Things to do in Northwest Argentina
-
A
Paseo del Buen Pastor
Paseo del Buen Pastor is a cultural center/performance space, which was built in 1901 as a combined chapel/monastery/women’s prison. In mid-2007 it was re-inaugurated to showcase work by Córdoba’s young and emerging artists. There are a couple of hip cafe-bars in the central patio area where you can kick back with an Appletini or two. The attached chapel (which has been desanctified) hosts regular live-music performances – stop by for a program, or check Thursday’s edition of the local newspaper La Voz del Interior for details.
reviewed
-
B
Museo de la Memoria
A chilling testament to the excesses of Argentina’s military dictatorship, this museum occupies a space formerly used as a clandestine center for detention and torture. It was operated by the dreaded Department of Intelligence (D2), a special division created in Córdoba dedicated to the kidnap and torture of suspected political agitators and the ‘reassignment’ of their children to less politically suspect families.
reviewed
-
C
Museo Histórico Provincial Marqués de Sobremonte
It’s worth dropping into this museum, one of the most important historical museums in the country, if only to see the colonial house it occupies: an 18th-century home that once belonged to Rafael Núñez, the colonial governor of Córdoba and later viceroy of the Río de la Plata. It has 26 rooms, seven interior patios, meter-thick walls and an impressive wrought-iron balcony supported by carved wooden brackets.
reviewed
-
Caravana de Llamas
Based in the Posada de Luz, Caravana de Llamas is a recommended llama-trekking operator running half-day excursions (AR$140) around Tilcara, day trips in the Salinas Grandes (AR$180) and multiday excursions, including a five-day marathon from Las Yungas lowlands to Tilcara (AR$1750 to AR$2600). The guide is personable and well informed about the area. Llamas are pack animals: you walk, they carry the bags.
reviewed
-
Hike to Garganta del Diablo
Of several interesting walks around Tilcara, the most popular is the two-hour hike to Garganta del Diablo, a pretty canyon and waterfall. Head toward the pucará, but turn left along the river before crossing the bridge. The path to the Garganta leaves this road to the left just after a sign that says 'Cuide la flora y fauna'. Swimming is best in the morning, when the sun is on the pool.
reviewed
-
Los Puestos
Though a little touristy – we can’t guarantee you won’t be treated to a rendition of ‘Sounds of Silence’ on the panpipes at lunchtime – this makes up ground with its decor of local stone and chunky wood. Tasty regional specialties feature heavily – barbecued llama (AR$24) is one – but it’s small touches, such as tiny bread rolls straight from the clay oven, that win friends.
reviewed
-
Río Colorado
A 5km walk southwest of town leads you to the Río Colorado. Follow the river upstream for about 1½ hours to get to a 10m waterfall, where you can swim. Look out for hidden rock paintings on the way (for a small tip, local children will guide you). You could combine this walk with a visit to Bodega de las Nubes.
reviewed
-
D
El Arrabal
One of the few old-style restaurants in Nueva Córdoba (OK, so it may be a reconstruction…), this place serves slightly pricey, imaginative regional and house specialties. It packs out for tango classes (AR$15) at 7pm nightly and the dinner tango show (AR$25) at 11pm Thursday to Saturday. Make a reservation.
reviewed
-
El Rancho de Ferrito
Seven blocks from the plaza, this inviting local restaurant is worth every step. You’ve seen the menu before – except for house specialties such as cazuela de gallina (chicken stew: yum), and local wines – but the quality, price and atmosphere make it truly excellent.
reviewed
-
E
La Nieta ‘e La Pancha
Wonderful staff prepares and serves a changing menu of delectable regional specialties, creative pastas and house recipes. Be sure to save room for dessert. Check out the lovely upstairs terrace, which catches breezes and gives ample people-watching ops on the street below.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
F
Catedral
The enormous and spectacular neo-Byzantine 1899 catedral contains the image of patron saint Nicolás de Bari, an object of devotion for both riojanos (people who live in La Rioja) and the inhabitants of neighboring provinces.
reviewed
-
G
Fon Restaurante
The lunchtime buffet at this vegetarian restaurant has mostly Chinese dishes, with a few local favorites such as ensalada rusa (Russian salad) and empanadas thrown in. It’s not gourmet, but it does the job.
reviewed
-
H
Las Rías de Galicia
An upscale Spanish restaurant with the best value set lunch in town. Going à la carte gets you all sorts of goodies, including some excellent seafood selections.
reviewed
-
I
Casa de Joaquín V González
One of Argentina's greatest educators, and founder of the Universidad de La Plata, lived in the Casa de Joaquín V González.
reviewed
-
Coined
Córdoba is an excellent place to study Spanish; in many ways, being a student is what Córdoba is all about.
reviewed
-
Guided tours
Visitors may not use their own vehicles on park roads; only contracted guides with pickup trucks offer tours of sandy canyons where aboriginal petroglyphs and mortars adorn streambed sites. Nesting condors scatter from cliffside nests as vehicles invade their otherwise undisturbed habitat. On the usual two-hour tour from the park's headquarters, vehicles pass the dunes of El Playón, leading to the Puerta de Talampaya (Gate of Talampaya) entrance to the canyon.
Back on the road, the vehicles enter the red sandstone canyon, whose eastern wall reveals a conspicuous fault. The next major stops are the Chimenea del Eco, an extraordinary echo chamber where your voice seems to …
reviewed
-
Parque Nacional Calilegua
Receiving 1000mm to 1800mm of precipitation a year, but with a defined winter dry season, Calilegua comprises a variety of ecosystems. The transitional selva (jungle), from 350m to 500m above sea level, consists of tree species common in the Gran Chaco, such as deciduous lapacho and palo amarillo. Between 550m and 1600m, the cloud forest forms a dense canopy of trees more than 30m tall, punctuated by ferns, epiphytes and lianas, often mist-covered.
