Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
64
Day
1
: Arrival Salta City
Use this charming city as your base for the
first few days. F ly in early morning fr om
Buenos Aires and check into the down-to-
earth but efficient H otel del
Antiguo
Convento
(p. 218). Stroll the lovely
plaza and visit the gilded
Iglesia San Fran-
cisco
(p. 211) and the baroque
Salta
Cathedral
(p. 212). H ave lunch in the
sunny cour tyard of
Casa M oderna
and the 3-hour journey goes quickly. Enjoy
a light lunch on the plaza of this sleepy vil-
lage befor e visiting
El P orvenir
(p. 224) winer y for ex cellent wines and
El
Esteco
(p . 224) for palatial ar chitecture.
Both are within the town limits. Check into
the atmospheric
Killa C afayate
(p. 225) and dine on llama at
Macha -
cha
(p. 228) restaurant.
Day
4
: Cachi
As its name implies, this hilltop village will
take a hold of y ou. I ts spar kling white
adobe cottages and quaint church take you
back in time. Visit the
archaeological
museum
(p . 211) to see the ar ea's rich
Incan heritage. In the afternoon, check into
the luxurious
La M erced del Alto
(p. 223), wher e y ou can enjo y a beautiful
dinner beneath the stars.
Day
5
: Quebrada de Humahuaca
Jujuy province is the last stop before Bolivia,
as seen in its landscape and ar chitecture.
Drive north from Salta along the multicol-
ored mountain range
Quebrada de Huma-
huaca
(p . 228), which will make ev en
the most jaded trav eler gasp. Turn off the
main road to visit the quaint village of
Pur-
mamarca
(p. 229) and its Technicolor
backdrop. Continue nor th until y ou reach
the town of
Tilcara
(p. 228), a cobble-
stoned gem with old-world charm. D ine at
busy
Los Puestos
(p . 229) befor e visiting
the indigenous r uins of
Pucará.
Continue
north along the main road before you reach
sleepy
Humahuaca
(p. 228) village, wher e
you can br owse thr ough the plaza mar ket
before turning south to ward S alta. Treat
yourself to some pampering at the
House
of Jasmines
,
Vte. Lopez 423 (p . 219), befor e doing
what the locals do and taking a w ell-
deserved siesta. Early ev ening is spent in
the fascinating
MAAM
(p . 211),
known locally as the
mummy museum.
Enjoy a Torrontes wine at
Café Van Gogh
(p. 219) on the plaza befor
e wandering
over to S
alta's finest r
estaurant
José
Balcarce
(p. 220).
Day
2
: Shopping in Salta
This special city deser ves more than 1 day .
Take the
cable car to
San Bernardo Hill
(p. 212) and enjo y panoramic vie ws of the
city while sipping a coffee. Then take a taxi
to the hilltop village of S an Lorenzo, where
you can enjo y a lunch at the Tuscan-
style
El C astillo de S an Lor enzo
4
(p. 219) hotel. After the customar y siesta,
take a taxi ride to the
Mercado Artesanal
(p. 214), located in a handsome, renovated
millhouse. Here you can enjo y afternoon
tea amid genuine local pr oducts. Back in
the city, fr eshen up befor e hitting S alta's
nightlife str eet Calle B alcarce. E njoy a
foot-stomping music session at
Café de
Tiempo
(p. 221) and later join the
dancing y ourself at the numer ous clubs
and discos nearby.
Day
3
: Wine Tasting in Cafayate
Check out of y our hotel and go south in a
rented car as far as the wine to wn of
Cafayate. The red rock scenery is gorgeous,
(p. 218) befor e flying
out the next day.
