SALTA (1,200 meters over the level of the sea)

Known as ''Salta the beautiful'', it is one of the cities in Argentina that has best kept the architectural heritage of the colonial times. Among its buildings there is a mixture of colonial constructions of white walls, red-tile roofs, reservoirs, and a majestic appearance; and modern constructions, within an urban design that includes several parks, among which the San Martín Park stands out. The variety and beauty of the landscapes of the area is spectacular: magnificence of its mountains, its valleys, its depressions, the Puna, and the subtropical flora, and fauna preserved in its national parks, are only some of the attractions.

One of the windows to the world, is the Train to the Clouds, with its incredible trip to the "La Polvorilla" viaduct, 4,200 meters over the level of the sea, which attracts national and international tourism. There are also several towns with monuments and historical places to be visited, as well as debris that evidence the Indian presence.
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Distances from Salta
Buenos Aires: 1497 Km
La Rioja: 693 Km
Purmamarca: 185 Km
San Juan: 1136 Km
S.M.Tucumán: 304 Km
Tilcara: 210 Km
Ushuaia: 4019 Km
Cachi: 157 Km
Cafayate: 183 Km
Embalse Cabra Corral: 82 Km
Iruya: 307 Km
Yavi: 430 Km
Humahuaca: 260 Km
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CAFAYATE (1,660 meters over the level of the sea)

In pre-Colombian times, before the discovery and the conquest, the mountainous surroundings of Cafayate were inhabited by Diaguita Indian settlings.

This town, in the middle of the Calchaquíes Valleys of the Province of Salta is world wide known for the quality of its wines, the mildness of its climate, the kindness of its people, and the beauty of its landscapes.

Without any doubt, the enchantment of this beautiful, and important town within the Calchaquí circuit, can be fully enjoyed walking around its streets, admiring the matchless architecture of its Cathedral, the main square full of trees and flowers, the picturesque old stone mill, and the museums full of history and tradition.

Besides, the close contact with nature if reflected in the impressive Cascades of the Colorado River, the attractive sunsets from the Santa Teresita Hill, in the white, flamboyant, sands of the dunes, and in the unforgettable Quebrada de Cafayate (Cafayate Depression), or the De la Concha River (River of the Shell), with its peculiar shapes and colors, where the wind has acted as a handy sculptor presenting the traveler with spectacles of outstanding beauty.

The visit to the vineyards and wine tasting is one of the main attractions. Delicate red, rosé, and white wines can be tasted; and you can visit the huge vineyards to have an insight into the secrets of the viniculture.

Finally, in this town, one of the most important festivals of the folk music of the North West of Argentina is celebrated, the Serenata de Cafayate (Cafayate Serenade).

CABRA CORRAL DAM

It is a 127 square-kilometer water mirror surrounded by hills, 65 km. away from the city of Salta. It is the second largest damming in Argentina, and the main hydraulic reserve of the North West of Argentina. Apart from offering an ideal place for sports and swimming, Cabra Corral provides water for 110 hectares of fertile soil in Salta and Santiago del Estero. In the surroundings you can go trekking, hiking, climbing, horseback riding, on photograph safaris, bird watching, and you can do agro-tourism, among other activities. In the water you can go fishing, sailing, rafting, rubber boat sailing, among others. There are also some cultural alternatives, such as guided tours to the cave paintings at the Ablomé caves.

PURMAMARCA (2,192 meters over the level of the sea)

The town of Purmamarca (name that means "Town of the Virgin Land" in the Aimará language) is an attractive town bounded to the North by the Purmamarca River, and to the South by the Hills that form the Depression of the same name. This little town becomes especially attractive because it is located at the foot of the impressive and majestic Siete Colores Hills (Seven Colors). Its constructions are from the XVII Century, which also gives an interesting vision of the pre-Hispanic origin.

Its picturesque design was organized around the main Church, of striking classical style of the Quebrada. The old Church, declared National Historical Monument, and was built in 1648, has clay walls on the outside, and on the inside, the woodwork is entirely made of teasel. It has only one narrow nave with interesting XVIII Century, images and paintings from Cuzco, which fill it with history and tradition within the Circuit of the Quebrada. This church was devoted to Santa Rosa de Lima, and behind it you can see the renowned Siete Colores Hill, which delights every visitor of the city.

The crafts fair is permanently open and, near the square, the local vendors offer hand-made rugs, several wood carvings, local items of clothing, eye-catching vases, and even different medicinal plants.

