The Pacific Desert

On the Pacific coast, from northern Peru (60 LS) to northern Chile (220 LS) runs one of the driest deserts in the world, known as the Pacific desert. Despite extreme aridity, the desert offers an interesting variety of ecosystems and biodiversity very original. It forms a narrow strip along the coast, about 30 to 60 km wide, and up to 600 to 1000 m altitude. It borders the equatorial dry forest north and east by the mountainous steppe.

The desert of the Pacific is one of the most arid deserts in the world. However, ecosystems can find many attractive and biological varieties. There is a 60% humidity, and even when rainfall is low, once the humidity exceeds 100%, there is a drizzle called garua.

In some places, where they hit the hills mists, unique environments are formed known as «hills»: true oasis of life in the desert that serve as shelter to an abundant and varied wildlife. The winds are also important in this region, and ever reach its greatest intensity on the coast of Ica, where they are known as paracas.

In this region abound plains, mountains, hills, and is crossed by about 40 low flow rivers. There are also lakes and marshes with abundant vegetation. The soils are sandy, desert and rocky areas, but also alluvial, suitable for agriculture. In northern soils found in the desert dunes and prevailing south derivatives ash from volcanoes.

The best living place in the desert is the scorpion, an insect that feeds on spiders, butterflies, beetles, cockroaches, centipedes and ants.

Swamps villa, declared restricted area, located south of Lima, is a station on the route of migratory birds, the best known being the black-headed vulture, gull, the stilt and moorhen.

The desert can be crossed in sandboxes, ATVs those who have been replaced by their original body steel tubular structure to reduce the impact in case of rollover. It is mandatory to fasten a safety harness and lenses that keep the sand in the eyes.