Argentina Tours & Travel | Sierra de Las Quijadas National Park
The 370,600-acre Sierra de Las Quijadas National Park was established in 1991 to protect arid Chaco and monte (dry scrub) vegetation as well as the region’s archeological and paleontological sites. Situated in northwestern San Luis Province on a vast plain, its most distinctive geological feature is the Potrero de la Aguada, a natural amphitheater with unusual red walls and formations, the work of erosion. It also contains the remnants of a pre-Columbian indigenous settlement and fossils of two dinosaur specimens, a unique sight on Argentina tours. Similar to that of the Patagonian steppe, the wildlife includes 189 bird species and forty species of reptiles, so you'll have much to watch for in the park when you travel to Argentina.
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Southern Explorations offers three extensions to its Argentina tours that begin and end in Mendoza (our four-day or seven-day Mt. Aconcagua Tour extension and our Mendoza Tour extension) and come within about 130 miles of Sierra de Las Quijadas. Mendoza is one of only four provinces in Argentina without a national park.
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Since 2005, the park has been under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its geological formations and paleontological record as well as its biodiversity. Because of the archeological links with Talampaya National Park and Ischigualasto Provincial Park to the north, the provincial governments of San Luis, San Juan and La Rioja signed an agreement in 2003 to integrate the geological and cultural study of these areas.
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While the park is open year-round for visitors on Argentina tours, the area boasts some of the continent's highest temperatures, making spring and fall the best time to visit during its cooler weather. The park is too new to have visitor services. Hualtaran is the closest city.
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For more information about visiting Sierra de Las Quijadas National Park on Argentina tours, email sierradelasquijadas@apn.gov.ar