The Essentials of Northern Argentina:
A Journey to the Soul of the Valleys and the Ravine

12 Days - 11 Nights

Day 1 - Arrival in Tucumán

Reception at the San Miguel de Tucumán Airport and transfer to the hotel.

Day 2 - Discovering Tucumán & Tucuman Yungas

We will begin by visiting the historic center and its surroundings, with places full of history reflected in its buildings and constructions. Plaza Independencia is our starting point, from where we will head to the Government House and all the historic houses that surround it.

Then, we will go to the Cathedral, the Church and Convent of San Francisco, a national monument because of the relics it preserves, such as the first national flag hoisted in Tucumán in 1814, among others; the Church of Our Lady of Mercy with its neoclassical style and simple interior; the Nicolás Avellaneda Provincial Historical Museum, which is the house where he lived as well as other political figures from the 19th century; the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo, among other representative buildings and houses. Once our tour of the historic district of Tucumán city is finished, we will continue to the 9 de Julio Park, designed by Carlos Thays, a French landscape architect, which features a beautiful flower clock, colorful paths, and walkways among trees.

Then, we will go to the Sugar Industry Museum "Casa del Obispo Colombres," which will teach us about the history of the sugar industry in the province from its artisanal beginnings. We continue to the most distinguished area of Tucumán city, Plaza Urquiza, known for its paths and spaces used by people for skating or cycling, and which is a green space for resting, surrounded by French-style architecture; the San Martín Theater, the Legislature, and the Casino. Plaza Alberdi, another green space with well-maintained lawns and benches, located in front of the General Mitre Railway Station, which will be our last stop on the tour.

Breakfast at the hotel. We explore the beautiful Tucumán Yungas combining mountain landscapes, history, and local culture. We depart from San Miguel de Tucumán via Route 9 towards the Celestino Gelsi Dam (formerly Cadillal), crossing the picturesque slide, the power plants, and the Loro River. We continue towards Tapia, arriving at the charming towns of Raco and El Siambón, where we visit the Benedictine monks' monastery. The route continues to San Javier, ascending up to 1,200 meters to admire the imposing Christ the Redeemer and enjoy panoramic views of the region. Then we visit Villa Nougues, famous for its elegant residences and historic architecture, before descending through Yerba Buena back to San Miguel de Tucumán. Departures: approximately 08:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Duration: approximately 6 hours. Includes transportation and professional guide. Does not include tips or lunch.

Day 3 - Tafí del Valle, Ruins of the Quilmes Indians & Cafayate

Breakfast in the hotel. Crossing the Abra and on the way to Ampimpa we can observe the giant cactus to our sides. A natural balcony of the Yocavil or Santa Maria valleys affords a good view of the town, Amaicha del Valle at a few kilometers. In this town live a unique indigenous community of the north east, the diaguita culture who make unique things and is a famous locality for wine in earthenware pots, alfajores, nougats and small cheeses. Furthermore we can visit and explore the pre-Columbian settlements of Fuerte Quemado and el Pucará de Loma Rica, remains that have been well conserved of this town with pebbled walls using a mortar of mud and filled with debris and there you can see some of the diverse elements that they use such as San Jose and San Maria urns and objects of bone and stone.

Also the Pucará de Los Cardones is an archeological site that is conserved naturally. Here we pass trails, rivers, gorges, the dam, amongst other attractive features that we meet. Crossing the river Yocavil we enter to the ruins of the Quilmes, the remains of the biggest pre-Columbian settlement in Argentina. When defeated by the Spanish, the residents were forced to walk thousands of kilometers to Buenos Aires, to a locality that now bears its name. We make a visit to the museum and later to the fortress constructed for this community. We pass El Bañado, Colalao del Valle and continue to the town Tolombón to enter to Cafayate. On the way the countryside changes from arid to vineyards, where we meet the Cafayate soils. We sleep in Cafayate.

