MINA CLAVERO AND LOS TÚNELES (CORDOBA) OVER THE MOUNTAIN RANGE
To see the photos that illustrate this note, go to:
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&tsn=164&tid=512&webtag=ab-...As you may know already, Villa Carlos Paz and Mar del Plata are by far the cheapest tourists resorts in all Argentina. Maybe Cordoba is not the most beautiful area in the country (I prefer Bariloche, Iguazu, the glaciers down south at Calafate, Puerto Madryn and Mendoza, but all these areas are more expensive, except maybe Bariloche where prices are also quite low.)
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The tour to Mina Clavero and Los Túneles is in my opinion the most attractive and varied tour in Cordoba. We start off at Villa Carlos Paz and in a few minutes we have gone up to seven thousand feet. The landscape is nearly desertic and sometimes we see condors flying, specially in the El Condor area. I was able to film one flying in this trip, but by the time I prepared my photo camera, the condor was too far away.
PHOTO: A condor in the horizon
In the midst of this desertic landscape we see very small valleys irrigated by the water trickles and streams than come down from the mountain.
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The previous time I took this tour, we were lucky. In order to please us, the driver left the main road and followed a track full rocks that seemed like large rock balls. This time we requested the same treatment, but the driver was not willing. The trip is very long (some 300 miles in total), so we were only able to see part of the rocky area. In any case, we really enjoyed the view.
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This is a good place to buy souvenirs made by the artisans that descend from the Comechingones Indians, both of goat leather and clay, as you may see in the two photos that follow. In the first photo you will also appreciate the rocky formation.
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PHOTO: Once in the Traslasierra ("beyond the mountains") valley, Mina Clavero impresses us with its beauty. There are many bathing resorts on the river, some with beaches, others where the work of men is more evidente, and we took this photo while crossing the river.
The tour from here onwards is the most beautiful part: the travel through the Pampa de Pocho, where we can see extinguished volcanos, the caranday palm trees, and then the old road to La Rioja, from where we see the border of three provinces: San Luis, La Rioja and Córdoba, bordered by precipices, and where we can usually see condors, although this time I was not able to watch any, although last year I was able to film one flying for 3 or 4 minutes. Just have a look at the scenery:
PHOTO: There are historical reliques in the road, as this 18th century Jesuit chapel.
PHOTO: Caranday palm treest
PHOTO: The typical Cordoba mountain landscape
PHOTO: The precipice is quite deep.
PHOTO: The old road to La Rioja. Although both Cordoba and La Rioja are mostly arid in the mountainous area, there are forests below.
The road goes through five tunnels, that is why the area is called Los Túneles (the tunnels). This is the area where you normally can watch condors flying. With their wings extended, they are ten feet wide. Whether they are there or not depends on the time of the day and the atmospheric pressure.
PHOTO: Another view of the old road to La Rioja
On the way back me made a stop by the riverside at Mina Clavero In the first place, a British couple on honeymoon. Europeans are also discovering Cordoba, and not only Iguazú, Lago Argentino, Salta and Ushuaia.
PHOTO. Europeans are discovering Cordoba. In this case, a British couple on honeymoon.
I trust you have enjoyed this trip as much as I did.
Robert Ingledew
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