Salta & Jujuy in Review

Well my internet friends, I know I have neglected Embracing Every Step but after the weekend I just had, I felt inspired to start writing again. My time here in Argentina is dwindling, but I still have so much to learn and experience that I want to share with all of you (‘you’ probably being just my mom… hi mom, I love you!)

A few friends and I decided to go on a spontaneous trip to Northern Argentina a few weeks ago. When I say spontaneous… I mean spontaneous. We were all in the midst of midterms but had a long weekend coming up that we wanted to take full advantage of. So, we did just that! The week before, we booked a rental car in Buenos Aires, an Airbnb, somewhat close to the center of Salta and committed to spending the following weekend exploring Northern Argentina. We agreed we would send each other ideas, activities, restaurants and maps the days prior to our trip but as it usually goes…. we never did. Of course, until the night before, when we were all scrambling in our group chat about how to get there, when to meet and what the heck we were actually going to do! I stayed up all night map questing (do people even know what that is anymore???) and screen-shotting all of the directions onto my iPad for our 16-hour road trip to Salta, because I was sure I’d lose cell service mid drive. I crammed as much information from Pinterest in my brain because we had literally no idea about where to go and what to see. We all agreed we just wanted a weekend in the mountains and to be ~one with nature~.

We had decided to meet bright and early, to get a head start on our drive and arrive at a reasonable time to our Airbnb that night. We met at estacion “Las Heras”, cabbed on over to the airport, picked up our rental car and then hit the road at the wonderful hour of 8 am (2 hours after our designated departure time). Given that we were all novice road trippers, we decided after about 4 hours of driving, we would stop to get some gas and some lunch. I don’t even remember the name of the little town we stopped in along the highway for our lunch break, all I know is that the endeavor took about 2 hours and we had definitely over paid for gas ($75 USD!!!!!) Feeling a bit defeated and backtracked, we swore we would only stop for gas and would snack for the rest of the 12-hour car ride.

Our original ETA was around 12:30 am, after the lunch stop and some more gas breaks, the GPS (thank you T-Mobile for never giving up on my little iPhone SE) calculated it to be around 2 am. I contacted our Airbnb, who graciously accepted our new ETA and we were set.

Of course, one of the adventures of a road trip is not knowing what lies ahead on the road. When the GPS told us to turn left off of the highway and onto a “ruta provincial” we did not hesitate to oblige.

Let me set the scene for you; 1:30 am, pitch black dirt road in the middle of nowhere, all we could see was, what I assume to be corn fields, illuminated by our headlights and my wonderful friend Allie, behind the wheel decreasing our speed to about 15 mph. As we cautiously traversed this uneven terrain, all we could hear were the crickets and an occasional bird (and not like the friendly kind of bird but an insidious one, the kind that gives you goose bumps). After about 15 minutes, we came across the first of many tests on this trip; a mini swamp in the middle of the road, that had but only one option, to drive straight through it. Lo and behold, after about 2 feet, we felt the car sink and stop moving. We sat there, motionless, terrified and without a clue about what to do. Thankfully, the next character in this story saved the day. As Allie and I sat there, Viator (whom had been sleeping in the back of the car for the past 14 hours) jumped out, assessed the damage and said we had to push. So, we did just that, 2 o’clock in the morning, middle of nowhere, with no other options, I pushed this Chevy cobalt as if my life depended on it (I mean, because it did). We eventually got the car out of the swamp, hopped back in and turned back for the highway. Our 16-hour road trip had turned into a 20-hour adventure and we fell right asleep after our Airbnb host welcomed us in, still eager for what lied ahead.

This weekend was filled with many other ‘quilombos’ that would take me forever to write about. As blessed and as happy as I am here in Argentina, I cannot wait to share the rest of this story and the many more that are yet to come with my friends and family back home. If you are ever in need of a concise and efficient trip to northern Argentina, here’s my advice:

Day 1:

Fly to Salta! Please do not drive directly to northern Argentina. While we did save a few pennies and enjoyed the adventure, we were utterly exhausted, cranky and were dreading the drive back home Monday evening (yep, we drove 16 hours, through the night, to get back to Buenos Aires, Tuesday morning… don’t ask why)

After arriving to Salta, rent a car from the airport.

Having a car was definitely a necessity for our trip up north. It gave us a lot of flexibility with our schedule and we were able to see a lot more than if we had traveled by bus.

Depending on when you arrive to Salta, stay in the city, go to the museums, enjoy the parks and at night go to ‘Calle Balcarce’. A lively street in the city with folklore shows, street vendors and many restaurants to choose from for dinner.

Day 2:

From Salta, drive to Cachi. A beautiful, sleepy town tucked in the mountains of the Parque Nacional de los Cardones (Giant Cacti!!) While the town itself is super quaint and enjoyable, the best part about Cachi, is the drive there. The entire trip crosses through various terrains. At one point you are driving through a lush green climate, with open fields and cows. Next thing you know, you are zig zagging up a mountain, surrounded by too many ginormous, red mountains to count. Afterwards you embark on the open air again, only to be surprised by these Giant Cacti:

** pro tip- you will be driving on a ‘ruta provincial' to get to Cachi, be prepared to traverse some rivers en route…

Once you arrive to Cachi, you will be welcomed by the cobble stone streets and the Spanish styled architecture. We decided to stay the night in Cachi, quite accidentally, but it worked out in our favor since we were able to enjoy the town a little more. Walking through the town at night was pretty magical, everyone was walking the streets or sitting at a Resto Bar, enjoying a glass of wine. We didn’t enjoy our dinner very much so they will remain nameless, but we did enjoy the bottle of wine we had… which I will gladly recommend to you all

We also stayed at a great ‘hosteria’ that night. Very affordable for our unplanned sleepover in Cachi plus, it came with free parking and breakfast!

Day 3:

After a well-deserved rest in Cachi, wake up bright and early to make the drive down to Cafayate. Another beautiful, little town in the province of Salta, surrounded by mountains. Driving down the mountain from Cachi, is another completely incredible drive, filled with landscapes and ever-changing scenery that will leave you breathless. Cafayate is a bit more accessible to tourist than Cachi, so it will be a bit crowded. There you can find restaurants, live music, souvenir shops and wine flavored ice cream! We had lunch in “El Criollo” and were able to get a delicious 3 course meal for about $10 USD. Afterwards, wander around town, check out some of the local artisanal shops and then, rent a bike if you are up for a challenge.

Bike up to ‘la Garganta del Diablo’ or if you’re just there for there for the wine, stop a few kilometers early to tour ‘Finca las Nubes’. We unfortunately arrived too late to enjoy the fruits of our labor at this picturesque ‘bodega’ but the views riding up were definitely worth it!

If you are in need for some more wine, bike back down the trail to arrive at ‘Heladería Miranda’, where you can find wine flavored ice cream! In the evening, I suggest traveling back to Salta, to shorten the next days’ drive to Jujuy.

Day 4:

A northern Argentina itinerary would be incomplete without a trip to the neighboring province, Jujuy. Drive west to visit the impressionable ‘Salinas Grande’, an unforgettable experience and the 3rd largest salt flat in the world! Here, go to the rangers’ office, pay a nominal $10 for a guide to accompany you onto the salt flats and drive you to the most incredible part of the flats.

Support the local community, and your belly by purchasing ‘tortillas rellenas’ made fresh on an open grill right next to the Salina

After experiencing the Salinas, travel back towards Purmamarca to hike the short trail up to the ‘Cerro de los Siete Colores’ and then walk around the cute adobe town, absorbing the fresh air, the mountainous scenery and maybe a delicious tamale.