Page 223 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Argentina

CUY O AND THE WINE C OUNTR Y  PB

CUY O AND THE WINE C OUNTR Y  221

road for the 24-mile (40-km)
circuit inaccessible. Most of
these tours visit the park
in the morning and Talampaya
in the afternoon before heading
back to San Agustín.
In addition to the vehicle
tour, visitors can also take a
3-hour hike to the 5,734-ft
(1,748-m) summit of the
barrow-like Cerro Morado
for panoramic views of
Ischigualasto and north
La Esfinge (The Sphinx) rock formation at Parque Provincial Ischigualasto to Talampaya. Best done in
the morn ing, the hike
The highway continues to the Natural. Housed in a high- necessitates hiring a guide
15,680-ft (4,780-m) Paso de ceilinged warehouse adapted at the park ranger station at
Agua Negra, the highest pass as a museum, its lifesize the entrance.
between Argentina and Chile. models of Eoraptor lunensis,
Open from December to March, Herrerasaurus ischigua lastensis,
it is one of the best places to and other dinosaurs that
see the penitentes, conical roamed the earth up to
snow formations resembling 228 million years ago are the
hooded monks. starting point for informative
backcountry tours. University
0 Parque Provincial students explain in Spanish the
process of reconstructing the
Ischigualasto skele tons before leading 2-hour
vehicle excursions past unique
Road map B2. 202 miles (325 km) NE
of San Juan. @ from San Juan. n 25 landforms such as La Esfinge Pre-Columbian petroglyphs at
de Mayo y Las Heras, San Juan, (0264) (The Sphinx) and El Hongo Piedra Pintada
422-7372. Open museum & park: Apr– (The Mushroom). q San Agustín del
Sep: 8am–4pm; Oct–Mar: 8am– 5pm. Due to the terrible summer
& inclusive of museum price. 8 7 heat, most animals are noctur- Valle Fértil
0 - = ∑ ischigualasto.gob.ar nal but visitors may be able to Road map B2. 250 km (400 miles)
see the Patagonian hares, rheas, NE of San Juan. * 3,889. @
Less colorful than the red red foxes, armadillos, pumas, n General Acha 52, (0264) 642-0104.
sandstone canyons of Sierra de and the rarely spotted condors. _ Founding of San Agustín (Apr).
las Quijadas (see p222) and the The main plant varieties found ∑ sanjuanlaestrelladelosandes.com
desert parks of the Andean are four kinds of cactus, native
Northwest, the Triassic sedi- brea trees, and jarilla shrubs. Unlike the blazing deserts to
ments and volcanic ash of Visitors touring the its north and south, the cozy
Ischigualasto have brought backcountry must either have oasis of San Agustín del Valle
about some of the top dino saur their own vehicles or arrive Fértil (Fertile Valley) enjoys a
discoveries of recent decades. In with a private operator from verdant wood land setting at
a country where paleontologists San Agustín del Valle Fértil. Rare the base of Sierra de la Huerta.
have not received the wet weather can make the The place is filled with wide
widespread recognition they maize fields, a pasture for goats,
deserve, the park, also known and olive groves. Improved
as the Valley of the Moon, is high ways and visitor services
slowly changing the situation. have made it the best place for
With impressive exhibits and travelers to arrange tours to
informative tours, it has now Ischigualasto in San Juan and
become an imperative stop-off Talampaya across the pro vincial
for both specialists and visitors border in La Rioja.
in general. A cluster of archaeological
Since its designation as a sites nearby includes pre-
UNESCO World Heritage Site, Columbian petroglyphs at
together with Parque Nacional Piedra Pintada, just across Río
Talampaya (see p189) across the Seco. Another highlight of the
provincial border in La Rioja, the town is Parque Provincial Valle
park has opened a branch of Fértil, a large roadless area in
the Universidad Nacional de Dinosaur display at the museum in Parque the enticing mountains to the
San Juan’s Museo de Historia Provincial Ischigualasto west and southwest.

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