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Argentina’s hardscrabble northwest sits beneath the mighty snowcapped Andes, where a confluence of wind, water, ice and time has conjured weird, wonderful rockscapes, streaked with minerals and glowing red in the sun. Nature speaks powerfully here, lending the region a certain mystery.
Argentina is known worldwide for its European colonial influence, but there's an Andean feel in the northwest. This is thanks to the creativity and endurance of indigenous communities here – descendants of empires, they are people of the puna (Andean highlands), which stretch into Chile and Bolivia.
The region's cities were Argentina's first colonial settlements, and it's here where independence was claimed. There's much to see: national parks aplenty, and century-old, high-altitude vineyards producing some of Argentina’s finest wine.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Salta & the Andean Northwest.
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West of Fiambalá, the paved road winds through the high desert, past picturesque red rock escarpments known as the Quebrada Angosturas, and into some serious altitude, topping out at the Chilean border. It's a stunning drive, with no services apart from a seasonal white-elephant hotel halfway between Fiambalá and the frontier. Los Seismiles are the peaks above 6000m, and you'll see several of them, including Ojos del Salado (6879m), the world's highest volcano.
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The spectacular rock formations and canyons of this dusty desert national park are evidence of the erosive creativity of water. The sandstone cliffs are amazing, as are the distant surrounding mountainscapes. You must enter by guided visit, arranged at the visitors center. The standard 2½-hour trip is included with your entrance fee. You'll be ferried in comfortable minibuses and there’s little walking involved; nevertheless, take water and protection from the fierce sun.
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Just south of Angastaco, the rutted earthen highway that is RN 40 weaves through surrealist rock formations that are unofficially called the Angastaco Natural Monument. The views are stunning. Expect jagged mineral-streaked mountains laced with sandy desert trails, pockmarked rock formations ideal for bouldering, and countless viewpoints and potential campsites. Look for handmade wooden signs, fashioned by locals, which point out features (in Spanish) along the scenic drive.
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Located 25km east of Humahuaca, this jagged row of rock 'teeth' offers utterly spectacular colors. Tours run here but it's drivable in a normal car with care. It's prettiest from 4pm onward, when the western sun brings out vivid hues. Turn left straight after crossing the bridge and follow the epic road (veer left 3km along for a short stretch of better road), which climbs to a 4000m pass. Here, head right for 1.7km to the viewpoint.
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Colomé Bodega boasts this stunning museum designed by artist James Turrell that features a permanent exhibition of six of his works. These are utterly memorable installations involving light and the strange frontiers of our own perception; it’s a remarkable place. Both bodega and museum visits are offered in a single 90-minute tour, and must be booked ahead by phone or email.
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Dating from about AD 1000, Quilmes was a complex indigenous urban settlement that occupied about 30 hectares and housed as many as 5000 people. The inhabitants survived contact with the Inca, which occurred from about AD 1480 onward, but could not outlast the seige of the Spanish, who in 1667 deported the remaining 2000 to Buenos Aires.
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One of northern Argentina's premier museums, MAAM has a serious and informative exhibition focusing on Inca culture and, in particular, the child sacrifices left on some of the Andes’ most imposing peaks. The centerpiece is the mummified body of one of three children (rotated every six months) discovered at the peak of Llullaillaco in 1999. It was a controversial decision to display the bodies and it is a powerful experience to come face-to-face with them.
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East of Salta, this national park is at the southern end of the Yungas subtropical corridor and protects a glorious, biologically diverse habitat. It's a beautiful, varied landscape ranging from meadowlands and low scrub forest to subtropical cloud forest. From its well-marked trails, some accessible by vehicle, you'll see lots of birdlife, and mammals such as peccaries and brown brocket deer are often spotted.
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Fine wines are produced at this ecological bodega, which is set (as they say hereabouts) ‘where the devil lost his poncho,’ 18km down a spectacular gravel road west from Molinos. The vineyards enjoy a stunning natural setting, surrounded by hills and mountains that seem to change color hourly. There's forward-thinking here on several fronts: the company generates its own energy, has funded substantial infrastructural improvements in the local community, and boasts a stunning museum.