Itinerary advice northern Argentina

Hi everybody,
in october I'll be in Argentina, planning to visit the northern part. I'll have 20 days, the must do for me are about 5 days in Salta and sorrounding area, then head to Mendoza (another about 5 days - going exploring vineyards) and also going trekking for few days near Aconcagua area. I've already been in Iguazù so I'm gonna skip it this time and also staying no more than a couple of days in B.A.. I'm about to travel by bus. Any advices on how to spend the rest of the time? Does the time allowed for these activities make sense?
Thanks, Roberto

That is a good amountof time for both Salta and Mendoza areas. October is a really good time to visit both areas. In terms of other activities and places, it depends on your interests. For example, in Jujuy just north of Salta, you could visit the Salinas Grandes near and Seven Colors Mountain at Purmama and, If you had more time, you could hike from the high jungles near San Francisco near Gen Martin de ledesma. to the high desert of Puramarca. If you had time, you could also visit the less touristy areas of Catamarca and Tucuman betw, but that reuires some research and organization as well as time.

For the best collection of activites here in Mendoza I have seen collected on one page, you could check out this page (scroll way down): http://spanishinmendozaargentina.greenash.net.au/mendoza/

Whatever you do, leave the few days for Buenos Aires at the end of the trip for altenratives in case you have delays or cancellations in transport.

we were in the puramarca region last year in october. it was stunning. there are busses running around the little villages which were manageable, especially on weekdays, but speaking spanish helped. I wouldn't want to be in puramarca on a sunday--i counted 10 full double-decker tour busses as we waited for our bus up to the ruins in Tilcara. when we came back in the evening, they were gone.

we didn't go to teh salinas near the northern tip, as we were entering from san pedro de atacama and we'd just been to the Uyuuni flats. but the bus ride down from the border to puramarca was incredible. if we'd had the time, we would have rented a vehicle and driven down more slowly, to stop and enjoy the views.

Hi guys, thanks for your advices. I'll try to rent a car to travel easily around the two areas. I was also thinking to catch a bus from Mendoza to Santiago, honestly just to enjoy the ride rather than going to Santiago, and maybe flying on the way back. Do you think is it worth to spend I would say 3 day this way?

Yes. But maybe take the bus to Valparaiso from Mendoza, and return, during the day, it is the same distance and the same price, and to me Valparaiso is more interesting than Santiago (unless you are interesting in urban visuals available anywhere else in South America). Valparaiso is great for a day and a night, just be careful to stay in the tourist area, and not wander in the evening. I would just take the bus for the expense, or go to Santiago on the way back for flying back to Mendoza.

Jujuy is definitely worth a visit, as the posts above say. I'd add that Córdoba is a nice stop on your way down south to Mendoza, and San Juan is a great systop too, to see the Ischigualasto national park.

Thanks again everybody! Really useful tips!

Mendoza is great! There is some fun white water rafting you can do on the river.
We also went paragliding but honestly I wasn't too impressed with the views. Wish we did Aconcagua!
Took night bus between BA and Mendoza, no complaints. When in the Mendoza bus terminal, you can ask the information desk for a listing of local hotels/hostels. We found significantly cheaper rates this way, for nicer rooms, than those mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide books. (Sorry LP!)

I would recommend penciling in Uruguay if you haven't been. It's a somewhat short ferry ride from BA. If you backpack the coast towns like Cabo Polonio and Punta del Diablo for a few days, it's life changing.

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