Absolute North | 9 Day Trip

Overnight in Tinogasta.

Meals Included: Breakfast.

We depart at 8:30 AM, traveling along Route 40 as it takes us through quaint small towns and sweeping landscapes. Along the way, we stop in London, a town founded in 1558, making it the second settlement in what is now Argentine territory. It’s a perfect opportunity to connect with the region’s deep history.

A short distance away we find the archaeological site of El Shincal. Although this site was populated by the original inhabitants of cultures such as Belén, Aguada and Ciénaga, it was the Inca occupation that gave it the magnitude that can be seen today when touring the site. Shincal became a major ceremonial, administrative, commercial and military center for Coyasullo.

Touring its sidewalks, buildings and temples, as well as part of Qhapaq Nan, transports us on an imaginary journey to pre-Columbian times. We will have free time for lunch and an opportunity to taste Jigote, an ancient recipe from the Bethlehem area.

Workshops such as Graciela and Ramón's or Las Arañitas Hilanderas make fabrics with sheep's wool, llama and vicuña. There they welcome visitors and share their time, their knowledge and the simplicity typical of the inhabitants of quiet places such as Belén.

Overnight in Belén.

Meals Included: Breakfast.

Once again, the RN 40, along its route, gives us beautiful landscapes, charming villages, visits by weaving artisans, small farmers who are still working the land with the help of horses or oxen.

We will visit the El Pichanal goat farm, which produces top quality goat cheeses, and cosmetics based on goat and donkey milk. After enjoying the views from Cerro Pintado, and the rural landscape of the small towns of Route 40, we headed to the Sacred City of Quilmes.

At the foot of the hill you can see the reconstructions of the residential area, topped by a fortress located on the top and two forts on both sides. We will walk through what was the last bastion of Indian resistance in the face of the Spanish advance.

The legendary RN 40 is lost in the valley heading north, not before passing through Colalao del Valle. Cafayate, land of sun and good wine, welcomes us with grape crops in fields and trellises. The winery is visited the next day.

Overnight in Cafayate: Hotel Los Cauces Cafayate (or similar).

Meals Included: Breakfast.

Cafayate, located in the province of Salta, is one of the most important points in the Calchaqui Valleys due to its powerful wine industry;

Its Calchaqui, Spanish, immigrant and Creole history, resulted in this city having a style between colonial and baroque at the end of the 19th century.

You will visit the wineries where you can taste the particular Torrontés wine. Then leaving for Salta through the majestic Quebrada de las Conchas, where the curious formations eroded by wind and water will be the main attraction: the dunes, the sapo, the bishop, the devil's throat, the castles, the amphitheater, among others.

Overnight in Salta.

Meals Included: Breakfast.

Free morning. In the afternoon we wiil have a City Tour in Salta. Visiting the most attractive places in the city: Cathedral Basilica, Cultural Center of the Americas, Historical Museum of the North (Cabildo), Minor Basilica of San Francisco, Convento San Bernardo, Monument to Güemes, ascent to Cerro San Bernardo and its panoramic view of the city.

Visit to the San Lorenzo summer village on the outskirts of the city with its subtropical microclimate and the Craft Market where handicrafts with certification of origin from all over the province are exhibited.

Overnight in Salta.

Meals Included: Breakfast.

We travel alongside the Cloud Train railway, passing through the striking landscapes of the Quebrada del Toro.

Then, we will continue to start the ascent until you reach 4080 meters above sea level. When we arrival to San Antonio de los Cobres, there will be a break for lunch, before to cross Route 40 until reaching the Salinas Grandes, right on the border between Salta and Jujuy.

Then the descent begins through Cuesta de Lipán, where condors can usually be seen, arriving at the town of Purmamarca and its Hill of the Seven Colors.

Overnight in Purmamarca: Casa de Piedra, Manantial del Silencio, La Comarca (or similar).

Meals Included: Breakfast.

We will departure from the city of Purmamarca to start a journey through the Quebrada declared a World Heritage Site, where the landscape and the colors of the hills are combined with the cultures that inhabit this area.

It is a journey of social contact and a view of the ancient. We will pass by Posta de Hornillos. Continuing to Huacalera, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn.

We will visit the Church of Uquía, where you can find the paintings of the Arcabucero Angels (from the Cuzco school).

We will arrive in Humahuaca, where we will visit its historic cathedral and the impressive Monument to Independence, known as "El Indio." After lunch, we will return, making a stop to admire the Painter's Palette, a beautiful natural formation framing the town of Maimará. By late afternoon, we will arrive back in Salta.

Overnight in Salta.

Meals Included: Breakfast.

At appropiate time, you will be driven to the local airport.

Meals Included: Breakfast.