Salta

Images of Salta

Expect: Mind-boggling scenery, hidden villages, phenomenal trekking and mummified children. 

Pack: Layers (the nights get cold), camera (you will have it out most of the time) and some Pink Floyd (for that halucinogenic bus ride). 

Salta

You will rarely feel happier leaving a bus station than when you walk out of the terminal in Salta. The city centre is in walking distance, the sky is a surreal blue and every direction you look, in the distance, you can see mountains. But, this is only the beginning of your epic journey into the Argentinean Andes and things, I can assure you, are only going to get a hell of a lot better.

Salta is a cute colonial city, with a great museum (MAAM), some fantastic folk music and tasty beer. MAAM (The Museum of High Altitude Archaeology) is the best museum in northern Argentina. The main draw here is the truly unbelievable mummified Inca child. Going to see this incredibly well preserved body of a child sacrificed in religious ritual over 500 years ago is a staggering but disturbing experience. If you’re into folk music then you will love Salta. Calle Balcarce is packed with small peñas (traditionally bars with live music) and is a great place to bar hop in the evenings, knocking back the delicious Salta brew.  

But be warned, many travellers get stuck in Salta, lured by the city’s charming ‘mountain-town’ feel. Four or five days later they then rush off (south to Cordoba or north to Bolivia) trying to retrieve their already screwed itinerary, unsure exactly how they managed to waste so many days. My tip would be to get out of Salta city after two or three days. Ignore the excursions that are advertised throughout the city, unless you’re rich and fat, and follow the steady-stream of Argentine backpackers heading north on the public buses to the other-worldly Quedabra de Humahuaca. Make sure you get a window seat.

As you watch the mountains rise like a cardboard set around you and fields of cactus plants appear from the dusty desert floor you will understand what all the fuss is about. This is unlike any other place on earth, an awe-striking fusion of the Tibetan plateau and the American Wild West; surreal scenery you probably thought could only come from a geek fiddling with Photoshop. To turn the experience up a few notches wait till you’re about an hour past Jujuy, when the world outside you’re bus is getting seriously hectic, and reach for your MP3 player. Select Pink Floyd, Dark Side of The Moon, sit back and enjoy the ride of your life.

There is an abundance of things to see in this region including the consciousness expanding; Salinas Grande (salt plains), Cerro de los Siete Colores (hill of seven colours) and Garganta del Diablo (devil’s throat). A trip through this epic landscape is best broken up by overnight stays in Purmamarca, Tilcara and Iruya. This allows you to escape the day trippers, but most importantly enables you to see the scenery at its best; early evening and early morning. Getting out of bed early really reaps its rewards here, and you can get some incredible photographs before the sun begins to glare past about 10.00am.     

• Salta
  • Salta media