Introduction:

Tucumán, Salta and Jujuy are three different provinces, all of them located in the northwest of Argentina. Tucumán is the smallest province in the country and it is 1.311 kilometres away from Buenos Aires – Salta is 1.466 kilometres away from the capital city, and Jujuy is 1.492 kilometres far from it.

There’s a 6-night tour that visits the three provinces, starting every week, and it operates the whole year: 1 night at Tucumán, 1 night at Cafayate and 4 nights at Salta.

¿What to visit?

The tour starts at the city of San Miguel de Tucumán, also known as “The garden of the Republic” because of the trees, flowers and plants that fill up the landscapes with colours at any time of the year. A faithful sample of this is the 9 de Julio Park, located in the city center, where you can also visit the Bishop Colombo’s House – This was one of the first sugar mills and it’s nowadays a museum. I recommend visiting the Historic House of Tucumán, where our Independence was declared in 1816 – Another touristic points to visit are the Government House, with its Hall of Mirrors (a reply of the Versalles Palace), the 9 de Julio Square and the Cathedral.

Leaving San Miguel de Tucumán and going across the “Quebrada (Gully) de los Sosa”, with its vegetation and cliffs, you achieve the Monument to the Native. Going along the same road you reach El Mollar, a town that hosts the archeological reserve “Los Menhires” – Then Tafí del Valle appears, a village that people from Tucumán enjoy a lot during summer. The itinerary continues along “Cuesta del Infiernillo” and “Abra del Infiernillo”, 3.000 metres above sea level. Then the road goes down and the landscape changes – It turns arid and full of gigantic cactuses. At this point you reach Amaichá del Valle where the Ruins of the Quilmes are located. The trip continues towards Cafayate, a famous town because of its wine cellars and its flagship wine: Torrontés. Here you have some free time to walk around the city and enjoy its bars and restaurants.

Then you leave Cafayate and start your trip towards the city of Salta, going across the “Quebrada (Gully) de las Conchas”. This gully is well-known because of its beauty and its rocky formations, such as “The Colorados”, “The Windows”, “The Amphitheatre”, “The Devil’s Throat” and “Three Crosses”.

The city of Salta is centred on the 9 de Julio Square, elegant and surrounded by many touristic points: cafés, the Cathedral of Salta, the City Hall (which is nowadays a museum), the Basilica and Monastery of San Francisco, and the Museum of High Mountain Archeology. Another attractions at Salta are San Lorenzo, the craft market, the Monument to Güemes, the Monument 20 de Febrero, the San Martín Park and the San Bernardo Hill with its cable car. During the night you can enjoy our folk music at bars where musicians and singers play the regional rythms such as “zambas” and “chacareras”, but there are also another options like theatres, casinos, cinemas, pubs, discos, cafés and “tanguerías” – Most of these establishments are located over the Balcarce Street.

Quebrada (Gully) de Humahuaca: This gully was recognized as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2003, declared “Cultural Landscape”. There’s a tour that takes you from the city of Salta to the province of Jujuy, where the “Quebrada de Humahuaca” is located, to visit its charming towns and landscapes, going through 10.000 years of history. From south to north, the “Quebrada de Humahuaca” is born at Volcán, where the mountains turn from green to brown. Going along the gully you achieve Tumbaya with its beautiful church – Then the trip continues towards Purmamarca, located at the foot of the 7 Colours Hill, where you can also enjoy beautiful tiny streets and a handicrafts fair. After that, the itinerary takes you to Tilcara – Here, you visit an ancient indigenous fortress known as “El Pucará de Tilcara”, a sample of the past inhabitants. Towards the north, after passing by Huacalera and the Tropic of Capricorn, you reach Uquía – This town hoards one of the most important collections of the famous “Arcabuceros Angels”, specimens of the typical paintwork of Cuzco. The tour finishes at the town of Humahuaca which is the heart of the gully and it’s full of natural, historical and cultural attractions, such as the Monument to the Independence Heroes and the image of San Francisco Solano, that appears at the main square every noon. After this, the tour goes back to the city of Salta.

This 6-night tour includes a free day at the city of Salta – On this day, I recommend some excursions:

Tren a las Nubes (“Train to the Clouds”): A wonderful engineering work that takes you through the beautiful landscape of “La Puna” towards the viaduct known as “La Polvorilla” over the Andes Mountain Range, more than 4.220 metres above the sea.

Cachi: There’s a tour that takes you from Salta to Cachi going across beautiful landscapes: “Valle Encantado”, “Garganta del Escoipe” and “Cuesta del Obispo”. Cachi is a little town characterised by its colonial history and architecture.

The weather and when to travel:

The northwest of Argentina is a destination you can visit at any time of the year. The rainy season goes from December to March, during summer. This whole area of the country is characterised by its wide thermal range: mornings and nights are cold, but during the day the temperatures are pleasant.

¿How to get there?

By bus or by plane.

¿Where to sleep?

There are options for all preferences and budgets. We can offer you 3, 4 or 5 star hotels. There are also some vineyards that offer accommodation.

Gastronomy and nightlife:

Each province of the northwest has its typical gastronomy, with dishes that are so similar and different at the same time. Empanadas (pastys), tamales, humitas (a kind of corn stew), goat saucepan, locro (a typical stew made with corn, meat and vegetables) and asado (typical Argentinian barbecue) – All of this is accompanied by typical wines.

Personal review:

I made this tour twice. My teenage daughter loved it and always wants to come back. I recommend this tour for all ages.

The northwest of Argentina is rich in landscape and cultural contrasts – You can enjoy our pre-hispanic, colonial and actual culture at the same time.

Regarding to clothes, don’t forget about the thermal range: excursions start in the morning, with cold temperatures, but the temperatures rise during the day – In the evening, when the excursions usually finish, the temperature starts to go down. It’s advisable to take a coat that you can easily put on and off. The best footwear options are sneakers. Depending on the time of the year, you should also take sunscreen, glasses and a hat with you.