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22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Sarmiento Shelters

Upon reaching Laguna Brava in the Andes Mountains, Vinchina department, an extensive valley is formed from which you can see the highest hills and volcanoes in America after Aconcagua, in Mendoza. These 20 inactive hills and volcanoes are known as The Six Thousand and are shared by both La Rioja and Catamarca. This is the view from the imposing Laguna Brava from the Rioja side in the Golfito area. If you want to visit the incredible path of the 6000, you must do so along the Catamarca path. It is a unique spectacle and is one of the most amazing routes of the Andes Mountains: a 200-kilometer journey of National Route 60 that connects Fiambalá, in Catamarca, Argentina, with the San Francisco Pass, on the border with Chile, and is the second highest area in the world after the Himalayas.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2024
Photo Location: LA RIOJA, Argentina
Copyright: © Gonzalo Javier Santile