Discover Salta

After breakfast, you are transferred from your hotel to the domestic airport for your flight to Salta. Upon arrival, you will be taken to the hotel that will be your lodgings for your stay in Salta. The rest of the day and evening you are free to roam. (B)

After an early breakfast, you depart on your drive through spectacular mountain scenery, following the route of the Train to the Clouds, one of the highest in the world. Traveling northwest into the spectacular Toro Canyon, you will reach the archaeological site of Santa Rosa de Tastil, one of Argentina’s oldest pre-Columbian ruins. This route is one of the most dramatic entrances to the Puna Highlands, taking you to 12,385-ft San Antonio de los Cobres and the impressive 226-ft high, 882-ft long La Polvorilla viaduct. Continuing north, you come to Salinas Grandes, a most exotic, photogenic sea of salt where you will learn about the salt extraction process. Following the Lipan Slope to Purmamarca, you will cross the highest point of the day, an elevation of 13,680 feet. After a free evening, you’ll spend the night at the scenic La Comarca, a comfy hotel surrounded by colorful hills. (B)

After breakfast at the hotel, you meet your guide for today’s travel in colorful, multi-hued Humahuaca canyon. Today you will experience music, street fairs, craft markets and gastronomy of the areas regional cultures. The visit includes stops in the villages of arty Tilcara and the more indigenous Humahuaca. Within walking distance of Tilcara, you will hike to Pucar de Tilcara, a restored pre-Columbian fort that offers marvelous views. At the end of the day you return to your Salta lodgings for an evening on your own. (B)

On today’s Argentina tours, you travel south up the Cuesta del Obispo, famous for its winding, scenic road to the ancient village of Cachi. You skirt rust-colored tobacco fields before heading west on RP 33, a gravel road through parched Quebrada de Escoipe. At the canyons end, the landscape changes abruptly as the Cuesta del Obispo Pass and the Valle Encantado (Enchanted valley) come into view. Condors and eagles may be seen overhead as the roads switchbacks eventually reach an elevation of about 12,000 feet. You will see cattle, sheep and llama grazing on the arid lower and middle slopes. The trail levels off at 11,874-ft La Piedra del Molino, on reaching beautiful Los Cardones, National Park that protects thousands of huge Cardon cacti and is crisscrossed by a myriad of stone Inca trails. The areas main attraction, Cachi (7,544 feet) is located near the parks western border. Cachi’s restored colonial church is a national historic monument and the archeology museum here houses a collection of native Andean artifacts. You spend the night at El Cortijo, a quaint hotel in Cachi. (B)

After breakfast, you depart for Cafayate, a tiny paradise for wine enthusiasts looking for a tranquil hideaway. At 5,740 feet, the valley is home to some of the worlds highest vineyards, producing Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon as well as the local white specialty, Torrontes. This Spanish fruity but dry grape with distinctive flavor has found its perfect terroir here. It was first planted in 1850 in the La Florida vineyard, owned by the Etchart Bodega and later passed to Pernod Ricard, the famous wine and spirit company. You stay the night at the scenic Cafayate Wine Resort. (B)

In the morning, you tour a winery before returning to Salta. The drive from Cafayate passes impressive geological formations produced by erosion on the colorful sedimentation of sandstone over the past sixty million years. You will spend a final night at your Salta lodgings. (B)

In the morning, you tour a winery before returning to Salta. The drive from Cafayate passes impressive geological formations produced by erosion on the colorful sedimentation of sandstone over the past sixty million years. You will spend a final night at your Salta lodgings. (B)