Page 224 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Argentina

222  ARGENTINA REGION B Y REGION

w Parque Nacional color. Guided descents
Sierra de las into the can yons take
about 3 or 4 hours. For
Quijadas less ambi tious hikers,
there is a relatively
Road map B2. 104 miles (167 km) SE
of San Juan. @ from San Juan & San easy nature trail that
Luis. n Ecuador 735, (02652) 445- skirts the canyon rim
141; ranger station at park entrance. while passing cacti,
Open 8am–5pm daily. & 8 only aloes, and shrubs. A
Span ish. -  ∑ parques more ambitious hike
nacionales.gov.ar follows the canyon
rim south for about
The enormous orange-red half an hour, and has
sandstone canyons of Parque better views from
Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas higher cliffs.
get far fewer visitors than their In addition to its
spectacular scenery merits. natural appeal, Las
A treasurehouse for Quijadas also has
paleontologists, this impres sive numerous archaeo-
network of canyons is part of a logical sites. Between Moorish-style Iglesia de Santo Domingo
northern paleonto logical circuit the park entrance and
that includes San Juan’s Aguada, the recently excavated a restaurant and bar district.
Ischigualasto (see p221) and La Hornillos Huarpes, ovens Four blocks south, also
Rioja’s Talampaya (see p189). where the park’s pre-Columbian impressively landscaped, is
About 120 million years ago, peoples fired their ceramics, is a Plaza Independencia, the city’s
in the Cretaceous period, sight of interest. other central square and home
pterosaurs (flying reptiles) to Palacio de Gobierno, the
roamed the area freely. A half- provincial government house.
hour hike from the park’s e San Luis Opposite the plaza is Iglesia de
entrance leads to the Loma del Road map B2. 174 miles (280 km) E of Santo Domingo, a 17th-century
Pterodaustro, a fossil-field of Mendoza. * 152,198. ~ @ n Ave church built in Moorish style.
dinosaur remains. Illia & Junín, (0266) 442-3479.
A gravel road leading up a ∑ sanluis.gov.ar Environs
narrow sedimen tary canyon Only 12 miles (20 km) northeast
emerges onto the spectacular Calling itself the Gateway to of San Luis is the hill station of
pano ramas of the Potrero de la Cuyo, San Luis is a tidy pro vincial Potrero de los Funes, where the
Aguada, which is located about capital whose colonial grid capital’s residents take a break
5 miles (8 km) from the park contains attractive public spaces with watersports or horse riding
entrance. This is a veri table such as Plaza Pringles. This is the in the nearly roadless Sierra de
maze of small canyons leading center of the city, dominated by San Luis.
to a dry lake bed. Much photo- the Neo-Classical Iglesia Catedral
graphed, the majestic Aguada is with its twin bell towers and R Iglesia Catedral
best enjoyed during sunset elaborately sculpted pediment. Pringles and Rivadavia.
when it takes on a fiery orange To the northwest is Avenida Illia, Tel (0266) 442-4414. Open daily.

The red rocks of the Potrero de la Aguada, Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp281–2 and pp294–6

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.6)
Date 12th July 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm