The park was created in 1979 to preserve a representative part of the Yungasecosystem, one of the environments with the greatest amount of biodiversity in Argentina), and to protect the mouths of the rivers of the Calileguas. With an area of 295 m², it is the largest national park of this region of the country.
This area was occupied a long time ago by native groups. Their settlements were located in the lower knoll, near the farming grasslands. The archaeological pieces and sites found in the park, such as pottery and polished stone axes, are related to the communities that inhabited the Yungas region. From the 15th century on, this territory was occupied by the Incas. At present, this region is inhabited by kolla communities.
