Lovers of exotic corners of our planet will appreciate the unusual natural park called "Valley of the Moon" or Ischigualasto, which is located in the north of the province of San Juan in Argentina. It is located on an area of over 600 sq. Km. and 1300m above sea level. The exotic views of this plain are very reminiscent of the lunar landscape.
To Argentina on your own - our detailed travel guide for independent tourists.
Description of the Moon Valley
The entire Moon Valley is covered with various boulders, boulders and mounds of strange shapes. Truly, the fantasy of nature has no boundaries. From dry, lifeless paintings with the figures of frozen unearthly creatures, to juicy crimson-lilac rocks of enormous size, bordering the park from the north and west. This effect is given by the red slate. Parts of fossilized mollusks, prints of prehistoric plants and animals can be found right on the walls of these monoliths.
Experts, using the potassium-argon method of dating the age of the rocks, determined that the Moon Valley is approximately 230 million years old. Once it was a river valley full of life. Until now, scientists find here the fossilized remains of ancient animals and plants. Visiting the museum, you can admire the bones of reptiles that lived before dinosaurs, models of more than 50 species of ancient animals, many of them in full growth.
Excavation at Ischigualasto
Paleontologists around the world are gaining more and more knowledge thanks to the excavations carried out in the Ischigualasto Park. Many significant finds have been recorded here. These are crocodiles, and ancient rats and birds. For example, Argentavis Magnificens, this is probably the largest bird ever living on the planet (wingspan more than 7.5 meters), forafokos, they reached a height of about three meters and weighed about three hundred kilograms.
In 1980, the skeleton of a Hererosaurus was found; its length is 4.5 meters. In 2010, a team of paleontologists led by Riccardo Martinez from the University of San Juan and Paul Sereno from the University of Chicago published the results of their works on the difference between the predecessors of carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs, based on excavations in this area.
Where is Ischigualasto Park located
Ischigualasto Park is located in the heart of the Atacama, one of the driest deserts in the world. There are places where it never rained. But on the territory of the reserve there are a number of rivers and streams. Due to this, several species of animals are found here: the Argentine fox, llama, puma, Patagonian hare ... Of the birds - condor, vulture, many songbirds. The vegetation here corresponds to the desert: undersized trees, thorny bushes. Large cacti decorate the view very much. Many of the plants found here are actively used in medicine.
Moon Valley landmarks
There is a special natural monument in the park: the Painted Valley (Valle Pintado). These are stone formations, hills of unusual shape. Bright, extraordinary colors change depending on the angle of incidence of the sun's ray and the presence of clouds. There is really nothing alive in this place, only stones and wind.
The so-called "bowling ball court" (Cancha de bochas) is stunning. Its entire surface is strewn with large smooth spherical stones. Their origin is still unknown. Some scientists claim that these stones are of volcanic origin, polished by weather conditions. Others, and this is a more common version, that some small grains of sand overgrow with rock, harden, and, as they increase in volume, these balls get out to the surface, they can grow together, forming even more bizarre shapes. Under the influence of time, they age and deteriorate. They live their own lives, so to speak. This, of course, is only a theory, but these stones consist of the same rock as everything around, which means that they were "born" here.
The park of stone figures gives a special charm to the valley. The most famous of them are Sphinx, Submarine, Mushroom. There are other phenomenal sculptures of nature. Huge boulders, processed by the sun, wind and water over many millions of years, turned into completely unusual sculptures.
In the evening, when the sun sets, the Valley of the Moon is covered with many different shapes of shadows. Against the backdrop of ever-changing colors, this gives the entire park a special charm. There are no such fantastic landscapes anywhere else on the planet. This landscape is simply unearthly. They say even NASA tested its rover right here. And as for feature and popular science films filmed in Ischigualasto, there are simply no numbers.
Tourists are not allowed into the park at night. But eyewitnesses claim that with the moon, especially if it is full, the area is flooded with a mesmerizing silvery light, stone statues seem to come to life, change silhouettes, shades, and all this against the background of complete silence.
Native American legend says that these stone giants served as landmarks for the flights of the astral spirits of ancient shamans, while they traveled in a dream to their ancestors and descendants. The fact that Indian tribes, including the Incas, lived in these places, is proved by the fragments of rock paintings found. Another legend explains the name of the park. Ischigualasto in the language of the Indian tribe Diagita sounds like "the place where the moon rests." Judging by the extraordinary landscapes, this is true.
Excursions
Argentina is a very interesting country for tourists. There are many national parks here that leave a deep impression on travelers. Ischigualasto is one of the most memorable. It is included in the World Heritage List. Together with the even larger Talampaya Park (province of La Rioja), they form a single UNESCO site number 966. Therefore, visiting these places is allowed only as part of a tourist auto group and with a local guide.
The excursion schedule is carefully adjusted. Every hour, from 9:00 to 17:00, caravans from cars and minibuses of visitors or tour operators independent of the park administration, accompanied by one of the official guides of the reserve, begin a three-hour, forty-kilometer voyage, making five stops in the most beautiful places.
Travelers can only get from Buenos Aires to the city of Vale Ferlil or San Juan. And local travel companies will already take care of the means of transportation and the road to Ischigualasto, the most extraordinary National Park in Argentina, and, perhaps, in the whole world.
