- Argentina - Portal público de noticias de la República Argentina.
This province, which takes visitors´ breath away as a result of its hills, summer villas and landscapes featuring a unique microclimate environment, is endowed with outstanding healing qualities.
San Luis province lies in Argentina´s Central-Western region. As regards its neighboring provinces, it borders with La Rioja in the North, and with Cordoba in the East. It also shares borders with La Pampa in the Southern region, with Mendoza in the West and with San Juan in the Northeastern area.
It generally features a continental dry climate with an annual mean temperature of 17ºC, and 23°C standing as the Summer mean temperature. It rains primarily in Spring and Summer time, between October and March. It almost never rains in Winter.
San Luis is the capital city of this province which hosts an airport in the city center. Some of San Luis´ regions offer a special microclimate, which therefore turns them into very healthy and natural paradaise settings such as Villa de Merlo district and Piedra Blanca region.
San Luis is endowed with landscapes inviting tourists to rest, popular religious celebrations and crafts markets. Furthermore, it hosts a technology hub where IT services companies can find an enticing niche to boost their development.
Moreover, it has undertaken new endeavours in this scope of area like the Information Highway, standing as a comprehensive telecommunications network contributing towards enhancing San Luis society´s ties with its government.
Economy
The major cereals grown in this province are (corn, sorghum, wheat and oats), fodder crops such as (alfalfa and rye) and oil seeds like (soybean, sunflower and peanuts). Other crops like garlic, onions, potatoes and blueberries are grown, as well. As regards specialized crops, flowers, tomatoes, peppers, and ornamental plants are also harvested. As far as livestock is concerned, it primarily comprises cattle production closely followed by that of goat.
With respect to mining, it focuses on non-metallifer minerals and application rocks. Quartz stands as the most commonly used metal for exploitation purposes, subsequently followed by feldspar, salt and red clays. With respect to the major rocks found in this province, they encompass marbles, granite, limestone and slate stone.
Application rocks such as marble, granite, onyx and low stone can easily be removed. As to other mining activities, they embody salt deposit exploitation and cement production.
San Luis is also endowed with industries engaged in metal, leather, wood, chemistry, and ceramics production as well as those dealing with the textile and construction sectors. Additionally, this province also carries out beekeeping and poutry farming activities.
Information Highway (IH)
Developed along a fiber-optic cable laying and its own radiolinks, the Information Highway stands as San Luis´s services and telecommunications network. The IH is the most effective method for society and the government to communicate. Furthermore, it helps providing citizens with access to information and electronic services.
This highway interlinks over 900 job positions across San Luis province. Similarly, it fully connects a more than a 20-inhabitant district while providing services to the community as a whole. In addition, there stand IH cybercafes distributed throughout this province. As a result, people born in San Luis may, by using any kind of Internet connected computer, have access to information concerning public offices, government services, schools, hospitals, companies and manifold institutions.
Universidad de La Punta (ULP) (La Punta University)
The Universidad de la Punta is a provincial university created with the purpose of training professionals in economic fields having an impact on this province. It offers courses of study in Film and Software development as well as those focusing on Tourism, the Agroindustry, Businesses and the Environment. Among the educational settings vistors may enjoy touring, there is the “Parque Astronómico La Punta” (PALP), (La Punta Astronomical Park), which disseminates Astronomy related notions.
Parque Tecnológico de la Punta (PILP) ( La Punta Technology Hub)
The Universidad de La Punta has opened its technology hub so that companies providing IT services may settle in this province. The idea behind this endeavor involved recruiting undergraduate students attending this university. With respect to the system above, it is based upon the leasing of premises through a fiber-optic toll fee payment and the granting of a 40% discount applicable to the first four years´ undertaking.
The Parque Tecnológico de la Punta (PILP) lying in the ULP campus venue, counts several companies hiring 25 year-old students as an average. Other companies engaged in this hub include Mercado Libre, Indra, Telesoft, Unitech and Vit4b.
The goal pursued through this endeavour consists of inviting new companies to begin taking part in this initiative.
Tourism
City of San Luis
It was originally called San Luis de Loyola Nueva Medina del Río Seco when it was founded back in 1594 at the foot of Sierras Grandes during the Spanish conquest.
San Luis´ s capital city, whose airport is very few kilometers away exhibits a blend of colonial architecture characterized by large houses and backyards and the most modern constructions.
Visitors should not miss the neoclassical style Iglesia Catedral.The Cultural Center “Víctor Saá” is also regarded as a tourist attraction, just like the Craft Market, the Carpeting Factory, the History Museum, the Natural Sciences Private Museum, and the one known as Provincial Dora Ochoa De Masramón, standing as a testimonial to San Luis´ s history.
