Argentina & Bolivia United on the Altiplano:
Among Valleys, Gorges, and Salt Flats

9 Days - 8 Nights

Day 1 - Discovering Salta, La Linda

Reception and transfer from Salta Airport to the hotel.

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 2 - Calchaquí Valleys via Cafayate

We will continue our journey from Cafayate, by visiting the Calchaquí Valleys. We visited the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in contrast to the hills in the background of various shades, and then cover the most traditional wineries in this beautiful city between valleys and hills of an impressive green color, which is the most important outstanding Valles Calchaquíes above all, for its Torrontes wines, ideal for temperature and humidity to the development of this kind of grape with a sweet and fruity flavor, along with goat cheese instead. The name of the city is due to an old native settlement, which means "Burial of the penalties."

We will have the pleasure to taste wines from some wineries. We continue to visit the Archaeological Museum where many objects that belonged to aboriginal people and has led to much research, excavation, restoration and exhibition of the same is to be made.

We marvel when entering field curious and very striking ways, through Quebrada de las Conchas, where we see figures like the Devil's Throat, the Amphitheater, wonderful place where you can hear the echo of any sound perfectly and which are carried out various folklore festivals, the Obelisk which is a solitary rock, Castles bright red reminiscent of medieval castles, Yesera with clear sandstone formations, the House of Parrots as the stone walls have holes that are home to large flocks of parrots during the summer, the Friar, the Frog and the impressive Garganta del Diablo Salta, shaped like a human trachea and also named for its color.

We stop in Germany, one, impossible not stop to admire the old manor houses among green hills in station no longer used, now we can see the beautiful works of craftsmen who invite lead lonely people a cute memory of this town. We prepare to descend through the valleys.

We get to Dique Cabra Corral, near Coronel Moldes, an ideal place for water sports site, passing through towns where the farming activities such as El Carril, where several foragers companies snuff and develops can also be seen plantations fig, walnut and peach trees, La Merced with its clean streets and green spaces make it very picturesque, and Cerrillos. All these towns belong to Valle de Lerma, where it is said, according to the legends that have arisen, there are treasures which come from mines that were found and they are hidden somewhere between the hills. We will continue towards the city of Salta, through stunning scenery changing with every curve colorful magnificent as the reddish hills, ocher of dry grass, gray stones and green cactus. We sleep in Salta.

Day 3 - Calchaquí Valleys via 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 4 - Humahuaca Gorge

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.

We will stay in Purmamarca to depart from here towards La Quiaca.

Day 5 - La Quiaca, Abra Pampa, Yavi & Villazón - Tupiza (Bolivia)

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 brother country Bolivia and on the way to Cuzco, combining tradition, landscapes, and commerce.

Departing from Salta or San Salvador de Jujuy, the journey passes through the towns of Yala, Lozano, Volcán, and Tumbaya, until reaching Purmamarca, where a brief visit to the village is made. The route then continues to the Posta de Hornillos, Uquía (famous for its paintings of arquebusier angels from the Cuzco school), and Huacalera, finally arriving in Humahuaca, at 2,600 meters above sea level, where the Monument to Independence and the main square are visited.

The journey continues along the same route through Abra Pampa, known as “The Argentine Siberia,” so named by its inhabitants, most of whom are of Syrian descent. From there, the route continues 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 arrived from the Puna to the border, where the terminal station and a viaduct with three arches over the La Quiaca River were built. La Quiaca has developed over time, gaining importance since the mid-20th century. It is a place of constant movement of Andean highland people, easily recognized by their traditional puna clothing. After a brief rest, the nearby village of Yavi is visited, with its impressive gold-plated church 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 representations of the remains of this ancient marquisate. After touring the village, the journey returns to La Quiaca to cross the border and visit Villazón (Bolivia), famous for its extensive market.

In the afternoon, we will meet at the Quiaca - Villazón International Bridge at the scheduled time to continue our journey to the town of Tupiza, located approximately 90 km from Villazón. We will stay overnight in Tupiza.

Day 6 - Tupiza, Uyuni, Colchani, Salar de Uyuni & Isla Incahuasi

We will depart from Tupiza around 7:00 in the morning heading to Uyuni, on a route that will allow us to start discovering the first high‑plateau landscapes. Just 10 minutes before arriving to Uyuni, we will make our first stop at the Train Cemetery, a place laden with history where old locomotives and abandoned wagons stand—vestiges of the railway boom that the region experienced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A site full of vintage railroad machines that takes us back many years, when the splendor of mining flooded Bolivia with railways. Indeed, the first railway was Uyuni – Antofagasta in the late 19th century. It carried silver from the mines of Huanchaca. That was the start of the route that today runs from Oruro to Villazón. When this precious material was exhausted, it left behind localities like Atocha or Tupiza, which depended on the train’s passage.

Then we will head to the small town of Colchani, on the edge of the salt flat, where the inhabitants process salt by hand. Here we can also visit workshops and purchase crafts made with salt, in addition to textile products from llama or alpaca wool. Colchani, which is a small village on the periphery of the salt flat, is the gateway to it. Although Colchani is not a tourist city, it is an important part of the area, with its abandoned houses and ruins from the era when trains ran. After venturing about 20 minutes into the Uyuni Salt Flat, we will stop at the Salt Stairs, a symbolic installation built with salt blocks. Very close are the famous Salt Mounds and the Eyes of the Salt Flat, small natural springs where underground water emerges to the surface, showing that underneath the crust of the salt flat life still flows. Around 13:00 hours we will reach the first salt hotel, now turned into a museum, located in the heart of the salt flat. There we will enjoy lunch in a unique and unforgettable setting. Later, we will take advantage of daylight to take fun and creative perspective photos in the salt flat, a very typical and entertaining experience. We will spend approximately one hour exploring angles and playing with the immensity of the white landscape.

