San Juan is one of Argentina's 23 provinces, located within the western portion of the country near the La Rioja, Mendoza, and San Luis provinces and the country's border with Chile. The 89,651-square-kilometer province is known for its wine and olive oil production, home to lush oases and robust rivers that dot the otherwise scarce landscape. It is home to the capital city of San Juan.
Casa Natal de Sarmiento
Casa Natal de Sarmiento preserves the childhood home of acclaimed Argentinian author, politician, diplomat, and journalist Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, renowned for his work as an international public figure. The home is an Argentinian National Historical Monument, the country's first national monument, and has been open to the public as a living history museum since 1911. A wide variety of artifacts related to Sarmiento's life and career are on display within the house, including newspaper clippings related to his civic career and manuscripts and first issues of the books he authored. A public library is operated by the monument, dedicated to the history of Sarmiento and the San Juan region. A number of cultural activities are also presented periodically at the monument, including workshops and interpretive performances.
Sarmiento Sur 21, J5400 San Juan, Argentina, Phone: +54-26-44-22-46-03
El Leoncito National Park
El Leoncito National Park is a 346-square-mile protected federal park within Argentina's San Juan province that was established in 2002 to protect significant ecosystems within the Central Andean Puna and Southern Andean steppe region. The park is located along the Sierra del Tontal's western slopes within the Calingasta Department, approximately 21 miles from the city of Barreal. Due to its isolated location away from disruptive atmospheric pollution, it is home to two astronomical observatories, the Félix Aguilar Observatory and the Leoncito Astronomical Complex. A number of visitor hiking trails are also offered, traversing to several local waterfalls and streams. Park visitors should note that few public facilities are offered within the park due to its lack of modern development, though free campsites are offered at several locations, offering restrooms, showers, grills, picnic tables, and stoves.
s/n, (5405), Av. Pres. Roca, Barreal, San Juan, Argentina, Phone: +54-26-48-44-12-40
Leoncito Astronomical Complex
Leoncito Astronomical Complex is the second of two astronomical observatories located within El Leoncito National Park in Argentina's San Juan Province. The observatory was originally established in 1983 by Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council in conjunction with the country's Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation and the National Universities of San Juan, La Plata, and Córdoba. Since 1987, it has offered public and private observatory facilities located within two separate regions of the national park. Jorge Sahade and Submillimeter telescopes are available for use near the Pampa de la Ciénaga del Medio, while Helen Sawyer Hogg and Ghielimetti telescopes are available for use on Cerro Burek, along with an Astrograph for the Southern Hemisphere.
Ingreso A Casleo - Pnel, San Juan, Argentina, Phone: +54-26-44-21-36-53
Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes Franklin Rawson
Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes Franklin Rawson is San Juan's primary fine arts museum, known throughout the country of Argentina for its high-quality collections and exhibits. The museum's collections were begun in the 1850s by Benjamín Franklin Rawson, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, and Procesa Sarmiento and were incorporated into a museum collection in 1936. In 2011, the museum was transferred to a new permanent facility within the former Provincial Casino building. It showcases a permanent collection of more than 900 works of international art, including paintings, sculptures, engravings, and photography. An exhibit room also showcases the works of local Argentinian artists, with temporary and traveling exhibitions hosted periodically on a variety of regional art topics.
Av. Libertador Gral. San Martín 902, San Juan, Argentina, Phone: +54-26-44-20-05-98
San Guillermo National Park
San Guillermo National Park is an Argentinian national park that was originally established in 1999 as part of the San Guillermo Biosphere Reserve. The 166,000-hectare park was originally preserved as a provincial reserve in 1972 to protect native vicuña habitats and is home today to the nation's largest concentration of wild camelidos. Elevations throughout the park range between 2,100 and 6,380 meters, comprised of puna grassland and mountain summit ecosystems. As one of the few protected sites within the country that maintains significant populations of native wildlife, the park is overseen by international management in correlation with the United Nations' El Hombre ya la Bioesfera Project.
Rodeo, San Juan Province, Argentina
Santiago Graffigna Wine Museum
Santiago Graffigna Wine Museum is a museum showcasing San Juan's finest wines, preserving the historic Bodega Graffigna winery, which was established in 1870 and is the province's best-known winery today. Though it was severely damaged in a 1944 earthquake, the winery has been restored to its historic appearance, housed within a reconstructed brick building. Red and white wines are produced at the facility, overseen by French corporation Pernod Ricard. The museum showcases the history of Argentina's winemaking industry, including the region's connection with the Italian winemaking industry. Following hour-long guided tours, participants sample red and white wines at the facility's wine bar, including some of the country's top wine labels and varietals.
Cristóbal Colón Norte 1342, J5400 San Juan, Argentina, Phone: +54-26-44-21-42-27
Valle de la Luna
Valle de la Luna, officially referred to as Ischigualasto Provincial Park, is a protected natural region within the northeastern corner of Argentina's San Juan Province, bordering the La Rioja Province's Talampaya National Park. The park spans 233 square miles and is located within the Ischigualasto Formation, which contains some of the world's oldest dinosaur fossils from the Late Triassic Period. It is an important natural sciences study site, allowing for significant research about the evolutionary transition from the dinosaur era to early mammal species. It was established as a national park in 1971 and preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. An interpretive center at the park showcases significant fossil findings, operated in conjunction with the National University of San Juan's Museum of Natural Sciences.
5449 San Agustin de Valle Fertil, San Juan Province, Argentina, Phone: +54-26-44-60-89-00
Windsurfing at Cuesta del Viento
Windsurfing at Cuesta del Viento offers opportunities for water sports and adventure outings at San Juan's Cuesta del Viento Reservoir, a hydroelectric dam that serves as the province's most significant source of hydroelectric power. The reservoir is located at the junction of the Blanco and Jáchal Rivers and has become one of the province's major tourist attractions in recent years, known as one of the best sites in the world for windsurfing. A 12-mile recreational area around the reservoir also offers opportunities for mountain biking and other seasonal outdoor activities. Several major wind and water sporting events are held annually at the reservoir, including the Windsurf World Championships and Kitefest Argentina.
