Villa Unión

Information

It is a locality in the west of the province of La Rioja. It is surrounded by mountains, and it is located in the Valle del Bermejo (Bermejo Valley), which is crossed by the Desaguadero River (also called Bermejo River). The Lateral Villa Unión Reservoir is located 2 km away.

It has services such as tourist information office, camping sites, hotels, restaurants, grocery shops, ATM and petrol station. There are agencies that offer excursions and guide services to visit the Talampaya National Park and the Laguna Brava Provincial Reserve.

It is a place where people who also go to visit nearby tourist attractions usually stay:
a) For the locality and surroundings:
- Mirador La Loma (a viewpoint): it is an elevation that is very close to the centre. It can be climbed on foot through a long staircase or by car through a dirt road. At the top there is a cross, a sculpture and a circular monument, and from there you have a panoramic view of the town and the valley.
- Lateral Villa Unión Reservoir: it is 2 km away from the centre and can be reached by asphalt with a dirt road at the end. It is possible to drive along the shore and it has a shaded area with trees. The body of water is surrounded by reddish mountains, and it is common to observe aquatic birds such as coots.
b) Moving away from the village:
- Cuesta de Miranda: it is a slope with views of mountains with colourations, geological formations and the Miranda River running below.
- Talampaya National Park: protected area with material from the Triassic period, cave paintings and figures produced by erosion.
- El Chiflón Provincial Park: it is a natural area with striking geoforms.
- Ischigualasto Provincial Park (located on the San Juan Province side): also known as Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), it shows a 'lunar' looking landscape with geological shapes.

For those interested in wild bird watching, the west Peruvian dove (Zenaida meloda), a species that has been rarely recorded in other places in Argentina, is present in this locality.

You can get to Villa Unión through National Route 76. There are daily buses from the cities of La Rioja and San José de Vinchina, and some days of the week from the cities of Buenos Aires, Chilecito, Córdoba and San Juan.