Also, the Centenario Park and the National Park stand as another tourist attraction inviting tourists to walk along wooded paths.
In the vicinity of San Luis city
Visitors are advised to follow around a tourist circuit lying a few kilometers away from the capital city, and encompassing Summer villas in the proximity of which they may engage in sport activities, photographic safaries, and horse rides. As to San Luis´ s sierras (hills), they are sided by rivers, hills, valleys and ravines inviting visitors to enjoy nature, such as El Volcán district depicting a scenery with a waterfalls and cascades and a resort standing in another district known as El Trapiche. Other tourist attractions include Lake Potrero de los Funes, the Nogolí oassis and La Florida dam.
The capital city of San Luis province also allows visitors to access Salinas del Bebedero area (lying at a 40-kilometer distance), which in Winter time actually turns into a white desert.
These brines are 5 kilometer wide and roughly 15 kilometers long, having a one-meter salt surface. Additionally, there is a salt processing plant for visitors to tour.
Moreover, the nearby district known as Balde stands as the ideal scenario to enjoy bathing in its outstanding thermal waters, which are highly beneficial for rheumatism, obesity, diabetes, gout and dermatitis treaments.
Sierra de las Quijadas National Park
It is located in San Luis´s Northeastern region extending along some 150,000 hectares where one of South America´s most desertic ecosystems unfolds. Its breathtaking landscape portrays reddish stratified walls and visitors may walk along cliffs, mountain roads, and terraces. The Huarpe Culture Archeological remains as well as the paleontological deposits dating back to ancient times and being regarded as priceless evidence, are still kept in this park, which used to serve as the environment providing manifold dinosaurs species with shelter 100 million years ago.
The water-and-wind-eroded land has shaped natural scuptures such as the Potrero de la Aguada, a series of steps, cliffs and mountain roads. At present, this park is inhabited by animals on the endangered species list such as the wild cat, several kinds of foxes, the puma and the guanaco.
Conlara Valley
It stands among San Luis´s sierras (hills) and those of the Comechingones Mountain Range. It is surrounded by rivers and waterfalls where visitors may take up manifold outdoor activities as a result of the beneficial climate this province is endowed with. In fact, it is regarded as one of the world´s three microclimates benefiting health the most. Some of the most oustanding districts in this region are Villa de Merlo and Toma, the latter standing as the onyx and the other marble capital city.
Villa de Merlo
It lies in the Conlara Valley, at a 200-kilometer distance from the city of San Luis. As a matter of fact, this town is well-known because of its serene microclimate, regarded as one of the best in the world. Its woods, streams and rich flora enticing visitors to take a walk and go on photographic safaries Furthermore, adventure tourism activities such as trekking, repelling or mountaineering may also be taken up in this region. Its microclimate arises from the high atmosphere negative ionization having a major positive impact on health.
One of this district´s oldest buildings is the Capilla de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel) depicting a colonial style and declared a National Historic Monument. No visitor should ever miss walking around the Comechingones Crafts Fair, featuring all of the region´s artists. In the vicinity of the villa lies the Piedra Blanca stream bearing a non-polluted and quite healthy microclimate.
On the other hand, the area known as Pasos Malos features natural spring baths and a waterfall.
Potrero de los Funes
Potrero de los Funes, lying over its namesake lake, is considered as a peaceful town ideally suited for vacations. In fact, boat or canoe rides may be taken along this lake regarded as suitable for fishing purposes. San Luis´s adjacent areas unfolding ravines, valleys and streams, also entice visitors to go horse riding, trekking, mountain biking or simply beholding at the landscape.
This district also stands as the hosting venue for artistic performances and craft fairs. Furthermore, visitors may take up adventure tourism activities in the vicinity of Potreros region known as Valle de Piedra, standing as one of the valleys featuring the highest altitude in this area.
Other excursions visitors may choose are the ones involving a visit to Quebrada de los Condores, the Salto (de agua) de la Moneda (The Coin Waterfall), the India Dormida hill, (The Sleeping Indian Hill) or the Ravine of Leon Colgado.
Mining Tourism
When travelling to San Luis, tourists may also visit the Buena Esperanza Golden Mine lying in the La Carolina district 80 kilometers away from San Luis capital city. In order to reach this mine, visitors should walk along the spectacular Pancanta Valley.
In addition, tours aimed at visiting the ancient hollows inner parts are organized so that people can appreciate the Earth´s crust minerals, its stalagmites and geological faults.
