El Leoncito National Park, preserved for years as a strict reserve, is located in the western foothills of San Juan.
You can observe different landscapes, as the place surprises us with a variety of natural life.
El Leoncito Park offers a wide variety of flora and fauna. The small cuis and the rabbit hutch run between rows and jarillas. Chinchillones and reptiles, such as lizards, choose the rocky slopes to get some sunlight. The guanaco herds or groups of suri are seen only in swamps or in the extensive plains. Sometimes, you can see the red fox and very rarely do you see any cougar. If you look up to the heights, you will probably see some eaglet or a black eagle gliding.
El Leoncito gets strong gusts of dry winds. The climate is arid. The vegetation is rarely irrigated by rain. Its sky, transparent and clear most of the year, made it possible to install the El Leoncito Astronomical Complex (known as CASLEO) and the Carlos Urrico Cesco Observatory.
You can visit the two observatories in a day tour, but the best of these establishments is experienced when you visit them at night. The telescope will allow you to see the radiant stars, the mysterious planets, and the restless satellites suspended in the clear San Juan sky.
El Leoncito National Park is a place to enjoy, where different landscapes and sensations are perceived in each season. In summer, El Rincon stream and cascade offers a fresh and restful sleep. In autumn, you can see the typical rows of yellow poplars, covered in white with winter snow. During the spring, the cheerful colors of the swamps and the soft sounds of animals reveal the blooming of natural life.
