Things to do in Northwest Argentina
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Salta and Jujuy Highlights
4 days (Salta)
Experience the best of Salta and Jujuy in North West Argentina.
Not LP reviewed
from USD$690 -
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Zorba
This is one of those hybrid places that always look good on paper but rarely work. Yet this one does. Big breakfasts (check out the Americano); an upmarket atmosphere for coffee or late drinks; and a hodge-podge of a menu featuring standard minutas (short orders or snacks), pastas and a few surprisingly tasty Greek dishes blend seamlessly into one.
reviewed
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Termas de Río Hondo
Termas de Río Hondo's main attraction is its thermal springs, and even the most basic accommodation has hot mineral baths. Very much a destination for Argentine tourists, Río Hondo is not as interesting for international visitors. That said, you'll be comfortable in the off-season with bargain-basement prices, as competition between hotels is hot.
reviewed
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Salsa Criolla
On Plaza 25 de Mayo, this bright and solicitous spot offers a high-class all-you-can-eat parrillada. It doesn’t try to cynically stuff you with chorizo first like in some places – rather, it insists on tempting you with high-quality cuts long after you’ve insisted you don’t want any more. The salad bar (AR$20 on its own) isn’t so inspired, though.
reviewed
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Mía Mamma
Set back from Plaza Libertad, this is a discreet and reliable restaurant with well-dressed waiters who see to your every need. There’s a fine salad bar with plenty of vegetables (AR$18, or AR$11 with a main) and a wide choice of food that includes enormous parrilla options as well as a tasty arroz a la valenciana (similar to paella).
reviewed
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Museo de Bellas Artes
Salta's fine art museum is lodged in the Arias Rengel family's two-story colonial mansion, with its 2m (6.6ft) thick adobe walls. It displays both modern painting and sculpture, and has far more interesting work than the contemporary arts museum. The interior patio features a sculpture garden and a wooden staircase that leads to a hanging balcony.
reviewed
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Manzana Jesuítica
Córdoba’s beautiful Manzana Jesuítica (Jesuit Block), like that of Buenos Aires, is also known as the Manzana de las Luces (Block of Enlightenment), and was initially associated with the influential Jesuit order.
Designed by the Flemish Padre Philippe Lemaire, the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús dates from 1645 but was not completed until 1671, with the successful execution of Lemaire’s plan for a cedar roof in the form of an inverted ship’s hull. Lemaire, unsurprisingly, was once a boat builder. Inside, the church’s baroque altarpiece is made from carved Paraguayan cedar from Misiones province. The Capilla Doméstica, completed in 1644, sits on Caseros,…
reviewed
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El Solar del Convento
Warmly decorated and popular, this reliable touristy choice offers solicitous service – the free apéritif wins points – and a varied menu. It specializes in lomo (sirloin) with tasty sauces, and also has fish dishes and parrillada (mixed grill including steak) options. The wine list offers lots of (priced-up) provincial choices.
reviewed
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Hasta las Manos
The organization of mountain guides, Hasta las Manos, is recommended for exciting multiday treks with mules to the Calilegua or Baritú national parks, with a stunning change in terrain as you descend into the subtropical forest systems. They also offer sandboarding at Abra Pampa (AR$160 for the day) and high-mountain excursions.
reviewed
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Casa del Obispo Colombres
In the center of Parque 9 de Julio (formerly Bishop Colombres’ El Bajo plantation), handsome 18th-century Casa del Obispo Colombres is a museum dedicated to the sugar industry, which the active cleric (an important figure in the independence movement) effectively set up. The information panels are translated into English.
reviewed
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El Rancho
A cut above the string of hit-and-miss places around the plaza, this has a short, simple menu, including locro and some good chicken dishes. It’s owned by a bodega, so competition wines are overpriced. It appeals on winter nights, with a crackling fire, and the nights when a blind guitarist plays unobtrusive folklórica.
reviewed
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Sumaq
A competent and professional setup, Sumaq is currently the only operator offering tours to the remote Parque Nacional Copo; it also offers good trips to other parts of northwestern Argentina. The office is in the same building as the Hotel Savoy – to get there, go through the restaurant and up a narrow spiral staircase.
