Established on 9 August 1995,[2] it houses a representative sample of the Southern Andean Yungas montane forest biodiversity in good state of conservation.

The Aconquija Mountains are the southern extension of the Calchaquí Valleys, the western first steps raising from the Gran Chaco plain into the Andes.

The Central Andean puna montane grasslands cover higher elevations, and there is snow-covered mountain terrain at 5,000 m (16,000 ft).

[4] Endangered animals that dwell in the park include the Andean mountain cat, furtive tuco-tuco (Ctenomys occultus) Chaco eagle (Buteogallus coronatus), and the frog Gastrotheca gracilis.

Vulnerable birds include the white-tailed shrike-tyrant (Agriornis albicauda), rufous-throated dipper (Cinclus schulzii), and Tucumán mountain finch (Poospiza baeri).