National Park Los Cardones in the Argentinian Andes

We couldn't believe this place was real!

We drove through winding roads, following the stunning mountain silhouettes that pierced into the majestic Andes.

Los Cardones National Park

Without knowing what Route 33 had in store for us, we found ourselves in the valley of the giants.

The proud cacti greeted us, standing tall in their valley, where they're pretty much the only plants thriving besides a few small bushes.

And as if this place couldn’t get any more amazing, throw in the colorful pyramid-shaped mountains, and there you have it—the stunning National Park Los Cardones in the Argentinian Andes.

1 - The route

Route 33 in Los Cardones

Route 33 is the road that connects Route 40 and Route 68, so you can get to the National Park Los Cardones from the east if you're coming from Salta or from the west if you're coming from Cachi.

The west part of Route 33 (Cachi - Los Cardones) is a nice, straight, and well-paved road, making it an easy drive without losing out on the beautiful views.

The east side of Route 33 (Salta - Los Cardones), on the other hand, offers amazing mountain drop views. If you're like us and decide to take this slow and winding route, don't worry about the satnav's estimated time of arrival. You'll probably want to stop at many viewpoints to soak up the stunning scenery. As they say, it's not about the destination, but the journey that matters.

2 - Climate

The park has an arid climate; the rocky and sandy surfaces are dry, and hold little moisture, quickly evaporating the already little rainfall they receive.

The park is known for having big temperature swings between day and night.

We checked it out in early May and really got to see this for ourselves. The days were sunny and warm, but we definitely needed the heater at night.

The best time to visit is from April to November because there's less chance of rain and fewer tourists around.

3 - Flora

This national park gets its name from the prevalence of bush formations of cardon grande cactus, a large cactus native to South America and in particular to north-western Argentina.

These cacti can grow over 7m high and they don't normally tend to put branches out until they are at least 4m high.

Cardon grande cacti

4 - Fauna

The National Park Los Cardones in the Argentinian Andes is home to some endangered animals like the grassland cat and the red fox.

The stone woodpecker, which is the Park's iconic bird, really stands out here.

You're almost sure to spot a guanaco (lama guanicoe) when you visit.

Unlike the llama and alpaca, which are only found as domestic animals, guanacos are wild and endangered. It's pretty amazing that we got to see them up close.

We found out that if a guanaco hears something strange or feels threatened, it sends out an alarm call—a loud, shrill sound that goes up and down—to alert the others. So, when we heard them, we knew it was time to leave and turned back.

Lama guanicoe (guanaco)