Saldungaray, Argentina | Named as a Finalist for the Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism

Saldungaray, a small municipality of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina in the Tornquist district located in a wide valley close to the Cerro Pillahuincó mountain, highlighted by the Sierra de la Ventana, a beautiful mountainous territory extends from the city of Puan to the town of Indio Rico, in the Coronel Pringles district, a favourite destination for hiking, trekking and nature lovers was named as a finalist for the Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism, the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

Best Tourism Villages is an open call for towns with a natural and/or cultural landscape linked to a rural environment and a lifestyle typical of the region that highlights tourist value.

In the applications, the economic, social and environmental sustainability linked to tourism are taken into account, as well as the integration of the value chain and local participatory management.

With the delivery of the certificate as candidate Sandugaray presented the Tornquist Strategic Tourism Plan at the Francisco Salamone Interpretation Center, with in addition a visit to the historic Fortin Pavón and a tour of a local wine enterprise to showcase part of its cultural and historical heritage.

Saldungaray was founded in 1900 by Pedro Saldungaray despite its real history begins many years before its foundation, when the current centre was a military fort and gave it the hope of exisitng when the local area was populated only by a few native Indians who were prowling around. 

The site was known as Fortin Pavón in the beginning, for this fort established in 1862 on the southern border the Rio Sauce Grande River and it served as an intermediate stop between Fort Independencia and the Argentine Protectorate Fortress.

The structure had a perimeter ditch and a palisade of stilts with a drawbridge protecting the troop and command buildings and a rall wooden watchtower completed the complex’s facilities.

The rudimentary huts of the complex were built with the few material available in the Pampa Region mainly made of adobe, reeds, thatch, and tacuara cane.

The site was then called Sierra de la Ventana linked to the local mountain range and finally christened Saldungaray as it is called today.

Saldugaray experienced a notable growth for its geographic location, considered strategical by desert expedition members, generated the settlement of the first colonists on the banks of the Rio Sauce Grande River which has its source in the Ventana mountain range and is the main tributary of the Paso de la Piedras dam, the most important reservoir of water for human consumption in the area.

Currently Saldungaray is part of a consolidate tourist region in the southwest of the province of Buenos Aires and one of its main attraction sis linked to the stunning natural environment of the Ventana mountain range, a small but well - defined area of endemism, with connections to the Andean and South American Transition Zone provinces, and famous for its biodiversity.

The territory is highlighted by a high number of unique species, particularly plants and animals, that are not found anywhere.

The Sierra del La Ventana is well known to be home to diverse wildlife, including mammals such as the Puma, the Pampa gray fox, deer,, the capybara,the wildcat and also wild horses epecially found un Ernesto Tornquis Provincial Park.You can also find birds, such as the black - backed eagle and the cock - of - the - rock, reptiles such as the copperhead iguana, and amphibians such as the mountain toad.

Saldungaray and its surroundings are a great destination for outdoor activities such as hiking, horseback riding, rock - climbing, mountain biking and circuits for 4 - wheel driving especially in the area of Mount Tres Picos. 

As for cultural heritage apart the mentioned Fortin Pavón and natural beauty, Sandulgaray boasts other attractions as in the main square where stands Nuestra Señora del Tránsito Church displaying an  original image of the Virgin Mary in a resting position, brought from France by the founder of the site and today it is beheld by thousands of members of the congregation and followers who come along every year to ask for a miracle.

Further highlights are the works of the architect Francisco Salamone, like a splendid gate which works as the entrance to the local cementery and the Paso de las Piedras Dam, a monumental work built by man in order to channel the labyrinthic waters of the Sauce Grande River and its main tributuaries, and its large walls may be spotted from 37.0  kilometres away from Saldungaray.

History goes that Charles Darwin, emblematic British biologist, geologist and naturalist visited Saldungaray, exploring and gathering data, and it said that, as if it was a legend or a very well - kept secret, that the iconic character climbed the Mount Tres Picos and he almost found the window he had heard about from the Indians and he had wanted to visit for such a long time.

Saldungaray received the certificate of finalist of the Best Tourism Villages, an initiative of UN Tourism that distinguishes small centres that examples of rural tourism destination in the world and is already one of the eight towns nominated this year by Argentina to participate in the UN Tourism global call with Villa Tulumba, Córdoba, Caviahue – Copahue, Neuquén, Barrancas, Jujuy, Los Chacayes, Mendoza, Gaiman, Chubut, Urdinarrain, Entre Rios and Campo Ramón, Misiones.

Trevelin, Chubut also joins in, which after not being selected in 2022, underwent an improvement process that positioned it as a direct candidate this year and awaits international recognition.

Links
https://dailyweb.com.ar/noticias/val/49060/saldungaray-ya-forma-parte-de-los-finalistas-para-the-best-tourism-villages.html
https://www.welcomeargentina.com/sierradelaventana/mountain-range-shire.html