TALAMPAYA ROAD TRIP

In this 3 days’ road trip in 4×4 to Talampaya and the moon Valley (also known as Ischigualasto), we will discover 2 UNESCO World Heritage Parks with exceptional geological history, in a warm scrub desert along the Eastern Andean foothills.

In these amazing mountain and desert landscapes with reddish sandstone cliffs, we will follow the trails of the fossilized remains of a wide range of ancestral animals and plants, and discover the unique fauna and flora of the place.

The Ischigualasto Provincial Park is located in the province of San Juan and the Talampaya National Park in La Rioja province.

• Departure 10:00 am on the famous ruta 40 North toward San Juan and then Northeast to ‘Valle Fertil’ where we will have dinner and spend the night. Easy and smooth asphalted road with stretches of desert as far as the eyes can see…

• Departure 8:30 am. 100 km further we reach the entrance of the Talampaya National Park, World Heritage.
• Instead of going in the canyon packed in a minivan full of tourists, we offer a 3 hours hike with Sergio, a veritable child of the canyon, sharing mesmerizing revelations about nature surrounding us. We discover the silence, the magnificent geo formations, possibly some majestic condors, perhaps some fresh puma tracks… but one thing for sure a peace and a feeling of being so small compared to the immensity and beauty all around.
• Lunch to an authentic puesto “Lo de Diego”
• Return to San Angustin.

• Departure 8:30 am. We take the same road than the preceding day for 50 km and then turn West to Ichigualasto or valley of the moon.
• The tour is a mandatory convoy, lasting around 4 hours. The various stops are scheduled by the park ranger including some short walks to admire the landscapes and geo formations which are the symbol of
  the provincial park; also a UNESCO World Heritage.
• Things not to miss are the lizard, the mushroom; the incredible pétanque balls and the imposing submarine which is one of the park’s icons.
• Return by the Talampaya red cliffs. If we are lucky, condors and hares will force us to stop for photos.
• Lunch in the park and then back on the ruta 40 toward San Juan and finally Mendoza.
• Attempted arrival time is 7:00 pm.