Parque Provincial Ischigualasto
The Ischigualasto Park, also known as Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the year 2000. It contains a variety of spectacular rock formations and dinosaur fossils from the Triassic Era.
The Triassic Era is the one just before the Jurassic, and it dates from about 252 to 201 million years ago. This epoch is the Age of Reptiles of all forms; the best known being the dinosaurs. They started to appear at the beginning of that era and dominated the planet for nearly 185 million years. During that time, there was only the supercontinent Pangea (all the actual continents were connected in a single land mass). The climate was hot and humid during all the Triassic Era.
The museums
The museums display replicas of fossils found in the park.
Río Salado Trek
In this park, all the activities must be done with a guide. My first activity was the Salado River trek. I was the only participant for this walk, in the company of a park guide.
The scenery along the river is fantastic. However, the light for photos would have been better in the afternoon.
The loop in a vehicle
The most popular activity is the vehicle tour that visits the most beautiful sites in the park. Everybody drives its own vehicle, but the guide's vehicle is at the front of the line. It's a shame to have to visit the park in this manner since we cannot take as much time as we would like at each site to enjoy the views.
Despite this way of visiting the park, the tour is well worth the effort since the landscapes are magnificent.
