Arriving at the national park
After the Telteca Forest Natural Reserve we only had a short 2 hour drive to our next destination – Sierra de las Quijadas National Park. This national park protects a combination of dry Chaco and mountain plains and plateau environments that are important not only for the wildlife that lives there, but also for the local indigenous communities that still live in the region1,2. Additionally, the park has some really interesting fossils, including those of pterodactyls, which were on display at the information centre.
Arriving at the park, we registered with a park ranger and were pleased to find out that it was free to enter (entrance fees were quite high back in January). From the entrance, we drove the short 6 km dirt road to the startpoint of all the hikes. Always on the look-out for wildlife, we drove slowly and were rewarded when we saw two maras crossing the road! We jumped out of the van and enjoyed watching the maras hopping through the scrub.
Mirador Potrero de la Aguada
Arriving at the parking area for the trails, the scenery was instantly spectacular, with impressive bright red rock formations. We first headed to the mirador or viewpoint, looking out over the ‘Potrero de la Aguada’, a natural amphitheatre in the rocks. Information signs explained a little of how the cliffs and ravines formed in the mountains – through a mixture of tectonic activity and erosion by wind and water. It was very cool to see! Next, we chose to follow the very short ‘Flora Autoctona’ trail which winds through an area with many native plants. Along the way we spotted a little desert cavi, a small rodent, scuttling between the plants.
Sendero Guanaco
After a leisurely lunch in the shade taking in the scenery, we headed off on the third and final trail accessible to visitors without a guide, ‘Sendero Guanaco’. Unfortunately, despite the name we didn’t spot any guanacos. This was disappointing as we were not sure when we might have the opportunity to see them again! However, the walk was still very rewarding. As we walked, we saw a peregrine falcon as well as many smaller birds, including the grey-hooded sierra finch, grassland yellow finch, golden-billed saltator, grayish baywing, white-banded mockingbird and rufous hornero.
There wasn’t a single other person on the trail, and the scenery really was very beautiful with views over the surrounding landscape. At the end of the trail, we had an even better view over the ‘Potrero de la Aguada’. From our viewpoint we could see and hear many Andean swifts which were nesting in the cliff-side. Additionally we saw an Andean condor soaring over and perching on the cliffs. It was wonderful to see one of these huge majestic birds again!
Leaving the park
Returning to the van after a full day of exploring, we set off slowly back down the access road. This time we were rewarded with a pichi armadillo scurrying across the road. Its legs moved really quite quickly from under its carapace, it looked quite comical! It is always worth taking roads like this slowly, you never know what you might miss seeing if you don’t.
Coming up for us next – a long drive across Argentina’s agricultural heartland to reach the Iberá Wetlands. We have been looking forward to visiting the Iberá Wetlands for a very long time, so make sure you don’t miss our next blog!
How to get there
Sierra de las Quijadas National Park is around a 3-hour drive from the city of Mendoza. It lies off Ruta 147 which connects the Ruta 20 with the town of San Luis.
When to visit
It gets very hot during the summer months, particularly January and February. April to October are good months to visit and during these months it is often quiet.