reviewed
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Convento de San Bernardo
Only Carmelite nuns may enter 16th-century Convento de San Bernardo, but visitors can approach the blindingly whitewashed adobe building (consider sunglasses) to admire the carved, 18th-century algarrobo door. The church, too, is open for visits before Mass early weekday mornings, Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings.
reviewed
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Bird and Mammal Watching
The best places for bird and mammal watching are near the stream courses in the early morning or late afternoon. From the ranger station at Mesada de las Colmenas, follow the steep, rugged trail down to a beautiful creek marked with numerous animal tracks, including those of large cats. The descent takes an hour, the ascent twice that.
reviewed
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Mercado del Sur
Jujuy's lively market, the Mercado del Sur, is a genuine trading post where indigenous Argentines swig mazamorra (a cold maize soup) and peddle coca leaves. Upstairs eateries serve hearty regional specialties; try chicharrón con mote (stir-fried pork with boiled maize) or spicy sopa de maní (peanut soup).
reviewed
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Museo Molino de San Francisco
Chilecito founder Don Domingo de Castro y Bazán owned this colonial flour mill, whose Museo Molino de San Francisco houses an eclectic assemblage of archaeological tools, antique arms, early colonial documents, minerals, traditional wood and leather crafts, banknotes, woodcuts, early cell telephones and paintings.
reviewed
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Monumento a la Independencia
From the plaza, a staircase climbs to the Monumento a la Independencia, a vulgarity produced by local sculptor Ernesto Soto Avendaño. The sculpture exemplifies indigenismo, a widespread tendency in Latin American art that romantically but patronizingly extols the virtues of native cultures overwhelmed by colonialism.
reviewed
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Colegio Nacional de Monserrat
The Colegio Nacional de Monserrat dates from 1782, though the college itself was founded in 1687 and transferred after the Jesuit expulsion. Though the interior cloisters are original, the exterior was considerably modified in 1927 by restoring architect Jaime Roca, who gave the building its present baroque flare.
reviewed
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Clark Expediciones
Professional agency offering trips with highly competent English-speaking guides to the region’s national parks and remote uplands. They’re serious about bird-watching; trips include a half/full day in the Reserva Huaico (US$70/140), two days to Parque Nacional El Rey (US$340) and multiday tailored itineraries. Book well ahead.
reviewed
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La Vieja Casona
Cheerfully lit and decorated, this is a cracking place with a great range of regional specialties, creative house choices and a long menu of standard Argentine dishes – the parrillada here is of excellent standard. There’s a fair selection of La Rioja wines, too, and wonderful smells wafting from the busy kitchen.
reviewed
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Corona del Inca
Runs summer excursions up to high, remote parts of the Andes in the west of the province. Also one of several operators who run excursions around the province, including visits to the Parque Nacional Talampaya, which invariably includes the nearby Parque Provincial Ischigualasto ('Valle de la Luna') in San Juan province.
reviewed
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Capilla Doméstica
The Capilla Doméstica, completed in 1644, sits directly behind the church on Caseros. Its ornate ceiling was made with cowhide stretched over a skeleton of thick taguaro cane and painted with pigments composed partially of boiled bones. Guided visits leave from inside the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.
reviewed
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R
El Sha
Tiled arches, dim lighting, cozy booths, white beanbag chairs and electronica give this mosque-like bar a very chilled feel that's great for lounging. When you're all lounged out, hop around Nueva Córdoba - take a walk down Calle Rondeau between Avs H Yrigoyen and Chacabuco after midnight and choose from dozens of bars.
reviewed
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Teatro del Libertador General San Martín
It’s well worth going to a performance here, if only to see the opulence of the country’s most historic theater. The theater was completed in 1891, and the floor was designed to be mechanically raised and leveled to the stage, so seats could be removed, allowing for grand parties for the aristocracy of the early 1900s.
reviewed
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T
Viejo Jack
Far enough out of the tourist zone to be authentic, but not so far it’s a pain in the backside to get to, this is a down-to-earth spot very popular with locals for its parrillada and pasta. The serves are huge – designed for two – but you’ll get a single portion (still a big slab of meat) for 70% of the price.
reviewed