Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
are also available; a more appealing way of exploring if the heat's not too intense, though
you'll still likely have to pay for transport into the park if you're on foot. There are night
excursions when there's a full moon.
Cañon de Talampaya
ROCK FORMATIONS
( 8:30am-5:30pm)
Focus of visits is this spectacular dry (usually) watercourse bounded
by sheer sandstone cliffs. Condors soar on thermals, and guanacos, rheas and maras can
be seen in the shade of algarrobo trees along the sandy canyon floor. A series of enigmat-
ic petroglyphs carved into oxidized sandstone slabs are the first stop on the standard vis-
it, followed by, in the canyon itself, such highlights as the Chimenea del Eco, whose im-
pressive echo is a guaranteed hit, the Catedral formation and the clerical figure of El
Monje.
Ciudad Perdida & Cañon
Arco Iris
ROCK FORMATIONS
( 8:30am-5:30pm)
In another part of the park, accessed from the road 14km before
reaching the main park entrance, these impressive formations are accessed via guided
4WD tours which only leave once full (3 to 4 hours; AR$160).
Sendero Triásico
DINOSAUR FOSSILS
This 'Triassic' path takes you past life-size replicas of dinosaurs whose fossilized re-
mains have been found in the Talampaya area.
Sleeping & Eating
There's shadeless camping at the visitor center (AR$25 per person), which has decent
toilets and showers. There's also a cafe here serving meals and cold drinks.
There are simple accommodations in Pagancillo, 29km north. A further 29km up the
road, larger Villa Unión has several cabin and hotel options, some quite stylish. The park
website
www.talampaya.gov.ar
has a useful pdf detailing accommodation options.
Information
Sep-Apr, 8:30am-4:30pm inclusive May-mid-Sep)
is just off the RP26. Here you pay the
AR$50 admission (AR$25 for Argentine citizens, free for under-17s), and arrange guided
visits. Entry is valid for two days and includes a free jaunt introducing biological and
