Laguna Blanca National Park 2.19

Laguna Blanca National Park is a National Park in the west of the, close to the town of Zapala.The park around the lagoon was created in 1940 to protect the lagoon and particularly the population of black-necked swans . It has an area of 112.5 km². The lagoon is situated in the Patagonian steppe, surrounded by hills and gorges.It has important aquatic bird fauna, of several species and in great number.The lagoon used to host the largest known subpopulation of the endemic Patagonia frog, but this has been extirpated by introduced predatory fish; the species survives in isolated ponds in the buffer zone of the national park.Near the lagoon is the Salamanca cave, historically inhabited by humans, where rock paintings, typical of northern Patagonia, can be seen. Other mapuche and prehistoric human artifacts have been found in the park.ClimateThe park has an arid and windy climate with a large diurnal range. During summer, the mean temperature is 22C with temperatures that can exceed 40C during heat waves. In winter, the mean temperature is 5C with minimum temperatures reaching -20C. Snowfall can occur during the winter months. Rainfall is low, averaging between 150to per year, most of it concentrated in winter.