Situated to the north of Mendoza, the Province of San Juan shows an amazingly varied landscape: green oasis, imposing mountains, multicolor rock formations, fauna and archaeological reserves, hot springs, strong rivers and large dams. The city of San Juan is the capital of the province, and is situated 1,140 km (712 miles) from Buenos Aires. It is one of the oldest cities in the country and strongly attached to its historic roots. However, it has a modern appearance, since it has been almost fully rebuilt after many of its old buildings were devastated by a strong earthquake that shattered the city in 1944. The downtown area has an intense commercial life developed mainly around its main square Plaza 25 de Mayo, which supports several shops, banks, hotels, cafés and clubs. The Cathedral, situated opposite the square, was rebuilt after the earthquake, and treasures valuable art and religious assets of the province. A thorough city tour reveals many secrets to the visitor including the Two-armed Palm tree, the historic house that belonged to President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento; and some museums such as the Natural History Museum, which owns an interesting collection of fossils. The Parque Mayo (May's Park), located just in front of the Provincial Casino, is a wide green space very nicely forested, with sculptures and an artificial lake, created for outdoor entertainment and sports. The complex includes important facilities such as a cycling track, several sport courts, an 8,000-seat indoor stadium, a Greek amphitheater, exhibition rooms and an Auditorium remarkable for its excellent acoustics.

Only 25 km (16 miles) away on Route 40, you can visit the La Laja Museum, subsidiary to the Universidad Nacional de San Juan (San Juan National University), which exhibits archaeological remains found in different sites around the province. Most remarkable among them is mummified remains of an Inca 'chasqui' (aborigine courier) known as the Mummy of Mount Torre, since he was discovered high on the mountain by an expedition of climbers. Other assets include also everyday life gadgets belonging to the different aborigine peoples that inhabited the region. There is also an outdoor park with full-size replicas of different kinds of aboriginal abodes, rupestrian paintings and crops.

There are many other attractions in the surroundings of the city, such as the Ignacio de la Roza Dam, essential for the irrigation of the area, which is surrounded by the Fauna Park and Hydrologic Institute. A few kilometers further away the Ullum Dam is located and its large artificial lake that is suitable for game fishing and water sports. The nearby Félix Aguilar Observatory is ideal for astronomic observation given the transparency of the surrounding sky. From the Soldano's Dam a climbing road leads to the Cumbres de Marquesado (Marquisate's Peaks). There one can find amazing views of the surrounding scenery. The place is known as the Zonda Valley Lookout. The Zonda is a hot and dry wind typical of the region that blows all over the year but mostly from August to October, because of the presence of snow in the high peaks of the Andes.

Southwards, past the small mountain town of Calingsta, one reaches the hamlet of Barreal, located 180 km (113 miles) from San Juan. An incredibly beautiful site lying in the mid of a Triassic Valley whose particular morphologic features provide colors to the scenery. In Cerros Pintados (Painted Hills), tectonic movements have uncovered Mesozoic rocks where Triassic vegetable remains can be observed. These relics reflect the existence of a warmer and wetter climate in ancient geologic times. Barreal is center for the practice of a most uncommon sport, known as carrovelismo, consisting in competitions of small wind-powered sail-carts racing at great speed over the hard clay soil. National and international competitions are held there; the speed record is 137 km (86 miles) per hour. Crossing this plateau, in the so-called Pampa del Leoncito (Little Lion's Pampas). Barreal is also home to the El Leoncito Observatory. The transparency of the atmosphere allows an average of 270 to 300 clear nights a year, which turns the place into a perfect setting for astronomic observation.

34 km (21 miles) from Barreal, on the western slopes of the Sierras del Tontal, the National Intangible Reserve El Leoncito has been created. The area is protected in order to preserve representative communities of vegetation that are typical of the shrub lands of the Puna and high Andean environments, as well as historic, paleontological and archaeological site. Nearby Mount Mercedario poses its towering image across the border between Argentina and Chile. Along with six other peaks it makes a semicircle that encloses one of the most outstanding valleys in the region: the Valle del Colorado. The place is perfect for adventure tourism lovers, amateur photographers and of course consummate climbers.

