Cities and regions／Argentina
Place of interest ·

Cueva de las Manos

An archaeological site in northwestern Santa Cruz, set in the walls of the Pinturas River canyon. Its panels show negative handprints, guanacos, human figures and hunting scenes; visits are guided and require careful transport planning.

Hand stencils painted on rock at Cueva de las Manos.
Photo by Jose Luis Vanasco Source: Pexels Licence: Pexels License
The place

What makes it special

  • Negative handprints and mineral-pigment paintings.
  • Guanacos, human figures and hunting scenes.
  • Controlled paths and guided interpretation of the panels.
Dry Río Pinturas canyon beside Cueva de las Manos.
Photo by Fjturban Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Gravel road and Patagonian steppe as travel-planning context.
Photo by Jose Luis Vanasco Source: Pexels Licence: Pexels License
Travel atlas

Articles in Cueva de las Manos

Guides to this place

1 article

Cueva de las Manos

Viajalo Editorial

Guides to this place

1 related guides

Hand stencils painted on rock at Cueva de las Manos.

Cueva de las Manos from Perito Moreno: How to Plan a Well-Paced Visit

Cueva de las Manos first requires you to work out the distance, transport and pace of the visit. Perito Moreno is the practical base for arriving with enough time and understanding rock art that cannot be rushed.

Read guide →
Information in context

Sources and references

This profile summarises our destination guides. Their research sources and the geographical reference are listed below.

Profile updated: 13/09/2026