Departing from La Rioja city, we visit the city’s western residential area, including Padercitas, La Quebrada, the tunnels, Los Sauces Dam, the village of Sanagasta, and the Huaco Valley. We then cross the scenic road Cuesta de Huaco, offering magnificent views, to begin a journey through a chain of picturesque villages at the foot of the Sierra del Velasco: Agua Blanca, Las Peñas, and Chuquis, home to the Solar de los Castro y Barros, a historic house-museum open to visitors. We continue through Pinchas, Aminga, and Anillaco. From Anillaco, the excursion continues through Los Molinos, Anjullón, San Pedro, and Santa Vera Cruz, deep in the mountains, reaching the mystical Castillo de Dionisio—a unique structure of unusual shapes and striking sculptures that emerges from the rocks, almost hidden among the lush, jungle-like vegetation of the area. Afterwards, we continue on to Aimogasta to visit the four-hundred-year-old olive tree.