Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museo Cóndor Huasi
MUSEUM
(cnr Belgrano & San Martín; admission AR$3; 8am-1pm & 4-8pm Mon-Fri)
Upstairs at the end
of a shopping arcade at a corner of the plaza, this museum has a good archaeological col-
lection with a range of ceramics from different eras of settlement in the region.
Arañitas Hilanderas
TEXTILE WORKSHOP
(
www.arañitashilanderas.com.ar
;
Av Virgen de Belén s/n;
9:30am-noon, 2-6:30pm)
A good
place to see weavers at work. Follow Belgrano past the Hotel Belén to find it.
Rua Chaky
TEXTILE WORKSHOP
( 461068; ruachaky@argentina.com; Barrio 17 de Agosto, Casa 28; 9:30am-noon, 2-6:30pm)
Watch shawls and ponchos being made at this friendly workshop is on the
other side of the main road from town, a short stroll from the center.
Tours
Chaku Aventuras
TOUR
( 463976;
www.chakuaventuras.com.ar
;
Rivadavia 37; 2/3-day tours AR$1600/2500)
This
well-run setup run excellent excursions into the west and northwestern highlands of the
province. A two-day trip takes in the Adobe Route, the Fiambalá hot springs and the
mighty mountains near the Chilean border; a three-day trip heads northwest to Antofa-
gasta and the spectacular puna scenery in that region. May have moved to Calle Belgrano
below the Hotel Belén by the time you read this.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
THE WILD NORTHWEST
If you like getting off the beaten track, you're sure to appreciate out-of-the-way An-
tofagasta de la Sierra in the far northwest of Catamarca province, 300 kilometers
beyond Belén. This puna village sits at 3320 meters amid spectacular landscape.
Driving yourself or by tour from Belén or Catamarca you can take in other sights
in the area: the spectacular pumice fields of Campo de Piedra Pomez, remote vol-
canoes, the salt flats and hamlet of Antofalla, and flamingo-stocked lakes.
It's particularly worth visiting in early March for the livestock- and traditional
culture-based Fiesta de la Puna. There's accommodation available in family homes
or the
Hostería de Antofagasta
(
03835-471001; Principal s/n, Antofagasta de la Sierra; s/d
