Natural Sanctuary: La Veronica

Glacier - fed cascades run down the forested slopes of Veronica

Will hiking up to the waterfall

Joy communing with one of the dozens of spectacular waterfalls in the Veronica Sanctuary

We are so fortunate to have connected with an amazing Peruvian man whose dream is to protect a special piece of land in the Sacred Valley.  30 years ago, Miguel's parents built a rustic house on a piece of land at the gateway to one of the most pristine tracts of native Andean montane forest left in the Sacred Valley.  He brought us there for a personal tour of what he hopes will become a protected natural area, El Santuario de la Veronica.

There are a few small meadow areas surrounded by wild forest

    How we met Miguel:  Gary just happened upon a small store near the plaza in Pisac, la Tienda de María, where a sign advertised the natural sanctuary.  María, a long-time family friend of Miguel's family, helps support the Santuario de la Veronica project by selling Miguel's t-shirts (his original designs). María's daughter, Noemi, put me in contact with Miguel, and our mutual friendship and enthusiasm for protecting this wild place took off.

The forest is rich in bird life, including five species of hummingbirds, numerous species of song birds, hawks, eagles, condors, and also rare mammals like puma, spectacled bear, and Andean deer.

Mountain orchids grow abundantly on the Polylepis (queñua) trees.

This is an important refuge for rare and endangered animals, since their mountain forest habitat is all but gone in the Sacred Valley, deforested by centuries of human inhabitation.

Miguel is an avid photographer, fascinated with the abundance of epiphytes (air plants) in this forest.

Here are some views of the Veronica Sanctuary, from our first visit. It is an amazing, unusual place, very steep forested flanks of a big (18,000') high mountain, Nevado Veronica. Looooong, thin waterfalls cascade down the green slopes, encircled by the giant arms of the mountain. There are a few trails roughed in by the cows and Miguel's father, but much trail work is needed.

Miguel clearing trail on our first visit

Already Gary has written up a proposal, is preparing to find grant money to hire a guardian, and spreading the word to organize service learning opportunities for young people.