Day 4 - Calchaquí Valleys through Cafayate

Breakfast at the hotel. We will continue our journey from Cafayate, by visiting the Calchaquí Valleys. We will visit the Cathedral "Nuestra Señora del Rosario" which contrast with the multi – coloured hills in the background and then we will cover the most traditional wineries in this beautiful city between valleys and hills of an impressive green colour, which is the most important one in the Calchaquí Valleys because of its "torrontés" wines above all, an ideal place because of the temperature and humidity to the development of this kind of grape with a sweet and fruited taste, together with their goat cheese. The name of the city was given because of an old native settlement which means "Bury of sorrows or sadness" (Sepultura de las Penas). We will be pleasured to taste some wineries´wines. We will continue to visit the Archaelogical Museum, a place where there is a great quantity of objects which belonged to native villages. Many people have been investigating, making excavations, restorations and exhibitions about them.

We will be wondered as soon as we watch those rare and eye-catching shapes, going through Quebrada de las Conchas, where we will be able to see figures such as the Devil´s Throat (Garganta del Diablo), the Amfitheater (Anfiteatro) a wonderful place where we can perfectly hear the echo of any sound and it is here where many festivals take place, such as the folklore; another shapes are the Obelisk (Obelisco) which makes a lonely crag, the Castles (Castillos) of an intense red colour which reminds the castles in the medieval times, the Yesera with its light sandstone formations, the House of Parrots (Casa de los Loros) named like this because there are stone walls which are the habitat for great flock of parrots during the summer; the friar (Fraile), the toad (Sapo) and the impressive Devil´s Throat in Salta, shaped as a human trachea and also called like that because of its colour.

We will make a stop in Alemanía, a lonely town, but we cannot miss the visit so we can admire its old country houses between green hills, the train station which doesn´t work anymore and now we can see the beautiful work of the craftsmen who invite us to bring a nice souvenir from this town. We will get ready to descend through the valleys. We will get to Dique Cabra Corral, next to Coronel Moldes, an ideal place to practise water sports, then we will go through some towns dedicated to the farming activities such as El Carril, where we will find many stock-tobacco companies and also fig tree, walnut tree and peach tree fields; La Merced, with its cleany streets and green spaces which make it so picturesque, and Cerrillos. All these towns belong to Valle de Lerma, where there are treasures which come from mines that were found and they are hidden somewhere between the hills, according to local stories. We will continue to Salta city, going through impressive landscapes that change on every curve we make in wonderful colours like the reddish hills, ochre colour of the grass, grey stones and green cactus. Night in Salta. If you want to see other excursion options in Salta, click here: Tours in Salta.

Day 5 - Discovering Salta

We will start our tour along the city from the nice 9 de Julio Square, so eye-catching because of its decorated coloured quarries and its fruited trees which leave a nice fragrance in the salteño air. From the square we will be able to have a first vision of its history and colonial past, as we will be surrounded by old buildings such as the Cabildo, the Cathedral, the Church of San Francisco, the Convent of San Bernardo de las Monjas Carmelitas, one of the oldest buildings in the city which was the entrance door to the convent and it is made of carob wood that was carved by the natives in 1762; its old houses complete the historical quarter, which are today very important monuments.

Then, we will go to the impressive and most recognised hill in the salteña city: Cerro San Bernardo. Before getting to it, we will tour along the streets, getting to Güemes monument, an argentinian general who is known because of its ideals of freedom, dispise to materialism and his love to his Motherland. We will get to San Martín Park where we will find the cable railway station, our means of transport to get to the hill so we can have an amazing panoramic of the city and its surroundings, with the hills at the background.

After the ascent, we will continue to a really charming place, which is chosen by many tourists because of its wonderful natural attractions and the different activities to do: the summer village of San Lorenzo, where we will find the Quebrada, an ideal place to spend the day at the edge of the river, listening its relaxing sounds. We will enjoy our way to it, as we will go through flowered Gardens, mansions and castles which are surrounded by small hills and where we can do (horse) riding, trekking and pic-nic. We will go back to the city, going through the Handmade Market (Mercado Artesanal) first, where we will be able to get some souvenirs from this beautiful city, such as silver and pottery pieces, rustic fabric of llama wool, craftwork in leather, among others.

