Sweet Salta, Jujuy & Tucumán
I’ve just spent two weeks on various mini breaks. Some were periods of solitude (I’ve travelled solo before, I know the drill), others were more social, fun, squashed periods in cars, with new friends.
It is unremarkable to share the full itinerary of travel experiences, and so in this blog l’ll focus on some flash points, and some ‘pretty pictures’.
The travels to Salta changed significantly a week before I left Buenos Aires when I discovered my friend’s girlfriend was about to embark on a three day road trip around Salta province. I was invited along and so changed my plans. This was an excellent decision.
Salta and Jujuy
Salta and Jujuy are two neighbouring provinces on the border with Chile and Bolivia. Jujuy is more mountainous but Salta also has places with high altitudes above 3000, where altitude sickness can be felt. I’ve never been anywhere with so many varied landscapes within a few hours drive.
When I arrived in Salta city I realised their trip around the province would be far easier if I’d had a car, and I felt a little restricted by my only option of taking organised minibus tours to nature. For one of these day trips I joined a group of Argentines and a couple from Enfield,North London, to explore rolling hills that resembled Scotland, and cactus fields that looked like something from a western cowboy film. We followed roads originally built by the Incas. Our guide told us about the flora and fauna and the rapid rural depopulation. It was the first time I ever saw tomatoes and peppers drying, and I also got to see my first llama. They are cute, as promised.
Jujuy is more spectacular with the famous 14 coloured mountains range and stunning rock formations that I have never seen anywhere else in the world. It’s also famous for fantastic hiking, the spiciest food in Argentina, and indigenous culture running alongside Christianity.
The plan to meet up with three Polish girls for a road trip were scuppered by rain which rushed away the road, and our schedule. My 45 minute bus ride from one town to another turned into a four hour nightmare traffic jam with the bus needing to cross large areas of the road which were flooded away. The rain washed away internet and phone signal too, so communications were dashed. This meant we did not get to visit the salt flats of Jujuy which was disappointing, but means I’ll have to come back.
Claudia, my friend‘s girlfriend, is an excellent driver, and we pushed through a lot of flooded water to reach a town that was able to give us hotel rooms after many hours on the road. We were rewarded the following days by fantastic weather and stunning scenery, all the while listening to Shakira and Chapell Roan.
We passed back through Salta city to visit the wine capital of the province, Cafayate. The town of 15000 people has many vineyards that offer tastings and it’s on the edge of a huge national park of crazy beautiful rock formations, quebrada de las conchas. We admired the rocks which are formed by many different minerals being found in the area. It looked like Mars. Petted some more llamas.
This was the time I left the girls to drive back to Salta and I hitchhiked with a very nice Furniture salesman called Guido who I rode back to Cafayate with. At this point my Spanish is good enough for 30 minutes of chitchat about Argentine music, things I’ve done in Salta, the Malvinas, Millei and restaurant recommendations in cafayate. Guido is a socialist and refused my offer of 5000 pesos for the ride.
Now alone in a wine town I did try wine and cheese tasting solo and decided it’s a bit like skiing solo; not advisable. I had picked the hostel that was cheap but not fully built yet and there was no one else staying there. I needed to make friends. One night I pounced when I saw the only person sitting in the square who was eating dinner by himself. I launched into a conversation with him about solo travel, and soon enough Gonzalo and I were new travel friends. He is from Buenos Aires.
Together we joined a minibus group and did a tour of the gorge, which was with a guide who took us on daring paths and rock scrambling to see the ravines from different perspectives. It was energising to be in such a strangely beautiful place. Thanks to sandstone, zinc, sulphur, quartz and granite, and other supporting minerals.
On another day we joined Gonzales‘s friend Andres from Montevideo and did a road trip south to some fantastic ruins in Quilmes in the state of Tucumán. We stopped in my now favourite museum in Argentina, museo pachamama, which was built to honour the Quilmes people who were expelled and massacred by the Spanish during the 1600s. In the 1990s an artist created the space which has amazing retelling of indigenous art. It reminded me of my new favourite artist AR Penck, from Germany, who made cave like paintings in the 1950s.
Overall it was a fantastic break away from Buenos Aires. It was welcome time to be in stunning scenery and with new friends. The wine was wonderful. March is the end of the tourist season and Argentina is expensive so the sites I went to felt quite empty. I was quite often the only visitor at a museum or vineyard. I’ll have to return with a car.
Road trip in Poland with Claudia, Magda and Asia penciled in for 2026.
