El Leoncito National Park ( es, Parque Nacional El Leoncito) is a federal protected area in San Juan Province, Argentina. Established on 18 September 2002, it houses a representative sample of the Central Andean Puna and the Southern Andean steppe biodiversity in good state of conservation, as well as historical and paleontological sites (including a portion of the

Inca road system The Inca road system (also spelled Inka road system and known as ''Qhapaq Ñan''Qhapaq=rich, powerful, opulent, wealthy, privileged; ñan=road, way, path, route. Source "Diccionario quechua - español - quechua" Gobierno Regional Cusco - Cusco ...

). It has an area of

Description

El Leoncito is located on the western slopes of the

Sierra del Tontal The Sierra del Tontal is a mountain range in the southern part of San Juan Province, Argentina. The range is in the precordillera area of La Rioja, San Juan and Mendoza, in the Cuyo region. It extends south of the Sierra del Tigre, from which i ...

in the Calingasta Department, from Barreal. The lack of atmospheric pollution in this isolated place and the dry weather guarantee at least 300 days of unmatched sky transparency per year, making it particularly suitable for astronomy research: within the park there are two astronomical observatories: the Leoncito Astronomical Complex (CASLEO) and the Félix Aguilar Observatory ( above sea level) The area of the current national park lay within the jurisdiction of the aforementioned Leoncito Astronomical Complex, under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. Safeguarding the atmospheric quality was a central concern for the astronomical center, which in turn required careful administration of the ecological environment. Thus in 1994 it was decided to place the area under management of the National Parks Administration as a strict natural reserve. On 18 September 2002 it was further promoted to national park status with the enactment of national law 25656 after its territory was ceded by the San Juan Province to the federal state. The climate is cold, with permanent ice in the high Andean region. In the Puna the weather is cold and very dry with large temperature amplitude. Overall, the average annual rainfall is . The park has almost no infrastructure for tourists, so it is recommended to stock up before visiting. There is free camping with a stove, tables, grills, barbecue, toilets and hot showers. Besides visiting the astronomical observatories, there are trails to local water streams and waterfalls, most of them of low difficulty and short length. Acceso al Parque Nacional El Leoncito.jpg, Road access to the park. In the background, the

Cerro Mercedario desde el Leoncito, San Juan.jpg, Pampa del Leoncito and

Cerro Mercedario Cerro Mercedario is the highest peak of the Cordillera de la Ramada range and the eighth-highest mountain of the Andes. It is located 100 km to the north of Aconcagua, in the Argentine province of San Juan. It was first ascended in 1934 by ...

in the background Observatorio El Leoncito, Calingasta.jpg, Leoncito Astronomical Complex at dawn PN El Leoncito.jpg, Astronomy research facilities Pampa del Leoncito en San Juan.JPG, Pampa del Leoncito

Biodiversity

The flora is mostly made up of

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s, typical of dry mountainous areas. The fauna include important species like the guanaco and birds of prey such as the

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...

References

External links

Sitio oficial del Parque Nacional El Leoncito
{{authority control National parks of Argentina Protected areas of San Juan Province, Argentina Protected areas established in 1994 High Monte