Day 6 - Calchaquí Valleys through Cachi

Breakfast at the hotel. We will do the way around through the Calchaquí Valleys, this time through Cachi, driving between extremely lovely landscapes. During our tour to this charming town, we will be able to see beautiful tourist spots in particular, starting in Quebrada del Escoipe, almost a wild region followed by the homonymous river and it crosses several Bridges until getting to Cuesta del Obispo. This last one is also a nature work, as we start the ascent by a twisted and cornice road, where we will be surrounded by impressive green coloured hills, an indescribable view together with the vegetation, in contrast with the sky. The highest point in this way is Piedra del Molino, to 3348 metres above the level of the sea and, from where we will have a unic panoramic of the Quebrada del Escoipe.

Two kilometres before getting to Piedra del Molino, we will be able to appreciate the sign which says that we are in Los Cardones National Park that protects its vegetation, such as Neblina, Monte, Puna and Alta Montaña bushes. Some fauna like the taruca, vicuña, guanaco, puma, red fox, wild cat, Wessel, quirquincho, condor, carpintero de los cardones, ututo lizard, coral, yarara, among others, are preserved in this national park.

After coming through the highest point, Piedra del Molino, we will arrive at Valle Encantado, a place where shapes and colours are mixed and where the action of the wind and water sculpt the landscapes with curious shapes and reliefs. There we will find a small lagoon and cave paintings. Of course, if we are lucky, we will be able to watch condors flying through the sky. Later on, we will get to a small soft mountainside valley covered of bushes, which is eaten by the cattle, that we are surely going to cross during the tour. If we continue a few kilometres more, we will appreciate an enclosed basin and El Hervidero lagoon, the favorite place to graze by the guanacos.  

The Tin Tin Straight Line (Recta de Tin Tin) will be another unforgettable spot in our tour as we will watch it along the way we go, as it is a perfect straight line of 18 kilometres, from where we will be able to watch a great quantity of thistles and looking at our right we will see the Tin Tin Hill and at our left we will see the Negro Hill. We will go through this old inca road so we can get to Payogasta where we will be surprised with the red and reddish pepper plantations, now descending to Cachi town, which is located at the base of Nevado Hill between the homonymous river and Calchaquí. There we will go for a walk along the streets watching its dazzled white buildings, its houses made of adobe and paving streets, but the town stresses more because of its kindness and warm contact that the local people give. We will return to Salta in the afternoon.

Day 7 - Salinas Grandes & Purmamarca

We will set out to visit the Salinas Grandes and Purmamarca. The first town we will pass through on our journey is Campo Quijano, a quiet town notable for the Las Lomitas Dam, offering beautiful views of its fields and green hills, such as the landscape of the Arenales River in El Encón. It is a traditional town in the Lerma Valley, known as the gateway to the Puna, through which the tracks of the Train to the Clouds pass. We continue along the road passing the Blanco River, surrounded by pure nature, reaching Quebrada del Toro, which extends to Puerta Tastil, a small pre-Columbian town that reached its peak in the 14th century and then mysteriously disappeared; in this town, the Blanco River appears again along the road.

The pre-Hispanic city of Tastil represents the "gateway" to the Quebrada de las Cuevas, where we can find the archaeological ruins of Tastil. We continue through Abra Blanca, located at 4,080 meters above sea level, to San Antonio de los Cobres, a small town situated at approximately 4,000 meters above sea level, famous for hosting the National Festival of Pachamama (Mother Earth) and for being the highest point of the Train to the Clouds tour.

We will continue along Route 40 towards the Salinas Grandes, already in Jujuy, located at an average of 3,450 meters above sea level. These extend through the region known as Puna Jujeña. The origin of the salt flats dates back 5 to 10 million years, when the basin of this salar was covered by water with a significant amount of salts due to volcanic activity, and gradually the evaporation of this water gave rise to this large salt flat, which is a spectacle for the eyes due to the contrast with the sky. We will descend the Cuesta de Lipán to the town of Purmamarca, located at the foot of the Cerro de los Siete Colores.

