As a starting point the small town San Agustin del Valle Fertil is a good choice because it lies much closer to these two areas than San Juan. Moreover, San Agustin is also a cosy place. A visit to the two areas is not possible without guided tour. And in Talampaya private vehicles are not allowed in the park.

Looking down into the moon valley	Mysterious bowls		The Sphynx		The submarine
			A little house	Talampaya - Signs on a broken off rock	Red sandstone

The monk

PAYUNIA

Here the small town Malargüe is the starting point. As I arrived at Christmas, I faced the problem finding a travel group I could join with. Finally I was refered to Dorita and Hector, with whom I at the end spent three days, they were a real blessing.  On the first day we drove to Laguna Llancancelo for bird watching. The multitude of species and especially the flamingos made this a rewarding excursion. Since there was no opportunity the next day to join another group, Dorita and Hector sacrificed their Christmas lunch in order to guide me through this magnificent volcanic region. 150 km to the south of Malargüe, more than 800 extinct volcanos conglomerate on an area of 4500 sqkm. The mix of red and black lava, the pastel shades of pastureland and fields with flowers show an unimagined blaze of colours.

					My guides Dorita (81) and Hector (84)
On the way to Payunia	View of volcano Payun Liso (3836 m)		Guanakos	View towards Payun Matru (3715 m)
		Payun Liso	Lava sculptures		Nandus

Rio Grande

JOURNEY TO SAN RAFAEL - CANON DEL ATUEL

In order to take the night bus to Bariloche, I first had to travel some 180 km back north to San Rafael, which gave me the opportunity to visit the Cañon del Atuel. Dorita and Hector offered me to take me there, in fact they drove me directly through the canyon. In the morning they came up with the idea to take a short 80 km side trip first to the ski resort Las Leñas. The village now tries to attract to people in summer as well, with horse excursions and fun sports. Cañon del Atuel attracts with varied and at times quaint rock formations. At its end Valle Grande with its beautiful artificial lake lies at one’s feet. Driving further along Atuel river towards San Rafael, the road is flanked by numerous shady camp grounds. And for leisure activities there are at least as many rafting agencies.

It's not a volcano, but result of undercutting	The mountains in Las Leñas area		Cañon del Atuel
	Valle Grande	Bathing lake near San Rafael, Los Reyunos

BARILOCHE

The Argentinian Swiss and popular vacation spot for Argentinians. The lakeland area and mountains invite to extensive and also multi-day hikes. A trip to San Martin de los Andes is a rewarding excursion, whereby the route is actually the attraction. There are two different ways, none of them should be bypassed because of their sceneries. The more often used road runs along the biggest lake in the area for a long time – Nahuel Huapi – on whose shore also lies Bariloche. The other road meanders through wonderful and secluded mountain area, in some parts on quite bumpy dirt roads. It returns to civilization at Valle Encantado.

Looking across Lago Nahuel Huapi towards Bariloche		View from Cerro Campanario onto Lago El Trébol and Lago Perito Moreno	Lago Nahuel Huapi
	View of Hotel Llao Llao	Camping on the way to San Martin de los Andes	Lago Lacar close to San Martin de los Andes	View of San Martin
	Return journey on Ruta 63			Valle Encantado

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