Southeast of Salta

The Northwest is a very special region in Argentina.The mostly desert-like landscape is pierced by endless gorges.Not far from Chile and Bolivia,the rocky mountains of the Andes showcasea variety of colors.Eventoday, indigenous traditions are practiced,the population is less influenced by European culture and relatively poor.

We choose the city of Salta as our starting point; with its old Spanish colonial architecture, it is known as “La Linda” (the Beautiful). It is surrounded by Andean foothills at almost 1200 m and is relatively large with over 500,000 inhabitants.

We stay for a few days to settle in. A local specialty in Salta is the empanadas, which come with numerous fillings. Great for us vegetarians.

A gondola, made in Switzerland, takes us to Mount San Bernado. From up there, we enjoy the panoramic view over the vast plains of the city.

We find a highly interesting but somewhat macabre attraction in the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology: There, one of three Inca mummies is on display alternately. These were children who were sacrificed during the Inca period. Because they were buried at high altitude, their bodies were mummified and are still very well preserved.When special events occurred, such as the death of a ruler, individual children from high-ranking families were chosen for sacrifice. It was a great honor for the Inca. They believed that the children would continue to live with the gods in the shadow world and could appease them.

A shocking experience that truly touches us deeply. Additionally, we learn that the Inca Empire expanded from the Andean center to large parts of the western South America from the 15th to the 16th century and developed a sophisticated network of roads.

From Salta, we will travel for a 4-day round trip with a rental car through the stunning mountain landscapes. On the first day, we drive through a long gorge with glowing red rock formations to Cafayate. The little town is a feel-good place par excellence: It has some of the best wines of Argentina, grown at altitude. Great food, beautiful courtyards - We indulge in an exquisite menu with wine pairing at the Bad Brothers, both food and wine are excellent 😋

On the second day, we proceed past the surrounding wine regions into a quirky moon landscape. We are already familiar with hours of gravel roads from Patagonia; this time, it's no problem with a mini-SUV 😊

In the small town of Molinos, we stay overnight and go for an unforgettable horseback ride through the surroundings with the friendly innkeeper. Molinos is very small but has a charming rural atmosphere. It is completely quiet here, and very few tourists come by.

The road to the high-altitude town of Cachi at 2500 m leads through a surprisingly green valley. We learn that it only rains a lot in the region for about three months a year (starting in January). That has to be enough! The river in the valley is, as everywhere here, more of a trickle, but at least brings a little water with it.

In the beautiful but slightly livelier town, we try for the first time on the street cheese-filled bread grilled over charcoal. Super delicious 😋

From there, we drive to the national park