Salta (ARG)

After a border check, 5 hours bus ride and 13 hours in the freezer truck (so-called 'long distance bus' with air conditioning set at 15 degrees - outside temperature meanwhile over 30 degrees), I arrived in Salta in the morning. The search for a hostel turned out to be more difficult than expected. The hostel I had planned to stay at from the LonelyPlanet guide no longer exists, another one was fully booked, and two hostels were too expensive. After an hour's walk, I finally found a good one. Thank God for Google Maps, which allows you to download the city map and navigate with GPS 🙌🏼 Lifesaver!

On the first day, I explored the friendly old town and used the cable car. For €4, you can take a cable car from the city center to one of the many mountains surrounding the city. The view from there is very beautiful and a taste of what's to come in La Paz... In the evening, the rather sleepless night in the freezer truck caught up with me - but tiredness and an impending cold also let me sleep deeply in the seven-bed room.

Although only until 6:30 am - I haven't gotten up this early in a long time. At 7 am, I was picked up by a bus and we went on a day trip to Cafayate. The road there led through a breathtaking mountain range, and after every curve, you could stop for a new picture. But unfortunately, it was only a one-day trip ;-). Underneath the area, there are two tectonic plates that shape the landscape. About 50 million years ago, the region was still below sea level, and today the mountains are up to 3500 meters high! Due to various minerals in the rock, the mountains are colored brown, red, orange, green, and blue. Simply incredible... Fossils of prehistoric frogs, crocodiles, and birds have also been found in the rocks...

After 180km, we arrived in Cafayate, a small town. Mostly wine is grown there, and of course, the place is a tourist magnet because of its surroundings. By the way: It's sunny here about 360 days a year. Surely a good place to live! The environment here is completely dry, unlike the green Salta, except for the vineyards. After a tour of a winery and a tasting of the wines produced there (I remain loyal to beer), there was still an hour to explore the town and have lunch.

Then it was back through South America's largest canyon, with several photo breaks. If you come to Salta, the tour is definitely worth a trip!!

Tonight, I'm taking the bus to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, hopefully with a pleasant temperature :-).

Greetings,

Kai