Calilegua National Park

Calilegua National Park, Argentina’s largest cloud forest reserve at 76,000 hectares, shelters 45% of the country’s recorded bird species, including the elusive harpy eagle and 500 diverse avian types. Its altitude varies from 500 to 1,900 meters, creating 17 distinct microhabitats that host jaguars and tapirs, with a mammal diversity 20% higher than the average Argentine park. This Yungas forest gem receives over 1,500 mm of annual rainfall, making it 30% wetter than #8 El Palmar, but its jaguar population is concentrated in just 5% of the park’s area, as shown by 2023 camera-trap surveys recording 8 individual cats per 100 square kilometers.