The impressive Quebrada de Humahuaca (Humahuaca Depression), is a paradise landscape of our country, that has been declared Estate of Mankind, is the axis of this picturesque area through which the Grande River runs.

All over the area, the houses in the area are made of clay, where the towns of the colonial times developed in relation to significant pre-Hispanic settlings, where the streets were re-designed at the end of the XIX Century.

So, in the area, there are still several pre-Hispanic important costumes in the community celebrations, in which all the inhabitants of the town take part, such as the festivities of the Patron Saint, the misachicos, the devotion to the dead, the living cribs, the Holly Week. The devotion to the Pachamama, and other rites previous to the conquest, are also very important, you can see the way in which the Indian apachetas live with the colonial churches all over the area.

Here the music is also one of the main protagonists, and it is played with local musical instruments such as: the siku, the quena, the caja, the erque, the erquencho, and the charango.

TILCARA (2,461 meters over the level of the sea)

Tilcara is so called for the tribe that used lived there. Regarding the primitive population, no documentation has been found about their origins.
The impressive Quebrada de Humahuaca, a paradisiacal landscape of our country, declared Estate of Mankind, is the axis of this picturesque area through which the Grande River runs, and where there are interesting archaeological deposits.

All the houses in the area are made of clay, where the towns of the colonial times developed in relation to significant pre-Hispanic settlings. A defensive line of pucarás, gives testimony of an amazing agricultural culture capable of building fortresses to protect themselves from the pickers of the East; and maybe to resist the Inca Empire in the North, though they formed part of the Inca Collasuya as from the end of the XV Century.

Spattered all over the area, are countless ruins of that past, pucarás, antigales, cave paintings and they can be visited.

Visiting the fortified town of Pucará, and its Botanical Garden of the Heights, is very interesting, and it is also very important to reach the so called Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat) to appreciate the Depression in its full extension.

A visit to the solar ovens, and the ecological houses is also recommended.

HUMAHUACA (2,939 meters over the level of the sea)

Humahuaca is a town that takes its name form an Indian tribe, and from the valley around it. Its narrow stone streets are worth walking, and its low clay houses have preserved their historical aspect.

The eye-catching town is located among the last towns of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, and it is an important center together with the Circuit of the towns of the Puna.

It is a town usually filled with tourists from San Salvador de Jujuy or Salta, who visit it for the day and go back to those destinations. Apart from going to other towns near the Circuit of the Quebrada and the Puna, you can visit the archeological ruins of Coctaca, which are only 9 km. away. Also, you can visit the town of Iruya, with picturesque houses, narrow stone streets, steep slopes and no sidewalks, which is only 76km. away from here.

The Carnival of Humahuaca, in which the population takes part enthusiastically, is one of the most famous of the country and local and foreign visitors come to see it. It lasts for eight days, and there are masks, disguises, colorful outfits, and rituals.

In Humahuaca there are several museums that shoe crafts, folklore, paintings, and sculptures.

YAVI (3,440 meters over the level of the sea)

It is 16 km. away from La Quiaca, and you arrive by a paved road; it is a real oasis in the dryness of the puna. Today, the town is half depopulated, the houses are made of clay, with typical cane roofs, cane and clay, the appropriate shelter for the freezing nights in the puna. The magnificent Chapel of San Francisco was finished in 1690 and, save for a few little modifications, we can appreciate it today, just as it was in the XVII Century. Its architectural lines are very simple and of great beauty. The pulpit, the altars, and the altarpieces are gold-plated.

It has paintings and outstanding sculptures, such as the ones of San Francisco, San Juan Bautista, San José, Santa Ana and San Joaquín that were brought from Cuzco. And, according to an ancient description, "it has eleven windows, ten of which over two yardsticks high, and one wide, that have, in place of glass, white, four-finger-thick onyx pieces, transparent as crystal, brought with a great effort from over 200 leagues, which make whole Church incredibly clear". Ostentation and good taste joined, thus creating an aesthetic result that can be admired today as it was then.

This Chapel can be visited all the year from 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Note: in case the Church was closed, and you wanted to visit it, you should contact Mrs. Lidia Cuarta who live across from the Genadarmerie office)

Petroplyphs: 5 km. away from Yaví, at the foot of the Siete Hermanos Hills (Seven Brothers), is Colorada Lagoon. They are rocky formations with petroglyphs representing human figures, llamas, spirals, and o on. This is a completely preserved area.
Pictography: near the Bolivian border, in a place called "El Angosto" (the narrow place), is Yaví Chico, where we find rocky formations with paintings.

