Just over 125 km northwest of San Luis in the same-named province is the Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas which covers over 150,00 hectares and comprises part of the 300-km-long Serranias Occiderniales range. These include vast outcrops of sedimentary red rock, which form a broken line of cliffs, mixed together with other curious rock formations and dried-up lakebeds. Here, some 120 million years ago dinosaurs would have roamed; hence the park is rich in fossils, but more recently the area was inhabited by the pre-Colombian Huarpe people and evidence of their encampments still remains.

Not far from the park entrance is the amazing Potrero de la Aguada, a natural amphitheatre where millions of years of erosion have shaped the most bizarre array of red sandstone configurations. There are two main trails near here, each about an hour long. Other excursions within the park such as to Las Huellas del Pasado, Farallones and Guanacos, require a guide. These can be hired there or preferably beforehand. Visiting hours are restricted so it’s worth checking with the park beforehand. Also within the park there is a small campground and shop where you can purchase snacks and drinks, but there is still no visitors’ centre. Maps are, however, available from the rangers at the park’s entrance.

Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas, Pedernera 1488, ccnº 147, San Luis, tel: +54 (0) 2652 445141, email: extensionquijadas@apn.gov.ar. The Universidad Nacional de San Luis offers tours of the park which are organised by geologist David Rivarola, tel: +54 (0) 2652 15543629, email: rivarola@unsl.edu.ar.