Villa Unión travel guide

Some 92 km west of Nonogasta, Villa Unión (1240 m) is the largest settlement in the valley and is another base for visits to the Parque Nacional Talampaya, 67 km south. North of Villa Unión, paved Route 76 heads along the arid valley to Villa Castelli and Vinchina (70 km north of Villa Unión) offering the last comfortable accommodation option before the high mountains ($), Corona del Inca (T03825-1567 5945, http://www.coronadelinca.com.ar) .

An extraordinary testament to ancient cultures, on the west side of Route 76, on the northern outskirts of town, there is the Estrella de Vinchina, the only surviving star- shaped stone mosaic made by ancient settlers centuries ago. Immediately north of Vinchina, Route 76 enters the spectacular Quebrada de la Troya and 36 km northwest of Vinchina, it reaches Jagüe (1900 m), with food and basic facilities, and where you will be approached by park wardens of the nearby Reserva Natural Laguna Brava . This is the starting point for a 154 km long road to Chile through the Andean mountain pass of Pircas Negras (4165 m). About every 20 to 30 km you’ll see stone huts, built in the 19th century to shelter cattle wranglers on their way across the Andes. The road gives also access to a vast, empty territory of the Reserva Natural Laguna Brava.