Near Yaví, not far away from the town, there are also cave paintings that can be seen in the walls of the Hills.

There is also a big, colonial-style, house with thick clay walls, and tiles and clay roof, it has an internal patio, around which twelve rooms are distributed. Nowadays, in the different rooms, there are a library, a museum, and a local craft shop. It can be visited Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 2:00 to 5:00 and Saturdays from 9:00 to 12:00.

Ranch House of the Marquis of Yavi y Tojo

The colonial style ranch house, of thick clay walls, and clay and tiles roof, has a stone- paved internal patio. Around the patio there are twelve rooms. Nowadays in those rooms there is a library, a museum, and a local crafts shop. It can be visited Mondays through Fridays from 9 to 12 and from 2 to 5. And Saturdays from 9 to 12.

IRUYA (2,780 meters over the level of the sea)

Visiting Iruya is like going for a ride in the past. It involves meeting the people of this place, and getting an insight into their culture and habits. Hidden among the mountains, it is a place where the time has stopped, making it a dreamed town. Its Church, houses, steep little stone streets, tell you about the lifestyle of these people, free from the hustle and bustle of big cities, but with a fully comfortable hotel.

Just as in a postcard, Iruya is an invitation to rest and meditation, but also to awe in horseback, hiking, or trekking rides.

Its name means "Fierce Straw" or "Place of high pasture" in the quechua language. The most important of all of its festivities, takes place on the first weekend in October, with the devotion the Virgin of the Rosary, where pagan and religious rites merge in a unique way.

Hundreds of local people, moved by their faith, take part in the religious acts singing, and praying, and playing local musical instruments (quenas, cajas, and sikus). They accompany the music with the typical dance of the "cachis", a group of people disguised with masks, whose dance symbolizes the eternal fight between evil and good.

At the foot of Iruya, on the bed of its river, the exchange commerce set up among its inhabitants, the dwellers of the High Puna, and the ones of nearby towns, has its origin.

June, July, August, September, and October are the best months to visit Iruya, due to the weather conditions of the area.

SAN MIGUEL DE TUCUMAN (450 meters over the level of the sea)

San Miguel de Tucumán, capital city of the Province of Tucumán, it ha an active commercial and industrial movement, as well as a busy nigh life, discos, restaurants, pubs, and a casino. It also has beautiful squares and parks.

The Economy is based in the growth and processing of the sugar cane, of which Tucumán is the main producer in the country. The processing plants are real industrial centers, that employ lots of workers, and turn millions of tons of sugar cane into sugar, cane honey, and alcohol. Sorghum, soy, wheat, tobacco, citrus fruits, are grown in the province.

The condensed geography of Tucumán offers the tourist a significant variety of landscapes. To the East the are plains, to the West, mountains, among which you can see the Calchaquíes summits, and the snow-topped Aconquija. In the Eastern lopes of the hills, there is an incredibly beautiful forest of palos amarillos (yellow sticks), cedars of Tucumán, lapachos, bay trees, walnut trees, and other species of less importance. To the East, the landscape is plain, with some little forests. The Central part, where the Salí River runs, is ideal for the agricultural development due to its fertile soil, and the appropriate weather.

TAFI DEL VALLE (1,976 over the level of the sea)

This town located among the mountains has a natural beauty and a high cultural value. Its name comes from the word Taktillakta (which, in the diaguita language means "Town of a magnificent entrance"). Up to the year 1943, when the road round the slope of the mountain was built, the access was only by riding a donkey. Nowadays it is the main tourist center in Tucumán. It is 107 km. away from the capital city of the province and it is located 1976 meters over the level of the sea, the last 60 km are a paradise road surrounded by the so called forest of Tucumán.

Tafí is an excellent combination of mountains, rivers, and a weather that invites you to visit it any time of the year, since its average temperatures are around 26ºC in summer and 16ºC in winter. You can enjoy the local cuisine, which includes the famous "Queso Tafinisto" (the word tafinisto refers to the native people of the place) which participates in the Cheese National Festivity, that usually takes place every year in February. In the festivity there are rodeos, and folk shows. Other recommended activities include visits to the museums, pre Columbus Indian debris, or a Jesuitic chapel of the year 1718.

During Easter the town is filled with travelers and people from the neighboring towns that come to Tafí to see the representation of the main Biblical passages that tell about the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Tafí is known for the charm of its landscapes, the testimony of its culture, and the hospitality of its people.