Parque Provincial Ischigualasto

It was still dark outside when the car pulled out the front of our hotel to pick us up to take us to the moon. At over 300km away we had to start early on the day trip. Bet you didn't think you could get to the moon and back in a day did you?

Parque Provincial Ischigualasto is one of the many landscapes across Latin America as being 'Valle de la Luna' or valley of the moon. This one which is apparently comparable to Bryce Canyon or Zion and is UNESCO listed. It's located in a desert valley surrounded by two mountain ranges and from the moment we left San Juan we entered that desert.

On the outskirts of town, mist lay amongst the vines of the bodegas and the sun glowed on the surrounding mountains. The 3.5 hour drive might have been boring if not for staring at those constantly changing mountains, in between observing the mate ritual happening in the car.

Our guide had brought his gourd, mate and sugar, while the other two Argentinian girls on the tour bought a Thermos of hot water. They filled up the gourd with mate, put about a teaspoon of sugar on top and then poured the hot water through it. Each of them took turns drinking the gourd dry before it was refilled and passed onto the next person.

We were invited in on the ritual, but decided to pass. While mate isn't my favourite drink, clearly the travel doctor had made me sufficiently paranoid to not want to drink out of the same straw thing as three strangers.

Along the way, semi wild animals roamed along the side of the highway and across it, including horses, goats, rabbits and turkeys. Every now and then we spotted vultures flying high overhead. But the most exciting animal were the Guanacos hanging out just outside of the park gate. One group stood munching on the dry vegetation while further down the road, another pack trotted across the road when they heard the car approaching.

Inside the park, we were surprised to discover that the visit would be in convoy with a group of other vehicles and a park ranger. We had to stick strictly to the road and only stop at the 5 highlights. I hadn't expected such a regimented visit in South America.

As we rounded the corner we had our first view of the whole terrain – red cliffs in the distance ringing a barren, white valley. You could imagine how this looked otherworldly.

Not far down the road was the first stop, where the ranger went into a very long explanation of the region. We understood some of it, but the view towards the cliffs was irresistible so we wandered around the carefully defined area taking photos.

At the first stop, it was the distant view which was remarkable, so we were surprised just how amazing the next stop's foreground was. Apart from the odd dry bush, the rutted ground really did look like the moon, except in various shades of pinks. From the lookout you could see the river that wound it's way through the worn mounds. Seeing that we'd wandered away from the group, our guide came over and explained that the national park is named after this particular formation.

We then drove down into the moonscape to a flat area where we could walk amongst the bare mounds. One of them looked like a sphinx, although I'm positive we weren't the first to recognise it's likeness.

But the main attraction of stop number three was the Cancha de Bochas, the ball table. On the flat plain lay perfectly spherical rocks, arranged as though someone was in the middle of a ball game.

Leaving the lunar landscape we drove up to another formation that were like windows facing the red cliffs.

We then approached the cliffs that had so far been in the distance. Near the base of them, stands the signature formation of the park, El Hongo or mushroom. Against the bright blue sky, the white stone with the red cliffs behind is very striking.

Finally we drove the full length of the cliffs back to the entrance, the red dust of the road filtering through the seals of the car and entering our nostrils. On one side where the red cliffs that looked like they where part of the ancient temple with intricately carved pillars. On the other was the white lunar landscape.

On the way out of the park, our guide spotted a condor eating a dead cow on the side of the road. He stopped and grabbed his camera, but unfortunately it spread it's massive wings and took to the sky.

To break up the 3 hour drive home, we stopped at the shrine of the Difunta Correa, near San Jose. I had only a very vague notion of what exactly the place was all about, as I'd filled it under the 'odd Latin American things' category. And believe me it looked odd.

On the ground next to the car where we pulled up in the messy little town lay a plastic figure of a woman lying with a bare breast where a baby was feeding. Following our guide up the staircase, the posts and beams of the low roof where covered in old licence plates that tinkled in the warm desert wind. On the ground on either side lay little home made houses that reminded me of architectural models.

At the top in the shrine proper the same breastfeeding woman that had lain next to the wheel of our car, was surrounded by candles and images of babies and other breastfeeding women. Our guide explained that she was a woman who together with her baby followed her husband and his regiment during the civil war of the 1800's. But in the desert she ran out of food and water and died. But when she was found, the baby was still nursing at the dead woman's breast. Our guides voice dropped to almost a whisper as he explained that it's believed that is the very spot where she was found.

At the shrine people from all around Argentina come to ask for protection of their houses, cars, assistance during difficult childbirth and miracle cures. On the rest of the drive we spotted shrines all every few kilometres along the road, where bottles of water where left for travellers in need.

Next Stop: Champagne Cave