Nos Aventures
THE SOUTH LOOP OF SALTA
Salta is, with Jujuy, an Argentine province renowned for its Andean landscapes and traditions. Its capital is also called Salta. It is nicknamed "Salta la linda", which means "Salta the beautiful". The landscapes around Salta are among the most spectacular in Argentina. Why ? Exceptional rock formations, colorful rocks and remote villages. We have already related our discovery of the Quebrada de Humahuaca and its colorful mountains . We are going to make you discover our roadtrip in the south of Salta.
4 DAY ROADTRIP IN SOUTH SALTA
This southern loop of Salta is a fairly famous circuit, it goes through Salta, Cachi, Molinos, Angastaco, Cafayate (the famous route 40) and returns to Salta by route 68. It is possible to do this loop in the other direction , but it is more economical to do it this way. Indeed, route 68 from Cafayate to Salta climbs, but is asphalted while route 40, on this stretch, is practically only gravel (ripio), so it is best to take it in the direction of descent, from Salta.
IN LIFE, THERE ARE ONLY CACTUS
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​We started by crossing the Calchaquies valleys passing through the Cardones National Park (Parque Nacional los Cardones). Cardones are the famous cacti that we all have in mind when we think of the word "cacti". These are plants that can measure up to 10m high. Its particularity is that, due to a lack of forests, its wood is widely used in this region. Both for crafts and for building houses. We therefore cross this national park by car, taking regular photo breaks to immortalize these landscapes that we are discovering for the first time.
VINEYARDS AT QUEBRADA DE LAS FLECHAS
We take route 40 again, still taking many photo breaks. On the advice of the guides we had (Lonely and Routard), we went to see a Bodega (a winery) which produces wine with some of the highest vines in the world… In the end, we could have largely abstained. We made a rather significant detour to see the bodega of a megalomaniac... The owner had his bodega built in the middle of nowhere, an artist friend (James Turrell, also a megalomaniac) had his museum built on measure next to the Bodega. The visit to the Bodega and the museum is free (fortunately), but they make up for it on the price of the wine. This wine is also supposed to be produced in an ecological way, although the boss only travels by helicopter... It is certain that when you have vines in California, Australia, South Africa, Argentina (and surely elsewhere ), we must have a fairly catastrophic carbon footprint. In short, we decided to call it Bodega loca so as not to name it.
A LITTLE AIR OF MACHU PICCHU AT THE QUILMES RUINS
​We leave the village of Angastaco driving quietly on Route 40 and its gravel. We decide to extend the road and make a detour to discover the ruins of Quilmes. Quilmes? Yes yes, like the most consumed beer in Argentina, except that these are the ruins left by the Diaguita Indians. They were persecuted for nearly a century by the Spaniards until they were deported to Buenos Aires on foot… After such a journey, of the 2,000 deportees, only a few hundred made it to the capital. The ruins are quite impressive, there is not much left, but you can still see the city that must have existed before. They settled on the hillside, the lowest houses were those of the people and the higher you go up the hill, the higher you rise in the hierarchy. There is a path on the right of the site and another on the left, they lead to watchtowers.
OUR PRACTICAL ADVICE
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Lodging
It is quite easy to find hostels for less than 150 pesos. We even had one at 90 pesos (July 2016), it's the hostel los cardones in Angastaco.
Find an overview of accommodation here in Angastaco , in Cachi , in Molinos and in Cafayate .
Food
We strongly recommend that you take advantage of the surroundings to taste Empanadas from the Salta region . They are reputed to be the best in the country and the cheapest.
Kioskos (a sort of grocery store) can be found in the villages, but there is little choice and the prices are sometimes a little inflated.
Transport
The car rental for 4 days cost us around 220€ in total, including petrol. Obviously, we shared the costs between 5 people, which comes to 44€ per person for the 4 days.
The car was rented from one of the many agencies located in the center of Salta. Do not hesitate to negotiate or go elsewhere, there are many in the city.
Activities
Entrance to the Quilmes ruins costs 35 pesos per person (July 2016).
When to go to Salta?
We advise you to avoid the Argentinian summer season (between January and February), because it is during this period that it rains the most. All the rest of the year, it hardly rains 😉
