How to Tour Salta in Four Days
How to Tour Salta in Four Days
Salta is a city on the northwest coast of Argentina that is well-known as the place to relax, sip good wine, and stroll the beautifully-preserved colonial streets before taking the famous Train to the Clouds up the winding Andes altiplano. The landscape around the Salta region is varied from multi-colored desert soil to the fertile Lerma valley to the chilly high Andes but always breathtaking. Here's the way to see the best parts of Salta, both the city and the landscape from the Train to the Clouds, in just four days.
You can fly into the Salta airport from Buenos Aires, or take a bus from any number of Argentina destinations. Then transfer to your Salta hotel, and you'll have the rest of the day to spend at your leisure. The city of Salta is well-worth exploring for its delicious empanadas (some of the best in all of Argentina, Salta residents claim). You can also find creole and traditional Argentinian dishes, like humitas, tamales, and beef locro. The sights are plenty and not far between make sure to save time to walk down to the Plaza 9 de Julio, where you'll find cafes, statues, and lush trees, beautifully lit up at night.
On the second day of your Salta tour, you can start your day with breakfast in your hotel, and then take a half day guided Salta city tour. Salta is rich in history, as it was the halfway point between the Spanish conquistador Pizzaro's capital in Lima, Peru, and the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, during the colonial era. Thus, Salta has several commemorative statues, museums, and buildings that tell of the heavy Spanish influence on the city. But the city evidences strong traditions that go back even before the colonial era, to the Inca Empire and the pre-Inca peoples.
On this city tour, you will visit the neoclassical Cathedral, as well as other monuments around the Plaza 8 de Julio. Then you will take a drive to Cerro San Bernard, the hill near the city that gives a great panorama of the city and the Lerma Valley in which it is situated. Next you will visit the nearby San Lorenzo village, and finally the Mercado Artesanal, a handicraft market where you can find many high quality souveniers. In the afternoon, you can continue your own Salta touring.
On day three, you will have to rise early, eat breakfast in your hotel, and begin your journey along the Train to the Clouds. The train itself is available April to November, but there is a road that follows the same famous route, and taking a tour along this route is advantageous because it offers the same views, but you can also stop, take pictures, and explore the small towns and ruins along the way.
You'll see the village of Campo Quijano, the gorge Quebrada del Toro, the pre-Inca city of Santa Rosa de Tastil, the small mining town of San Antonio de los Cobres, and the salt lakes of Salinas Grandes. The landscape changes dramatically, from the green valley and foothills of Salta to the desert plateau of the Salinas Grandes. In the afternoon, you will make you way back down towards Salta, stopping in the Cuesta de Lipan. Therer you'll visit the town of Purmamarca, where the famous Cerro de los Colores, or Seven Color Mountain, is located. In the evening you will return to your Salta hotel.
On your last day on your Salta tour, have breakfast in your hotel before heading out on one of many half day excursions, or transfer to the bus or airport for the next leg of your journey. Intriguing Holiday Destinations Add to Christmas Magic Travel To/ Spend Your Holidays In Pretty Stylish London With Travel Agents Gianni Truvianni's "South Africa 2010", Ivory Coast Defeats North Korea By 3-0 As Both Are Eliminated Assisting Charity Establishments on Christmas Top Mediterranean Islands For 2011 Holidays - Majorca Be Not A Lame Duck In Spanish, laugh 'n' Learn Spanish: Featuring The #1 Comic Strip "for Better Gianni Truvianni's "South Africa 2010", Brazil And Portugal Play To A Scoreless Draw Leave The Country With A Piece Of Mind Filipinas Paradise – Is there such a place? A Festival Fit For Kings In Frances La Fte Des Rois Golden Triangle Tour in India Travel Throughout Great Britain on a Tier 1 UK Visa Travel and Work in the UK with a Tier 1 UK Visa