Discover San Juan De Dios

San Juan de Dios is located in the Department of San Pedro. The town is home to Parque Natural Provincial La Reina (formerly Finca Las Lauras). The park covers around 14,512 hectares and is permanently included as a protected area in the provincial system of nature reserves of Jujuy. If you are choosing a destination based on its landscapes and nature, La Reina is the clear focal point of the town.

Yungas Forests and Biodiversity

The park includes transition forests, montane rainforests and montane forests at different elevations, as well as patches of cloud grassland. Its description therefore covers several vegetation types rather than a single, uniform type of forest. This offers a concrete way to explore the Yungas: the forest formations and patches of cloud grassland represent different aspects of the natural environment.

A biodiversity report dated August 26, 2025, lists more than 333 plant species, 275 bird species, 36 mammal species, 19 reptile species and 17 amphibian species in La Reina. The figures draw attention to both plant life and several animal groups. This means the natural environment can be understood not only through its forests, but also through the diversity of recorded species.

On June 13, 2025, three rehabilitated native wild birds were released in the park: a blackish owl (Asio stygius), a barn owl (Tyto alba) and a toco toucan (Ramphastos toco). The event adds a specific example of wildlife rehabilitation and release to the population figures.

Nature Activities and Planned Visitor Facilities

The project for Parque Natural Provincial La Reina proposes hiking, wildlife observation, environmental education and scientific tourism. A plan dated March 4, 2026, mentions a proposed visitor center with a camping area and sanitary facilities, viewpoints, and initial route planning for hiking trails. These facilities and trails are at the planning stage. When planning your trip, it is therefore helpful to distinguish between the park’s nature activities and the infrastructure proposed in the project.

The Corredor Verde de las Yungas Jujeñas also includes both San Juan de Dios and the park. The corridor is part of a tourism development initiative and is described as suitable for active and nature tourism. This places the specific natural environment of San Juan de Dios alongside the broader regional focus: La Reina is linked to the different vegetation zones, while the corridor represents the wider Yungas perspective.

Local Life and Regional Context

At a patron saint’s festival in San Juan de Dios in 2013, a procession passed through the town, and a mass was held in the local chapel. School and gaucho delegations took part, and afterward the community gathered for a shared lunch. The event combined a religious occasion with local groups and a communal gathering. It describes the 2013 celebration and should be viewed as a historical glimpse into local life.

In the wider travel destination of the Department of San Pedro, the Yungas Tourist Corridor stretches from San Pedro to Palma Sola. The Cerro de la Cruz trek is also part of this regional context: it is described as a 7 km loop that climbs Cerro Centinela to the Cruz viewpoint and follows an old pilgrimage route. The two nature attractions have different focuses: La Reina in San Juan de Dios represents a protected area and Yungas vegetation, while the trek in the Department of San Pedro is a specifically described loop route.

Discover more destinations: Cachí, Chicoana, San Ramón De La Nueva Orán, General Güemes, Cafayate, El Encón, El Molino, Antilla

For the broader travel overview: Salta.