Heading north from Salta we ventured toward the Bolivian border and deeper into Argentina’s great northwest, an arid region filled with dusty cow towns, amazing mountain passes, and delicious empanadas!
The drive north was a bit of an adventure of its own. Puttering along in our severely underpowered Ford Ecosport (ok, we were hauling the weight of four empanada-fed gringos), I neglected to pay much attention to our route plan. Only midway through the GPS-directed drive did we realize that we would be traversing the Camino de la Cornisa through Las Yungas, the semi tropical forest running along the eastern slope of the Andes and in drastic contrast to the landscape we were coming from and going to.
While stunningly beautiful, the drive, laden with switchbacks and quick altitude changes, induced motion sickness among my three passengers and myself. The map on our GPS looked like a ball of red twine that had been bunched, crumpled, and thrown on the screen, but failing to display that the road was also a hair on the narrow side. I could only be thankful that unlike similar roads in India, it was reasonably paved, there were no overloaded trucks careening down at twice the speed limit in the opposite direction, and the amount of aimlessly wandering cattle was minimal.
Suffice to say, the road eventually straightened out and my occupants were relieved to make a pit stop on near Jujuy where we thankfully decided to press on to Tilcara, delaying our expedition to the salt flats, but making a stop in the town of Purmamarca for some lunch.
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Explorers of Salta Province and San Salvador de Jujuy will have a hard time skipping Salta, nor should they try. The New York Times beat me to it with their recent 36 Hours in Salta, but the sentiments are mutual – the city is worth a stop for its food, nightlife, and classical architecture.
We arrived in Salta after a scenic drive from Cafayate. It was meant as a stopping point from Cafayate to Tilcara, a small town north of Salta, but after getting past the gritty, industrial edges of the city, we were impressed by its grace and charm. The downtown area is tiny, but filled with neoclassical buildings, an impressive main square, good restaurants, and nightlife.
Since the Times article does a good at describing the city’s arts and culture, I will focus on our stay at Legado Mitico.
Legado Mitico was one of our favorite hotel experiences of the trip (the favorite being House of Jasmines, just outside of Salta). Smack in the center of town, Legado Mitico was built inside a 19th century mansion that its creators rescued from demolition. As a repurposed space, each of the hotel’s 11 rooms is unique, named and decorated after a mythical figure or group important in Salta’s history.
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Traveling the Ruta 68 south from Salta to Cafayate, the drive gets interesting around the halfway point where the scenery changes from lush greenery to a sparser landscape, showcasing some pretty stunning geological formations. While I’m not sure where it officially begins, at least part of the drive is through La Quebrada de Las Conchas, which roughly translates to Gorge of the Shells.
The well-maintained road winds itself up, down, and around the red rocked canyons and gorges following the path of the Las Conchas River. The landscape is quite arid, making the colors of the rocks, particularly in the late afternoon, go from orange to pink to red.
You’ll want to stop along the way to snap photos, but there are also spots to get out, stretch your legs, and do some mini treks. One is called the Garganta del Diablo, or Devil’s Throat, which leads you up a bowl shaped rock formation with some pretty wonderful views.
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