Talampaya National Park, Nature reserve in La Rioja Province, Argentina
Talampaya National Park is a protected area in La Rioja Province stretching across dry plains and deep gorges with reddish sandstone walls. Wind and water have shaped the rock into forms resembling towers, pillars, and sometimes familiar figures.
The area formed during the Triassic period some 250 million years ago and later served as home and passage for various indigenous groups over thousands of years. Scientists discovered fossil remains of early reptiles here during the 20th century, making the site a key location for paleontology.
Rock art displays geometric patterns and stylized figures carved or painted by early inhabitants into stone surfaces. These images appear at sheltered spots along canyon walls, where natural overhangs have kept them safe over centuries.
Visitors can enter the reserve only with guides, either in off-road vehicles or on foot along marked trails inside the gorge. The best time to visit is between autumn and spring, as summer months can become extremely hot.
A narrow section of the gorge hosts a collection of native plants adapted to dry conditions. Visitors can often spot guanacos grazing between rock walls here, or condors circling above the cliffs.
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