The Province of La Rioja does not belong geographically to the Cuyo region, but given the vicinity of San Juan main attractions, it becomes easily integrated to Cuyo family. Bordering with Moon Valley, just across the provincial limit, you reach the Cañon de Talampaya (Talampaya Canyon). Its reddish 80-meter (265-foot) high walls were carved by wind erosion which created particular shapes including the friar, one of the three Wise Men, the cathedrals, the spikes, the manger, and the castle. The entrance to the park is located at La Puerta (the Entrance Gate), a 90-meter (300-foot) wide path that leads visitors to the Talampaya River bed.

Talampaya is in fact of the Ischigualasto Formation. Research in in the area started in 1958, and over one hundred prehistoric reptile fossils were uncovered in less than two months. They belonged to the Permian and the Triassic Periods. Many of them had been so far absolutely unknown. It is also possible to observe different species of living fauna such as: guanacos, hares, vizcachas, armadillos, pumas, wolves, condors, larks, eagles and eaglets. The park displays scarce vegetation and most of its surface has a moon-like aspect that includes its world famous beautiful red rock formations.

To the natural attractions of the area, its cultural value must be added. This is easily accomplished with the numerous cultural relics present in the reddish walls of peoples that inhabited the region hundreds of years ago. A 13-meter (43-foot) long painting with lots of petrogliphs -perhaps the largest one found so far in Argentina- along with many others spread in the site, make the set a piece of invaluable cultural patrimony.

Leaving Talampaya northbound, the small town of Villa Unión appears submersed in a pleasant mountain valley crossed by the Bermejo or Vinchina River. It is located on a hill, which makes it possible to get a great view of the nice surrounding panorama consisting in croplands and woods framed by snow-capped peaks. There are also some fruit plantations, and the village has a modest wine production. There are even petrogliphs in a place called Los Colorados, some 8 km north from the urban area. It is interesting to visit also Chilecito to the east of Villa Unión, by way of the attractive Cuesta de Miranda, one of the most important vial works in the region. It consists of a bending mountain that crosses over deep valleys that lie protected by the high rocky walls and gargantuan steep mountain paths. On the way from Villa Unión to Chilecito the road passes by Nonogasta, a mountain pass that reaches 2,020 meters (6,725 feet) above sea level and makes the perfect lookout.

Chilecito is the second most important city in the province. It is a beautiful small city nestled at the foothill of the Sierras de Famatina (average height: 1,100 meters/3,665 feet). Vineyards, and nut plantations skirt the entrance to the city. The town was founded in 1715, and the name recalls the great number of Chilean miners who migrated here during the first stages of the mining development. Not only is it an important commercial and industrial center but also the most popular summer resort in the province, only 192 km (120 miles) away from La Rioja. The old San Francisco Mill houses an Archaeological and Historic Museum. The building dates back to the XVII century and belonged to the founder's family. The surroundings are charming too. There are a quantity of small towns with colonial style churches and chapels, such as Los Sarmientos, with its old chapel whose wooden door was carved by local aborigines more than two centuries ago. Famatina is another of these small villages, settled by the river and in the valley of the same name, protected by the Famatina and Velasco Hills. Its buildings are mostly old cottages and some modern constructions that provide an eclectic appearance to the town. It keeps some traces of its old mining past, such as El Totoral, a mineral foundry, and La Mejicana, a mine that is reached along a mountain road by 4WD vehicles only.
To reach La Rioja from Chilecito, it is necessary to go all the way back to San Agustín del Valle Fértil, in order to take the north-eastbound route that leads to La Rioja.

La Rioja is the capital of the province. It has an airport that is reached by regular flights from Buenos Aires and Córdoba. This old city, founded in 1591, shows at present a perfect blend of the most assorted architectural styles all representative of the consecutive historic periods that the country has gone by. In the downtown area you find the colonial style Government House, the Cathedral, the Court Palace, the Town Hall and its main square called Plaza 25 de Mayo. It also has numerous museums, among which it is important to mention the Folkloric Museum housed in a 1850s manor; the Archaeological Museum Inca Huasi, that houses countless assets consisting in local aborigine pieces; the Historic Museum; and the Fine Arts Museum, which exhibits paintings by important local artists. There are a couple of interesting churches as well, such as the San Nicolás de Bari Cathedral and the San Francisco Convent.

Among its most important festivities, the traditional Tinkunaco or "The Encounter" is worth mentioning. It commemorates the peace treatment signed by the Spaniards and aborigines in 1593. It takes place on December 31st each year. It is a parade in which the alféreces (penitents of the San Nicolás de Bari Cathedral) and the allis (penitents of the 'Niño Alcalde Church') march until they finally meet in front of the Government House, near midnight, on New Year's Eve. They all dress in old-fashioned garments typical of those the 1500s.