Argentina - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 107

Given its size (150 square kilometres),
you need a car to explore the park
properly; rangers accompany visitors
in convoy on a bumpy 45km circuit of
the park's highlights (2-3hr), imparting
explanations of its paleontological history,
photogenic moonscapes and precarious
sandstone rock formations. The southern
section of the circuit resembles the arid
lunar landscapes of Cappadocia in
Turkey, with surreally shaped rock
formations dubbed El Submarino
(the submarine), El Esfinge (the sphinx)
and Cancha de Bolas (bowling alley);
while further north on the circuit lie
stark white fields strewn with petrified
tree trunks. If you're lucky, you might
catch a glimpse of some of the park's
inhabitants, which include hares, red
foxes, armadillos, lizards, guanacos,
snakes and condors.

rock formations of PARQUE NACIONAL
TALAMPAYA are even more eye-boggling
in reality. The centrepiece of the park
is a 220-million-year-old canyon , with
180m-high rust-red sandstone cliffs rising
on either side, rendering everything in
between puny and insignificant. At the
centre of the canyon, armadillos and grey
foxes scurry among groves of cacti and
native trees in a lush botanical garden .
Elsewhere, erosion has carved out
towering columns and gravity-defying
rock formations where condors and eagles
have found nesting sites. Other park
highlights include a series of pre-Hispanic
petroglyphs and pictographs etched onto
gigantic rock faces. Thought to be around
a thousand years old, the etchings depict
llamas, pumas, hunters, stepped pyramids
and phallic symbols.
INFORMAT ION AND TOURS
Park information The closest urban centre to the park
is Villa Unión, an entirely forgettable town in La Rioja
Province, 55km away along the RP26. Organized tours
from San Juan, Valle Fértil or Villa Unión are the best
option, as private vehicles are not allowed. If you want to
visit the park independently, the guardería (daily April-
Sept 9am-4pm, Oct-March 8am-5pm; AR$40 entrance
fee; T 03825 470 397, W talampaya.com) is staffed year-
round and you can explore on foot (not recommended) or
take an excursion with an o cial guide in their truck (2hr
30min, AR$145/person; 4hr 30min, AR$240/person).
By bus Buses from Villa Unión to La Rioja and Valle Fértil
can drop you off on the main road (check when the last
bus goes past or you'll be stuck overnight).

1

INFORMAT ION AND TOURS
Park information The park entrance, where there's a
helpful guardaparque post, is along a signposted road
off the RP510 at Los Baldecitos. Entrance (daily April-Sept
9am-4pm, Oct-March 8am-5pm) is AR$100/person and
includes a 2hr 30min tour following a ranger in your own
vehicle. An extra AR$360 buys you a range of special tours,
including 2hr guided bicycle excursions, full-moon night
tours and 3hr treks to the top of Cerro Morado (1748m),
with tremendous views of the park. Make use of the toilet
facilties and cafés at the entrance, as there are none within
the park itself.
By bus The easiest way to visit the park is on an organized
tour, but if you want to visit independently, Empresa
Vallecito buses from San Juan to La Rioja run on Mon,
Wed & Fri and pass the Los Baldecitos checkpoint, a 5km
walk to the park entrance. It is sometimes possible to
accompany rangers on a tour of the park, or hire a vehicle
at the entrance, but always check this in advance before
showing up.

ACCOMMODAT ION AND EATING
There is a basic, windswept campsite next to the guardería ;
it can get brutally cold at night. A small shop here sells
snacks and simple meals.

ACCOMMODAT ION
Campers can pitch their tents for AR$8 next to the park
visitors' centre, where there is also a bathroom and small
café. Most people spend the night in nearby Valle Fértil
(see p.110) and get a transfer to the park with one of the
village's tour operators.

Lake District
The Argentine LAKE DISTRICT in northern
Patagonia is an unspoiled region of azure
glacial lakes, pristine rivers, snow-clad
mountains, extinct volcanoes and verdant
alpine forests. Dominated until the late
nineteenth century by the indigenous
Mapuche people, the Lake District is
now Argentina's top year-round vacation

Parque Nacional Talampaya
Familiar from regular appearances on
posters promoting Argentine tourism,
the smooth sandstone cliffs and surreal