingbirds. Among the most notorious reptiles we can find the desert lancehead (Bothrops pictus) and the lava lizard (Tropidurus sp.) There are a large number of arthropods, including 6 species of Chilopoda, 17 species of Arachnida that belong to 14 families, and 208 species of insects corresponding to 80 families. In the Reserve there are cave paintings and archaeological remains dating from Pre-Columbian cultures. Moreover, there are huge granite and diorite rocks that have been worn away over time, leaving strange concavities and soft and round contours of great geological interest. The principles objectives of the Lachay National Reserve are to restore and preserve the wild flora and fauna, to do research for a rational use of the Hills, and to promote the recreation in harmony with nature.