Northbound from San Juan, along National Route 40, you reach San José de Jachal, a town that preserves its most ancient traditions. Old typical looms dating back to the XIX century are still used to produce colorful blankets, ponchos and rugs. Its church has been declared National Monument and it treasures valuable masterpieces. Leaving Jachal beyond and addressing west, the road reaches the Pachimoco Dam, which levels and splits the Jachal River waters. On the opposite bank the clay soiled flat called Barreal de Pachimoco is located at the Cuesta del Viento (Wind's Peak) foothill. A narrow winding mountain road climbs the steep and leads finally to Rodeo passing by -5 km (3 miles) before arriving there- an area where extraordinary basalt and lava formations can be observed on the mountain slopes. From there it is possible to enjoy a walk through the San Guillermo Reserve (part of it is National park and the rest Provincial Reserve). It represents the native flora and fauna, gathering rivers, creeks, lakes, hot springs and valleys placed in the core of the Andean Cordillera.

10 km (6 miles) from Rodeo, the small village of Pismanta has a hotel and a thermal complex. The local aborigines have visited the area for hundreds of years to enjoy the therapeutic properties of the waters. It is also interesting to visit the small parish church and Tudcum, a tiny hamlet which makes its living out of nut, apple, fig and pear cultivation. Can find assorted loom garments are produced in sheep and guanaco wool.

Continuing northwards you reach Angualasto, a little settlement surrounded by interesting archaeological relics of an aborigine culture named Angualasto. One of the major attractions is the Mirador Hill. Its summit has a Rood and a Monument in honor of the Aborigine Cacique Pismanta. There are some other places that can be visited such as the Andalcollo Virgin Church, the 'Tamberías' (aborigine dairy settlement), the Archaeological Museum Luis Benedetti and the Angualasto Public Library.

Towards the east the Moon Valley is located in the Valle Fértil Department, which is one of the most picturesque areas of the province because of its beautiful landscape composed of sierras and cactuses. However, it is not possible to reach the place directly from Jachal. The shortest way to get to the Moon Valley from there is to go on northbound, along Route 40 up to Los Palacios (in the Province of La Rioja) and from there turn back south along Route 26. The easiest way from San Juan is along Route 141, to the east, and then Route 510, to the north, passing by Caucete. The town of San Agustín del Valle Fértil is an old settlement placed near the border with La Rioja, in the Quebrada de San Agustín (San Agustin Gorge), at the foothill of the Sierra de La Huerta. It is a quiet village which depicts itself in different colors as the seasons go by. It is the gateway to the Parque Provincial Ischigualasto (Ischigualasto Provincial Park), also known as Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley). The place is worldwide renown because of the research performed here by paleontologists, geologists and naturalists from all around the world. This research has provided invaluable information that makes it possible to rebuild most of the planet's history. Ischigualasto is the only place on earth where it is possible to observe a full sequence of continental sediments dating back to the Triassic Period. There are also abundant fossil deposits which allow us to study various animal species in the history of the world, and to view the replacement of the ancestral mammals for the dinosaurs. Studies are unfinished and some final are yet to be found to be found. Still, Ischigualasto has reserved its section in every textbook and scientific research papers related to the dinosaurs' origin in the world.

On glimpsing the arid environment that prevails at Ischigualasto at present, where only cactuses and thorny shrubs can grow, it is hard to fancy that 225 million years ago the area was covered by a dense tropical canopy and an exuberant landscape composed of lakes and marshes, acacia woods, palm-trees and ferns which created the habitat for unimaginable creatures. This was, undoubtedly, the landscape during the Triassic Period, at the beginning of the Mesozoic Era (prior to the Jurassic Period). Many dinosaur species would stroll around: the Lagosuchus Talampayensis, the Eoraptor (only 1-meter/3-foot-long) and the gigantic Riojasaurus Incertus (12-meter/40-foot- long). But the dramatic movements suffered by the earth surface tragically changed the favorable life conditions that had prevailed for the preceding 180 million years. Life, at least as it had so far been know, extinguished. Thence, sediments deposited for ages over the surface covered the fossil remains, protecting them from the ageing action of time.