Above 1200m, the montane forest is composed of conifers, aliso and queñoa. Above 2600m this grades into moist grasslands, which become drier as one proceeds west toward the Quebrada de Humahuaca.
The 230 bird species at home in…
reviewed
-
Finca Colomé
Some of Argentina’s finest wines are produced at this ecological bodega, which is set (as they say hereabouts) ‘where the devil lost his poncho, ’ some 20km down a spectacular gravel road west from Molinos. The vineyards (including some ancient pre-phylloxera European vines) and hotel enjoy a stunning natural setting, surrounded by hills and mountains that seem to change color hourly. Forward thinking on environmental, social and cultural fronts is also in evidence: the complex is electrically self-sufficient, has funded substantial infrastructural improvements in the local community and now boasts a stunning museum designed by artist James Turrell, with a permanent…
reviewed
-
Pucará
The reconstructed pre-Columbian fortification, the pucará, is 1km south of the center across an iron bridge. Its situation is undeniably strategic, commanding the river valley both ways and, though the site was undoubtedly used before, the ruins date from the 11th to 15th centuries. The 1950s reconstruction has taken liberties; worse yet is the earlier, ridiculous monument to pioneering archaeologists bang where the plaza would have been. Nevertheless, you can get a feel of what would have been a sizable fortified community. Most interesting is the ‘church, ’ a building with a short paved walkway to an altar; note the niche in the wall alongside. The site itself has grea…
reviewed
-
Museo del Cablecarril
The fascinating Museo del Cablecarril and cablecar station documents an extraordinary engineering project that gave birth to the town of Chilecito at the beginning of the 20th century. To enable the mining of gold, silver and copper from the Sierra de Famatina, a German firm was contracted to construct a cablecar running from here, at the end of the railway line, to La Mejicana, at an altitude of 4603m, more than 3.5km above Chilecito and nearly 40km away. With nine stations, a tunnel and 262 towers, the project was completed in 1904. Men and supplies were carried to the mine, operated by a British firm, in four hours. WWI put an end to this Anglo-German cooperation and t…
reviewed
Advertisement
-
J
Cripta Jesuítica
The Jesuits, at the beginning of the 18th century, built the Cripta Jesuítica. It was originally designed as a novitiate and later converted to a crypt and crematorium. Abandoned after the Jesuit expulsion, it was demolished and buried around 1829 when the city, while expanding Av Colón, knocked the roof into the subterranean naves and built over the entire structure. It remained all but forgotten until Telecom, while laying underground telephone cable in 1989, accidentally ran into it. The city, with a new outlook on such treasures, exquisitely restored the crypt and uses it regularly for musical and theatrical performances and art exhibits. Entrances lie on either side…
reviewed
-
El Shincal
Seven kilometers west of Londres, the Inca ruins of El Shincal are well worth visiting. Founded in 1470, the town occupied a commanding position in the foothills of the mountains, surveying the vast valley to the south. The setting is spectacular, with fantastic views and great atmosphere. The site was pretty thoroughly ruined when excavations began in 1991, but the ushno (ceremonial platform) and kallanka (possibly a barracks) have been restored, and you can climb two hillocks on either side of the central square. Aligned to the rising and setting sun, they probably served as both lookouts and altars. Entrance usually includes a tour by one of the welcoming family that l…
reviewed
-
K
Pajcha – Museo de Arte Étnico Americano
This eye-opening private museum is a must-see if you’re interested in indigenous art and culture. Six exquisitely presented rooms present contemporary and recent artisanal work from all over Latin America. The quality of the pieces (which include amazing macaw-feather creations, religious sculpture from the Cuzco school, tools of the trade of Bolivian kallawaya healers and finely crafted Mapuche silver jewelry) is extraordinarily high, testament to decades of study and collection by the anthropologist founder. It’s an exquisite dose of color and beauty, and run with great enthusiasm by the English-speaking management, who will give you a worthwhile guided tour for an ex…
reviewed
-
Hiking
Several nearby peaks and destinations make hiking in the mountains around Tafí del Valle an attractive prospect; try 3000m Cerro El Matadero, a four- to five-hour climb; 3800m Cerro Pabellón (six hours); and 4600m Cerro El Negrito, reached from the statue of Cristo Redentor on RN 307 to Acheral. The trails are badly marked, and no trail maps are available; you can hire a guide for about Arg$10 an hour. Ask for more information at the tourist office.
An easier hike climbs Cerro Pelado for views over the town. Cross the bridge toward the Capilla, and you'll see the path on your left immediately afterward. It takes about 1¼ hours to climb, and less to come down.
reviewed
-
Tren a las Nubes
From Salta, the Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) ascends the multicolored Quebrada del Toro, continuing past the important ruins of Tastil. The track makes countless switchbacks and even spirals, passing through 21 tunnels more than 3000m (9842ft) in total length, and crossing 31 iron bridges and 13 viaducts.
The trip's highlight is a stunning viaduct which is 64m (210ft) high and 224m (735ft) long, and spans an enormous desert canyon at La Polvorilla - a magnificent engineering achievement unjustified on any reasonable economic grounds. At Abra Chorillos, an altitude of 4575m (15,010ft) makes this the fourth highest operating line in the world.
reviewed
