Here is the translation of the guide to the northern region of San Juan Province:

The north of San Juan Province offers some of the most striking, remote, and photogenic landscapes in Argentina, featuring high-altitude deserts, turquoise reservoirs, and historic mountain oasis towns.

The top places to visit in northern San Juan, along with their key photo details and distances from the provincial capital, include:

1. San José de Jáchal

• Distance from San Juan City: ~160 km north (approximately a 2-hour drive via Ruta Nacional 40).

• Photo & Landscape Details: One of the province's most traditional cities, ideal for capturing colonial adobe architecture, narrow streets, and the historic Church of San José. In the surrounding areas, you can visit ancient stone-and-wood flour mills nestled within arid agricultural valleys.

2. Cuesta del Viento Reservoir (Rodeo)

• Distance from San Juan City: ~180 to 200 km northwest (taking RN 40 to Jáchal, then connecting via Ruta Nacional 150 toward Rodeo).

• Photo & Landscape Details: A stunning body of water with an intense turquoise-blue color that contrasts sharply against arid, reddish mountains. In the morning, the water often acts as a mirror reflecting the peaks; in the afternoon, strong winds attract kitesurfers and windsurfers, making it great for dynamic shots with colorful sails against the desert backdrop.

3. Cuesta de Huaco

• Distance from San Juan City: ~190 km north (about 30 km northeast of Jáchal).

• Photo & Landscape Details: This winding, highly photogenic mountain road snakes through impressive geological folds and stratified rock walls. It leads down into the peaceful village of Huaco, famous for its adobe walls, centennial weeping willows, and the old historic flour mill.

4. San Guillermo National Park (Parque Nacional San Guillermo)

• Distance from San Juan City: ~350+ km north (accessed from the Rodeo/Iglesia area, requiring a 4x4 vehicle and an authorized guide).

• Photo & Landscape Details: Located deep in the high Andes at over 3,000 meters of altitude, it protects vast, sweeping high-desert plains. It is the premier spot in Argentina to photograph large herds of wild vicuñas and guanacos roaming freely under crystal-clear skies.

With this type of travel, where you plan to stay a little longer than usual, it is possible to get to know places that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. Each new city I visit has its own charm, and I like to have enough time to visit as much as I can. During my stay in Esquel I had a lot of free time in the evenings, as I got a very good volunteer shift during the late evening hours. Taking advantage of this scheme, I walked around most of the city, visiting the most touristic places and those that are not so touristic .

One of the most popular areas for tourists is the La Zeta Lagoon. This lagoon can be reached by vehicle, making it a good option for family outings and for getting to be in a beautiful place without making so much physical effort. Of course I love walking to places, so that's how a group of hostel guests and I got there. Autumn was approaching, so we wanted to make the most of the last days of good weather .

After staying in the lagoon for a while until the sun started to go down, we decided to walk a little further. The thing about southern Argentina is that in the afternoon the weather can be as hot as summer, but as soon as night falls, the temperature drops abruptly. To warm up a bit we chose one of the many trails around the lagoon, and one of them was the one that took you to the Plaza de los Mates .

Of all the trails in this area, the one in this square is the shortest and takes only about 20 minutes. A short walk around the lagoon leads to a path that enters the forest and then comes out into a clearing with short grass, where there are some games for children and also a place to spread out. As for the name, it is called ‘de los Mates’ (of the gourds) because it has some gourds carved in wood distributed around the place. In case you don't know, a ‘mate’ is the drink made of yerba mate and hot water that we consume in Argentina, and the recipient in which this infusion is contained has the same name .

While I like quiet days with little walking and a relaxed atmosphere, from there I was already spotting the mountain I wanted to climb at some point during my stay. The highest mountain in Esquel is called Nahuel Pan, at over 2260 masl, and it was the one we could see from there. That big mountain looked like a physical challenge, and at that moment I felt emboldened to do it. I had done some research on how to climb it and I knew it wouldn't be an easy task, but it was my goal to reach the summit before I left (spoiler: a month and a half later that day, I made it to the top) ❤️.

I liked Esquel so much that little by little the nostalgia of having left El Bolsón faded away and the excitement of getting to know more about a new city began to emerge in me. This nomadic trip took me to a lot of unthinkable places, but I liked it because I know that improvisation can also work. Before being in this corner of Chubut I didn't know much about it, but at that moment, seeing with my own eyes all the beautiful things it had to see and do, I knew it was a good decision to schedule a long stay there. And that was just the beginning ❤️.

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The southern and southwestern regions of San Juan Province—centered around the sweeping Calingasta Valley and the Ruta Interlagos—offer some of the most dramatic mountain backdrops, surreal dry flats, and world-class astrophotography spots in Argentina.

The best places to visit in the southern half of San Juan, along with their key photo details and distances from San Juan City, include:

1. Barreal & The Calingasta Valley

• Distance from San Juan City: ~170 to 200 km southwest (about a 3-hour drive via Ruta Nacional 149).

• Photo & Visual Details: Barreal is a charming oasis village nestled in a wide, peaceful mountain valley. Photographers love capturing the "Avenida de los Álamos" (a stunning tunnel of towering, centuries-old poplar trees filtering the desert light), rustic adobe houses, and the breathtaking backdrop of the massive, snow-capped Mount Mercedario towering in the distance.

2. Pampa del Leoncito (Barreal Blanco)

• Distance from San Juan City: ~200 km southwest (just outside the town of Barreal).

• Photo & Visual Details: A surreal, blindingly white, completely flat dry lakebed measuring roughly 12 km long by 4 km wide. It is a dream location for minimalist photography. The intricate, geometric cracks in the sun-baked white clay contrast sharply against the dark purple and brown desert mountains framing the horizon. On windy afternoons, you can capture dynamic shots of land-sailing carts (carrovelismo) zipping across the flats.

3. El Leoncito National Park & Observatories

• Distance from San Juan City: ~210 km southwest (further up the mountain road from Barreal).

• Photo & Visual Details: Set against the high Andes, this protected area features dramatic high-desert landscapes. Its most famous visual landmarks are the white domes of the CASLEO astronomical observatory perched on the ridge. Because the area boasts over 300 clear nights a year, it is one of the premier spots on the continent for astrophotography, capturing the glittering Milky Way stretching over the mountain silhouettes.

4. Ruta Interlagos: Ullum & Punta Negra Reservoirs

• Distance from San Juan City: ~30 to 50 km west/southwest.

• Photo & Visual Details: A fully paved, deeply scenic loop road that connects two brilliant, emerald-turquoise water reservoirs carved into stark rock canyons. It is ideal for wide-angle landscape photography, highlighting the intense color contrast of the water against folded red-and-grey cliffs, modern engineering bridges, and nearby boutique wine cellars hidden in the adjacent Zonda Valley.