Day 8 - Quebrada de Humahuaca

Breakfast at the hotel. Today a full day of history and landscapes will be waiting for us, as we will do the circuit to Quebrada de Humahuaca, where we will visit its prehispanic villages which date from hundred years ago and some are so well kept that they shows us its original buildings and houses, so we can visit and tour closer around them.

In first place, the Quebrada de Humahuaca was declared a Natural and Cultural Heritage Mankind in 2003.

We will start by crossing the Siancas Valley through Gral. Güemes town to tour a sugar cane, tobacco, cotton farming area, among others and we will get to the bordering province of Jujuy and its capital in a valley of 155 kilometres extense, which is surrounded of multicoloured mountains and hills, an arid vegetation area and río Grande. We will get into an area of an amazing variety of brown, green, ocres and reddish tonalities. We will continue to Yala, a summer village which is located in the middle of the mountains, rivers and lagoons, with guest houses and weekend houses, there is also the Potrero de Yala Provincial Park which preserves the Lagunas de Yala (Yala Lagoons) where some birds´ species can be watched. We will start ascending the quebrada, going through villages which are kept like the ancient years and they make an unforgettable postal through the landscapes.

We now arrive at Purmamarca, a picturesque town located at the foot of the impressive and unic Cerro de los Siete Colores, which surprise us with its amazing ranges that mixes with the environment tranquility, its vegetation and the blue sky, apart from the hundred ruins of the first villages in the region. We will continue to Maimará, a town which is exactly in the centre of the quebrada, there we will be able to appreciate la Paleta del Pintor (Painter´s Palette), with is multicoloured hills which honours its name; Posta de Hornillos where we will find a museum to live and be witnesses of the prehispanic life; we will go to Tilcara, a famous village because of its caves and its small church, which is one of the oldest ones in the area. We will enjoy some regional and exquisite dishes and then, we can do a tour where the craftsmen are so we can buy some native souvenirs, rustic fabrics made of llama and vicuña, with the company of those kind and thankful people.

Day 9 - La Quiaca, Yavi & Villazón

In the far north of Argentina lie ancient lands that preserve the legends of an old marquisate, located in a green oasis in the heart of the Jujuy highlands, right on the border with our sister country Bolivia and on the way to Cuzco, blending tradition, landscapes, and commerce.

We will cross the remaining stretch of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, starting from Purmamarca and heading toward the northernmost part of Argentina. Along the way, we pass by the Posta de Hornillos, where we can appreciate the history of the ancient highland route. We continue to Uquía, famous for its church that houses the impressive paintings of the Arquebusier Angels, created by artists of the Cuzco School from Peru during the colonial period. Then we proceed to Huacalera and finally arrive at Humahuaca, located at 2,600 meters above sea level. There, we will explore its historic center, visit the Monument to Independence and the main square, receive the blessing of San Francisco Solano, and wander the colonial streets accompanied by local guides who will share the rich history of this town, recognized as a Historical and Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The journey continues along the same route through Abra Pampa, known as “The Argentine Siberia,” a name given by its inhabitants, most of whom are descendants of Syrians. From there, we proceed to La Quiaca, with free time for lunch (a light lunch is recommended). La Quiaca is located on the border with Bolivia. In the early 20th century, the railroad reached the border from the Puna region, where a terminal station and a viaduct with three arches over the La Quiaca River were built. Over time, La Quiaca has grown and gained importance, especially since the mid-20th century.

La Quiaca is a place of constant movement of people from the Andean highlands, easily recognizable by their traditional puna clothing. After a short rest, we visit the nearby town of Yavi, with its stunning church gilded in gold and its rich history as part of the Marquisate of Tojo. The Museum of the House of the Marquis and the old mill are faithful reflections of the remnants of this old marquisate. After touring the village, we return to La Quiaca to cross the border and visit Villazón (Bolivia), famous for its vast market.

