Travel Guide Parque Nacional Los Cardones

This national park "of the cactus" in French, extends on 64 000 hectares and is on the Altiplano calchiaques between 2 700 and 5 000 meters of altitude. It is crossed by the Ruta 33 between Salta and Cachi, also called the Recta del Tin-Tin because it is all straight and flat for 19 kilometers! This part of the road was part of the famous Camino del Inca traced from Cuzco by the Peruvian empire before the arrival of the Spanish settlers. The landscapes are fantastic! The panorama here is not without reminding the American Far West with this infinite road which gets lost in the horizon, the arid ochre and red pampa planted with candelabra cactus (cardón), immense variety which grows in big number on this desert extent... With one exception: here llamas (especially guanacos) will undoubtedly jump in front of your windshield! Drive carefully and not too fast... you will have time to observe them before they run away. Here, important paleontological remains have been excavated, including a 70 million year old dinosaur. Some rock paintings are found here but are not visible to the general public.Moreover, the park has no structure to welcome tourists. One is satisfied to cross it by car and to appreciate the wild beauty of it and to make a short educational path whose departure is in edge of road. A small stop on the way to Salta or Cachi!