Things to do in  Northwest Argentina

A desert-like expanse of snow-white salt plains await you at the Great Salt Flats (Salinas Grandes), which are located at an altitude of 11,320 feet (3,450 meters). Covering 132 square miles (212 square kilometers), they’re the third-largest salt flats in the world and among Argentina’s most impressive natural landscapes.

Purmamarca, in Jujuy Province, just north of Salta, is considered one of Argentina’s most beautiful villages. The town’s adobe houses and Spanish colonial church are all pretty in their own right, but the backdrop of the spectacular Cerro de los Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colors ) makes the area particularly picturesque.

Located in northwestern Argentina’s Jujuy province, the Calchaquí Valley is known for its wineries, waterfalls, and myriad red rock formations, the most famous of which is the 160-foot-high (49-meter) red rock gorge known as the Devil’s Throat (Garganta del Diablo).

With its jagged cliffs and red-rock formations, Shells' Ravine (Quebrada de las Conchas) is one of Northern Argentina’s most impressive natural wonders. Located just outside Cafayate, the ravine is the star attraction of the Calchaquí Valley and is a must-see sight for first-time visitors and budding photographers.

‘Bull Gorge’ is about as dramatic as the name suggests. Blazed into the red landscape, the canyon cuts through rock pillars so angular and varied in shape that they look like chess pieces. Located to the west of Salta, it’s great for road-tripping or exploring via the narrow-gauge railway.

Amid the wild landscapes of the Andes mountains and at an altitude of 9,186 feet (2,800 meters), the tiny village of El Alfarcito feels like a forgotten outpost of Argentina’s Wild West. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in character, with a vibrant indigenous community and a daily handicrafts market.

Established in 1996 to protect the high elevation vegetation of the colorful sierras and dry gorges of Salta Province, Los Cardones National Park gets its name from the column-like cactus plants that thrive in this high-altitude climate. Many animals live in the national park, including more than 100 species of birds.

A poker-straight highway stretching for almost 11 miles (18 km through the Calchaquí Valleys and flanked by cacti-dotted plains; the Tin Tin Straight Line (Recta de Tin Tin is a highlight of any Salta road trip. Laid out by the Incas and now part of the Route 33 highway, it serves as the dramatic entryway to Los Cardones National Park.

Following the Rio Grande along the ancient Inca Road, the Humahuaca Ravine (Quebrada de Humahuaca) is known both for its natural wonders and historic importance. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ravine boasts magnificent scenery—sweeping desert valleys and jagged cliffs striped in shades of pink, red, lavender, and gray—dotted with ancient ruins and Quechan villages.

In Argentina’s dry and rugged northwest, Cuesta del Obispo (Bishop’s Slope) is a winding unpaved road of multiple hairpin bends that offers a thrilling driving or mountain biking experience that is not for the faint of heart.

The star attraction of Argentina’s famous Train to the Clouds (Tren a las Nubes) is the mighty Polvorilla Viaduct (Viaducto de la polvorilla). At an altitude of 13,842 feet (4,220 meters), the 20th-century viaduct is the highest point of the railway route and affords spectacular views over the surrounding Andes.

Perched on a hilltop just outside the village of Tilcara in Jujuy province, the Pucará de Tilcara is a pre-Inca fortification that affords views over the Humahuaca Ravine (Quebrada de Humahuaca). A National Monument and the only publicly accessible archaeological site within the Humahuaca Ravine, it’s estimated to date back to the 10th century AD.

Largely regarded as one of Argentina’s most important museums, the Historical Museum of the North chronicles Argentinean history from its indigenous roots through the colonial era. Housed in the former Town Hall of Salta, the 18th-century building was repurposed as a museum in 1949 and is now protected as a National Historic Landmark.

Founded in the 1500s by a Spanish conquistador, Salta looks distinctly European. Designed as an outpost between Lima and Buenos Aires, Spanish settlers built Catholic churches, many of which still stand. The city’s 660-foot (200-meter) vantage point, Cerro San Bernardo, looks down over church spires and the majestic peaks of the surrounding Andes.

The San Francisco Church in Salta, Argentina, dates to the early 1600s. The church showcases architectural flourishes across time, from the clock tower to the Baroque-style facade. A small museum with an art collection and an on-site library featuring rare manuscripts also draw visitors. Come at sunset to see this National Historic Monument light up.