We begin our return to Purmamarca

Day 10 - Iruya: Mountain Village

We depart from Purmamarca, and after passing through Humahuaca, we continue directly to Iruya, avoiding the detour through Iturbe and the riverbed. We will arrive around 1:30 pm, with free time for a light lunch at the passenger's expense and the option to take an optional hiking circuit (30 to 60 minutes), which allows you to explore nature and enjoy panoramic views of the valley.

Iruya is a picturesque village nestled in the mountains, over 2,800 meters above sea level, that retains a unique colonial charm. Its cobbled streets and adobe houses blend with the mountainous landscape, offering spectacular views of the valley and the rivers that cross it. The tranquility of the place, its traditional architecture, and the warmth of its people create an authentic and immersive experience, where history and nature coexist in perfect harmony. It is an ideal place to stroll, take photos, and feel the life of the highlands, appreciating the local culture and the surrounding natural environment. In the afternoon, we will begin our return journey along the same route, with a 20-minute technical stop in Tilcara to rest and enjoy the views before continuing to Jujuy or Salta.

Day 11 - The Yungas, Calilegua National Park: Argentina's Largest Biosphere Reserve

Breakfast at the hotel. Today we can visit Calilegua National Park, depending on the weather and availability for a visit; otherwise, we will do another activity.

We commence our enjoyable adventure visiting the National Park where we undertake a guided tour of one of the three trails, the Mamota, the Herradura or the Lagunita that go between an altitude of 475 to 1700 metres. The Yungas jungle is one of the areas richest in mammalians of this tropical region. It is estimated that there are 100 species of mammals in the 600km extension of the northeast of Argentina and 35% of them are encountered in the ecosystem of the jungles and Yungas.

It is possible to observe mammals such as the jaguar, tapirs, great anteaters, cai monkeys, great ferrets, porcupines, coloured squirrels, bats, armadillos etc. and birds such as Toucan parrots, humming birds, eagles, partridges, orioles and many more, also amphibians such as different frogs and toads including the red stomached toad and many types of fish.

The mountain jungles are on the slopes between 500 and 1000 metres where the vegetation is dense and humid. The highest treetops of over 30 metres are those of the cedars, laurels and walnuts whilst those at the 20 metre level consist of oaks, chalchal, palo luz and tala. There are other stratas such as that of shrubs and herbs, plants that spread over the surface and there is an important number of vines and epiphytes. In the Calilegua National Park there are different forests of mountain pines, alders and queñoa that are on the slopes up to 3000 metres.

Valleys & Dams - Yala Lagoons & Reyes Hot Springs (Optional)

You can replace the visit to Calilegua National Park with excursions to the Los Alisos, La Ciénaga, and Las Maderas dams, the Yala Lagoons, and Reyes Hot Springs.

We pass by the dams of La Ciénaga and Las Maderas and then return by the town of San Antonio, one of the best conserved settlements of the valley distinguished by its artisanal cheeses and a manufacturer of dulces in La Almona. Finally we go to the Los Alisos dam before returning to San Salvador de Jujuy.

We journey from San Salvador to the Yala lakes that are some 20km from the city. Here there is an imposing group of six small lakes situated at an altitude of 2000m surrounded by the exuberant green of the alder and pine forests. We ascend by the mountain pass to a trout fishing area. The lakes are in the Provincial Park. Potrero de Yala, and are classed as a Biospheric Reserve that is a protected part of Jujuy and the North East. Yala is an ideal place to practice adventure sports, fishing and ecotourism. This region is part of the Jujuy Valleys and is similar to the National Park of Calilegua. Later we leave Yala to go to Reyes by an isolated very picturesque route where we find the panoramic viewpoint of la Quebrada, a giant mountain fissure.

Day 12 - San Salvador de Jujuy

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer from the hotel to San Salvador de Jujuy Airport. End of our services.