The Uyuni Salt Flat lies in the high plateau plains where the horizon seems to reach infinity. It is the largest salt flat on Earth, an incredible sea of salt in a natural context never before imagined. It feels like being on an endless frozen lake that goes on to infinity, a great white desert with an unimaginable surface that reminds us it was once a vast sea. At nightfall the stars shine in a deep sky, leaving their reflection in the plain. Time stops to hear the sound of the icy wind. Many say that in the Uyuni Salt Flat, the sky with its stars merges with planet Earth, producing an indescribable mix of sensations. The Uyuni Salt Flat covers an area of more than 10,000 km², located at 3,660 m above sea level. Annual temperatures range from ‑25 °C at night to 20 °C during the day, creating a high altitude climate, dry, cold, with scarce rains and strong solar radiation.

Later in the afternoon, we will visit the impressive Incahuasi Island, a rocky island situated in the middle of the salt flat, covered by giant cacti that can exceed 10 meters in height. From the top one obtains a 360° panoramic view of the salt flat. This island can only be visited during the dry season. Incahuasi Island, which in Quechua means “House of the Inca,” lies right in the center of the salt flat. Incahuasi Island is steep and has a significant number of large cacti that climb up to 10 meters high. The restaurant tables are made of salt. By mistake it is known as Fish Island, but it is actually a nearby island. At the end of the day, we will head to the edge of the salt flat to witness one of the most magical moments of the journey: sunset over the Uyuni Salt Flat, when the sky’s colors reflect on the salt, creating a unique natural spectacle. Finally, we will head to our salt lodging, where we will spend the night.

Day 7 - Altiplano Lagoons, Siloli Desert & Laguna Colorada

We will leave the accommodation around 7:30 in the morning, heading north. Along the way, we will cross small and picturesque highland villages such as Julaca and Alota, known for their tranquility and typical regional landscapes. Our first destination will be Laguna Turquiri (also known as Laguna Negra), a beautiful lagoon nestled among volcanic rock formations, where it is possible to observe a wide variety of Andean birds, especially black Andean ducks, in a peaceful and almost silent environment. We will continue the journey towards Lagunas Kara and Kachi, two beautiful bodies of water located over 4,000 meters above sea level. These lagoons, surrounded by mountains, reflect the highland sky and are home to various bird species, including flamingos during certain times of the year. Their remote location away from the busiest routes allows for a more intimate experience with nature.

Later, we will enter the spectacular Siloli Desert, famous for its arid and colorful landscapes, with mountains displaying an impressive range of ochre, red, and golden tones due to the mineral composition of the soil. This place is a gateway to the Atacama Desert and one of the highest deserts in the world. In the middle of this setting stands one of the most emblematic rock formations of the high plateau: the Stone Tree, a large rock eroded by the wind that has taken the shape of a solitary tree in the middle of the desert. Around the Stone Tree, you can see other curious rock formations that spark the imagination.

At around 3:00 or 4:00 pm, we will arrive at the impressive Laguna Colorada, one of the jewels of the Bolivian altiplano. This lagoon is notable for its intense red waters, caused by the presence of algae and mineral-rich sediments. Thousands of Andean, Chilean, and James flamingos inhabit this place, offering an unforgettable natural spectacle. We will have time to walk around the lagoon, take photographs, and observe the local fauna and flora up close. At the end of the day, we will stay overnight in the community of Huayllajara, located just a few minutes from the lagoon, where we will spend the night surrounded by the silence and vastness of the altiplano.

Day 8 - Geysers, Salvador Dali Desert, Polques Hot Springs & Laguna Verde

The day begins before sunrise. We head toward a place where the Earth breathes: geysers and fumaroles rise from the steaming ground, while the dawn paints the vapor golden as it dances in the cold air. It’s a primal spectacle, where heat and cold silently collide. We then continue to the Polques Hot Springs, where warm waters emerge like a hidden gift in the middle of the high plateau. There, you can immerse yourself, let your body relax, and your soul merge with the landscape. The hot springs are located in the Salar de Chalviri, within the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve of Andean Fauna. These geothermal waters average 29 °C, an excellent contrast to the freezing air, which can drop to –5 °C or –10 °C.

A short distance away lies the Dalí Desert, a dreamlike place where the mountains seem painted by a surrealist: impossible colors, timeless shapes, and rocks that were once fire thousands of years ago. Imagination finds its home here. The Dalí Desert (also called the Dalí Valley) is one of the most fascinating and surreal landscapes in southwestern Bolivia. It lies within the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, at around 4,750 meters above sea level, near the Green Lagoon and the Licancabur volcano.

Further ahead, we reach the Green Lagoon, at 4,250 meters above sea level. Its emerald color, rich in minerals, reflects the Licancabur volcano, an imposing guardian of the Bolivian-Chilean border. After this final breath of wonder, we begin our return. We stop briefly again at the hot springs, then head toward Uyuni, crossing the vast solitude of the Altiplano one last time. It’s a five- to six-hour drive on open roads, where memories slowly weave themselves. The circle closes. What was once landscape is now memory. We return to Tupiza.

Day 9 - From Tupiza to San Salvador de Jujuy

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer from Tupiza to Villazón. Border crossing to reach La Quiaca. Transfer to the La Quiaca bus terminal. Reception at the San Salvador de Jujuy bus terminal and transfer to Gobernador Horacio Guzmán International Airport. End of our services.