TALAMPAYA CANYON

The first stop on the Talampaya Canyon tour takes you directly to the foot of the immense canyon wall. A short guided walk will show you petroglyphs, the legacy of the ancestors of the indigenous people who lived here. There are many of them, but only the most accessible are shown.

A little further on, you'll discover mortars. These are perfectly finished holes cut into the stones. There are several theories as to their origin. One theory is that the natives used an acidic substance found in the stomachs of the guanacos they hunted. They would then spread this substance over the stone to obtain a perfect hole. Others will tell you that this is quite impossible, as this type of stone is stainless.

The second stop is an incongruous one: a "botanical garden" featuring a few representatives of the region's trees... in the middle of a semi-desert area, Eden is quite surprising. After crossing it, you reach an incredible formation carved into the wall, the Chimenea del Eco, a sort of chimney created by erosion. Once inside, it's de rigueur to test the echo. And it works! The top of the wall is the condors' favourite flight path.

The third stop is after the canyon's narrowest gorge, in front of the aptly named "catedral", which rises to the heavens. We then continue along a road with unobstructed, panoramic views of the various rock formations to which names have been given.