It is located in the Fertile Valley department ( province of San Juan ), at the end of the west “pampean jagged mountain ranges”, and to a few kilometers from the limit of province of La Rioja. Indeed a part of the deposit is geologic continuation of the region of Talampaya. The Provincial Park Ischigualasto and the Park Nacional Talampaya constitute two different parks, but truly they conform an immense geologic region of more than 250,000 hectares.
It is a paleontological treasure, one of the richest and most important deposits of the world, declared Natural Patrimony of the Humanity in year 2000.
The Hoyada de Ischigualasto is a desert and rustic valley with little vegetation, extreme temperatures and an almost permanent wind. The permanent wind determines the exogenous factor of existing shapes of the land today.
But not always it was on this way, the zone was an orchard, with abundant rains, vegetation leafy and numerous and varied fauna. The climate was changing slowly, accompanying geologic changes. The humidity was diminishing until everything was a desert. The fractures caused by the sprouting of the mountain range of the Andes Cordillera allowed the more modern sediment deposit. The wind, the water and the temperature finished forging the nowadays landscape, that in certain zones keeps like immense fossils petrified trunks and impressions from leaves from ferns on petrified rocks or (Petrified Forest).
The erosion of the wind makes suppose that there will be new immovable inhabitants (some recently discovered to the north from the park to about 5 kilometers of the main circuit) and others will happen to the history, as it happened with the Lamp of Aladino, blurred for one decade (in addition to La Movediza, El Tornillito and El Loro).

Here different layers follow one another, sediment layers deposited during million years (weakest eroded by the wind). By geologic order they are:
1- The formation of Ischichuca: the oldest. Around 235 million years when mediating the Triassic whose characteristics mainly arise in the zone of the Hill Anca (southwestern sector of the valley). It does not constitute a shutdown in the tourist circuit (more details later) because it is very difficult for accessing.

2- the one of Los Rastros: it abounds in the hill of the same name where are footsteps of reptiles and that it extends until the neighborhoods of the Painted Valley (220 million years of antiquity).

3- the one of Ischigualasto: present in the zone framed between the rivers the Totoritas and Ischigualasto, center of the park, in the Painted Valley (220 million years of antiquity).

4- the one of Los Colorados: The youngest. Around 180 million years, ending Triassic period. It predominates in the zone of the Petrified Forest and one extends throughout of the Barrancas Coloradas. It is a prolongation of the National Park of Talampaya.
The fauna is not compound only of guanacos. You can find also hares the ones that are named “ciollas” and the “patagonicas” too; vizcachas, red foxes, quirquinchos and with a little luck you could have the possibility to see some puma. From reptiles there are small lizards and in mounts inhabit some yararas.
In the level zones some ñandues (nandu), martinetas, copetonas are grouped and chuñas, but anything is compared with the majesty of the condores in the highest zones that glide searching for food.
It was understood as wonder by the regional Indigenus, and shaped
its astonishment in the numerous pictographies (petroglifos) that are in the zone of Las Pintadas.

MAIN CIRCUIT
(By land, with about 40 kilometers in length. It happens through the formation most interesting and its route demands three hours).

_ Cerro Morado _ Located to the right in the enter the park. It is not a shutdown.
_ N°1 Stop. El gusano - The worm _ Belongs to Los Rastros performing.
_ Elefantes Echados -Thrown Elephants _ It is not a stop.
_ N°2 Stop. Valle Pintado - Painted valley _ Pertaining to the Ischigualasto formation. The name was inspired oF El Valle de la Luna - The Valley of the Moon .
_ N°3 Stop. Cancha de Bochas _ Pertaining to the Ischigualasto formation.
_ La Esfinge. El Kiosco _ Both can be observed walking to next stop. It is not a stop.
_ N°4 Stop. El Submarino -The Submarine _ Pertaining to the formation Los Rastros. The most popular shape in the park
_ N°5 Stop. los Hongos - The Fungus _ Pertaining to the Ischigualasto formation. Very well-known (photo).
_ Barrancas Coloradas _ Pertaining to the formation the Red ones. It is not a forced shutdown.