Although on my trip through the province of San Juan I had the opportunity to visit some landscapes where clay predominated, visiting Ischigualasto Park was another level. This is a walk that you have to do almost mandatory if you are visiting this province and luckily, I had the opportunity to do it. After traveling more than 250 km from the capital of San Juan we were able to reach it and we found some truly incredible landscapes that even seemed from another planet ❤️.

We take the tour inside the Ischisgualasto Park on an internal bus owned by the place. This transportation was good because it included a guide who went down with us to explain everything we were seeing. In total, we made a journey of more than 40 km with five stops, all of them very beautiful and with a unique beauty. After our first stop in the Painted Valley, we continued towards the second of them where a short walk awaited us .

At this stop three interesting things were waiting for us to see. The first of them was one of the most famous clay geoforms in the area: the sphinx. This large rock formation is one of the many in this park and was the first that caught our attention, due to its size and its very defined shape. What do you think, can you distinguish the sphinx shape ?

From the geoform of the sphinx began a wooden path of about 400 meters where you can cover a good part of this area. What I liked about this walkway was that it was all flat, so its accessibility allowed any visitor to enjoy it. Also, doing the route in this way allows you to continue preserving the soil in good condition, since this place is a great area for study and research ❤️.

Crossing this entire area we were able to find the place that gives the famous name "Valle de La Luna" to this place. Just like me, many tourists name this park this way, although its correct name is Ischisgualasto Park. Being there among all those rocks, the surface really resembled that of the moon, so its name is well placed. Although we saw a lot of orange clay in other places in this park, a lot of grayish dust was concentrated here .

In addition to passing through this almost intergalactic space, this walkway led to the third interesting area to see. All of us visitors were fascinated by the tour and we were happy to have the guide present because he could answer all our questions. Both children and adults were delighted to be in that place ❤️.

At the end of the wooden path was the viewpoint towards the famous "Bocce Field". This name was quite intuitive and it didn't take us long to realize why. In this area there were hundreds of clay and sediment spheres, formed by natural erosion millions of years ago. They were also perfectly arranged and neat .

According to what the guide explained to us, studies say that millions of years ago this place was an ocean and these used to be particles floating in it. When everything gradually dried out, they remained stagnant and being neatly covered by surrounding dust. These spheres would have been about 30 cm in diameter, they were not very big but it was surprising that they were all perfectly arranged in this place. Do they believe that their position is natural or that someone has accommodated them ?

We weren't even halfway there and already this stop seemed great to us. This park occupies more than 60 thousand hectares and to think that this is only a small part of everything there is to see amazes me quite a bit. I also like that the park administration has made these tours so that we can all visit them and at quite affordable prices .

I don't want to stop recommending Ischigualasto Park to visit in the province of San Juan. What they say about visiting it is almost obligatory is true: this is one of the most beautiful places in this province and it is worth traveling there to see it with your own eyes. Every time I travel a little more around my country I discover how beautiful it is and everything it has to offer. Getting to the "Valley of the Moon" was like a goal accomplished for me, and I'm glad I achieved it because it's one of the coolest things I did this year ❤️.

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One of the things I liked most about visiting Ischigualasto Park in San Juan province is the number of geoforms that could be found. These structures are surprising because they maintain these forms in the middle of the almost desert, rising imposingly and interrupting the spaces. I also liked that despite being made of clay, it was as fragile as it was resistant to the constant movements of the ground. But that's just a little of everything that can be found in this park, on a tour that takes you to learn about science as well as marvel at the landscape ❤️.

I have to thank all those who called this park "a must see" because that's exactly what it is. A visit to this park is one of the trips you have to do if you are on vacation in this province and luckily for everyone, getting there is quite easy on public transport that leaves from the bus station on Saturdays and Sundays. What is known is that it takes time to move more than 250 km from the capital of San Juan, but the effort is rewarded with this incredible place ❤️.

We took the walk inside Ischigualasto Park on an internal bus provided by the park and it took us about four hours to travel the more than 40 km of the sector designated for tourism. This place has more than 60 thousand hectares and is a protected area, although it has 5 specific sectors prepared to receive visitors. After passing through the Painted Valley and the Bocce Field, our third site of interest was located a little further ahead. It was a museum where we would see a little of the work that is done here ❤️.

This space called "Dr. William Sill Site Museum" has the objective of bringing the work of paleontologists closer to the tourists who visit the park daily. A large number of fossil remains of dinosaurs, plants and other animals have been discovered throughout the park, and this is what is demonstrated in the center of this small museum. There you can see what a tent installed after the discovery of some of these remains looks like. Even the fossil that is on display is a real one, that is why it is at a lower level than the walkway for guests but at the same time it is exposed for appreciation ❤️.

In addition to being useful to continue learning about the park's activities, making this stop in the middle of the walk was useful to buy something to eat and drink and also to use the restrooms. It should be noted that, as seen in the photos, the landscape and this climate are equally dry, so you must be careful of the heat and wind throughout the entire route .

Leaving the museum and continuing the way at that stop, we were able to find the fourth place of the afternoon. In this place another interesting geoform called "El Submarino" was located. Surrounded by cacti and more stones, this geoform at first seemed more like a small dinosaur to me. What do you think, what shape do you see in it ?

The walkway prepared for visitors invited them to continue entering the geoforms. Hopeful, I thought that perhaps from another angle I would notice the famous submarine that gives its name to this formation, but I still think I still didn't see it. What the guide said is that there used to be three towers but recently one fell: perhaps that's why my mind couldn't find a way to them. There was no point, I couldn't stop seeing some little big-headed dinosaurs .

Whatever shape those big rocks are, this place was totally cool. Nature was really creative when it created all this: these large clay towers were beautiful and caught the attention of adults and children alike. Of course we all asked about their fragility in the face of the constant earthquakes in this area, and the guide answered that they seem solid but in reality they are light so they (generally) withstand the movements of the earth and do not fall. Marvelous ❤️.

Something great that could be seen from that viewpoint was a large reddish wall that contrasted with all the yellowish landscape that we were seeing. That great wall that could be seen in the distance is the natural separation between the province of San Juan and the province of La Rioja. This province is one that I had not visited until now, so I was surprised that we were so close to it. And of course, it's already piqued my curiosity to see what's on the other side .

I feel that each stop we made during that afternoon was unique and each one gave us beautiful postcards. Even though we traveled four hours to get there (and then another four to get back), all the great scenery we saw made it an unforgettable trip. I also liked having seen this place with my own eyes, since in the photos one cannot take dimension of things, and this was definitely much bigger than I thought. And not to mention how beautiful it is, because that can be appreciated on any scale ❤️.

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