San Guillermo National Park
Other wildlife in the park that you might see on your Argentina tours includes the puma, red fox, small lizard species and the Andean condor. The vegetation of the park's puna region and central Andes is bush steppe with typical Andean flowers. The park contains remnants of the Inca Trail.
The park’s weather is dry and cold. Some areas receive considerably more precipitation than others. Winter brings snow and strong winds. Travel to Argentina in this park is restricted. Visitors must obtain permission from the national forester or by travel by guided tour.
Talampaya National Park
The park contains an extensive fossil record of the evolution of vertebrates and environments during the Triassic Period. Evidence shows that the Lagosuchtalampayensis, one of the first dinosaurs, roamed the area 250 million years ago, and the Palaeocheris talampayensis forty million years later. Talampaya Canyon is also of archeological interest to visitors on Argentina tours. One of the park’s main attractions is the Lost City (La Ciudad Perdido) which requires special permission to visit when you travel to Argentina. The region was inhabited by cave dwellers as early as 640 BC to 118 AD, and the park contains some of the most important pictograms and petroglyphs in Argentina.
The park may be visited year-round by travelers on Argentina tours, though its dry windy climate is extreme in both summer and winter with summer highs reaching 122F and winter lows down to 15F. There is frost from May to October.
Also worth visiting when you travel to Argentina is nearby Ischigualasto Provincial Park. Located in San Juan Province, the park contains an odd assortment of rock formations and is known as the Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna). The areas together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The park may be explored by car, on foot or bicycle but by guided tour only. It is too new to have visitor services for those on Argentina tours, though it does have an information center, toilets and a bar. The closest city is Pagancillo.
El Leoncito National Park
Southern Explorations offers three extensions for Argentina tours that begin and end within 130 miles of the park in Mendoza (our four-day or seven-day Mt. Aconcagua Tour extension and our Mendoza Tour extension). Mendoza is one of the country's four provinces without a national park.
Wildlife in the park that you might see on your Argentina tours includes guanacos and small lizards as well as many bird species such as the world's fastest bird, the peregrine falcon.
The region's varied climate includes areas that are cold and dry and some with permanent snow. The park has marked trails for visitors on Argentina tours. The nearest town is Barreal.
Sierra de Las Quijadas National Park
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.
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.
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.
Los Venados de las Pampas National Park
Quebrada del Condorito National Park
The park derives its name from the 260-ft deep seven-mile long ravine where Andean condors nest, making it an intriguing place for birdwatchers to visit on Argentina tours. Red wolves, puma, lizards and snakes, including the venomous pit viper, also inhabit the park.
The hot subtropical climate experiences temperature extremes, raining twenty to twenty-seven inches in summer, while winter temperatures can reach -13F. The four to five hour hike to the condor nesting site is the park’s most popular activity for visitors on Argentina tours. The park is accessible year-round but too new to have visitor services so it’s best to seek information from the park before arriving. The closest towns are Villa Carlos Paz and Mina Clavero.
