Argentinean Northwest

After talking about it for a few years, we finally had the time to visit the northwest of Argentina. We spent 12 days, rented a car the whole time and managed to visit Salta, Purmamarca, Tilcara, Humahuaca and Cafayate and loved every bit of it.

Here’s the trip:

Salta

As our first destination, we used Salta as our base for the whole trip. We spent a few days knowing the city, rented the car that took us along the whole trip and did research for the other destinations. Ashley wrote an awesome post with a lot of details about our stay and recommendations: Discovering Salta la Linda, Argentina

Some of our meals along the way:

Classic Locro Argentino stew

Quesillo with honey for dessert

Hard to find veggie lunch. Tasty and refreshing

Purmamarca, Tilcara, and Humahuaca

We had a very quiet and centering time in the northern towns. Each of them has its own amazing viewpoints and local feeling. From the Camino Los Colorados in Purmamarca to the Salinas Grandes in Tilcara or the Hornocal in Humahuaca, each of them deserves a few nights while you explore the outdoors and eat classic northern-Argentinean food and listen to folklore music.

Some of our favorite pictures:

The amazing colors at Los Colorados in Purmamarca

The salt mines at Salinas Grandes

The end of Purmamarca from our hike

Working out, an evening from inside our cabin in Tilcara

That great view from inside our cabin in Tilcara

The monument to the aborigen army of the north in Humahuaca

The breathtaking Hornocal right out of Humahuaca

Cafayate

After over a week driving north, we decided to switch gears and head over to Cafayate, a very picturesque valley south of Salta, filled with wineries and just as many views and food options. We slowed down on our outdoors exploration and ramped up on our wine consumption. The drive through La Quebrada de las Conchas to get there was worth the 6-hour drive and our time in Cafayate and its wineries was a very nice bonus!