Cactus in the Pre-Inca ruins of Tastil.

Salta, Argentina

by Eve Andersson

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Salta is an area of stunning natural beauty; it's also home to some of Argentina's best wineries. The giant, colorful rock formations and expansive, crystalline salt flats rival those found in the western United States. The wineries in Cafayate, in the south of the province, are known for their Torrontes — incidentally, my favorite white varietal in the world. Pre-Inca ruins at Quilmes and Tastil, overrun by massive cacti, are made even more dramatic by their hilly, desert settings, with commanding views over the surrounding valleys.

Quebrada de las Conchas

Large-scale red rock formations define Quebrada de las Conchas, a river valley in the middle of Salta province. Los Castillos (The Castles), El Anfiteatro (The Ampitheatre), La Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat), and El Oblisco (The Obelisk) are some of the names given to this area's many natural rock formations.

Los Castillos (The Castles). Quebrada de las Conchas. Los Colorados. Quebrada de las Conchas. Quebrada de las Conchas. Road through Quebrada de las Conchas. El Anfiteatro (The Ampitheatre), a natural rock formation. Quebrada de las Conchas. Los Colorados. Quebrada de las Conchas. Quebrada de las Conchas. Quebrada de las Conchas. El Obelisco, a natural rock formation resembling an obelisk. Quebrada de las Conchas. People climbing an internal wall. Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). Quebrada de las Conchas. View from Mirador Tres Cruces (Three Crosses Viewpoint). Quebrada de las Conchas. Road, part of which had sheared off due to a mudslide. Quebrada de las Conchas.


Animals

Along the roads, alpacas and vicuñas — two South American species — can be spotted, as well as a variety of other animals.

Vicu?t the side of Ruta Nacional 52. Alpaca sitting at the side of Ruta Nacional 40. Three cows at the side of Ruta Nacional 40. Cow with yellow nose ring. Goats at the side of Ruta Nacional 51. Three donkeys at the side of Ruta Nacional 40. Black, white and brown butterfly.

Salinas Grandes Salt Flats

This may look like snow, but these vast white plains, spanning 212 square kilometers, are actually covered with salt. The 30-centimeter thick salt crust began to form 5-10 million years ago with the gradual evaporation of a large salt lake.

Salinas Grandes salt basin. Salinas Grandes salt basin. Water channels, Salinas Grandes salt basin. Wather channel, Salinas Grandes salt basin. Salinas Grandes salt basin. Salinas Grandes salt basin.

Pre-Inca Ruins at Quilmes and Tastil

Dating back to around 850AD, the large Pre-Inca city of Quilmes was inhabited by about 5000 people at its peak. One of the few populations to resist the invading Inca forces, the Quilmes fell to the Spaniards in 1667. The ruins — a mountainside maze of stone houses that would have originally been covered by cactus roofs — are the largest Pre-Inca ruins in Argentina. The smaller Pre-Inca ruins of Tastil, inhabited between 1360 and 1440, with a peak population of only 2000, afford views over a series of valleys and are even more beautiful than those at Quilmes.

Pre-Inca ruins of Quilmes. Cactus in the Pre-Inca ruins of Quilmes. The Pre-Inca ruins of Tastil. Cactus in the Pre-Inca ruins of Tastil. Pre-Inca ruins of Quilmes. Pre-Inca ruins of Quilmes. Pre-Inca ruins of Quilmes. Pre-Inca ruins of Quilmes. Pre-Inca ruins of Quilmes.

Purmamarca and the Cerro de Siete Colores (Seven Colored Hill)

Purmamarca may be best known for the Cerro de Siete Colores rising behind it, but it is a charming town in itself. Instead of a fountain, the centerpiece of the main plaza is a more environmentally-appropriate cactus garden.

Cerro de Siete Colores (Seven Colored Hill), behind the town of Purmamarca. The town of Purmamarca. Boy pushing girl in wheelbarrow. Cactus garden, Plaza Principal. Gate, Iglesia de Santa Rosa de Lima. Cacti for sale. Sign says "NO TOCAR" ("DON'T TOUCH"). Iglesia de Santa Rosa de Lima.

Salta

This city of half a million inhabitants is the capital of the eponymous province and a great jumping-off point for visits to the surrounding natural splendors. I enjoyed the teleférico ride up Cerro San Bernando, a large hill that provides a panoramic vista of the city.

View of Salta from the telef?co. Plaza 9 de Julio. Plaza 9 de Julio. Cerro San Bernardo. Convento de San Bernardo. Radio Vos (Radio You). Flower vendor at the corner of Calle Espa?nd Calle Pueyrred Calle Alberdi. Calle Espa Two buildings. Plaza 9 de Julio. Catedral Bas?ca de Salta. Bicyclist. Calle Pueyrred People waiting outside of Fundaci?adre Teresa de Calcuta. View of the city of Salta with the telef?co above. Cerro San Bernardo. Sign inside the telef?co with interesting English translations: "Don't leaning out or extract the arms out of the window" and "Not to throw objects out of the cabin". 8 on the sidewalk in front of Convento de San Bernardo. Entrance with stone "curtains". Bas?ca y Convento de San Francisco. Detail of stone "curtains". Bas?ca y Convento de San Francisco. Bas?ca y Convento de San Francisco at night.

La Polvorilla Viaduct

At 4200 meters above sea level, this impressive, steel viaduct is the highest point on Argentina's Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) line.

Sign for La Polvorilla viaduct, 4200 meters of altitude, 64 meters high and 224 meters long. La Polvorilla viaduct. La Polvorilla viaduct. Steel supports of La Polvorilla viaduct. La Polvorilla viaduct.

Along the road between the viaduct and the nearest town, San Antonio de los Cobres, is a very old miners' cemetery.

Small miners' cemetery near La Polvorilla viaduct. Headstone for Calixto Gonzalez, who passed away December 24, 1905, in a small miners' cemetery near La Polvorilla viaduct. Small miners' cemetery near La Polvorilla viaduct.

San Antonio de los Cobres

The small town of San Antonio de los Cobres is cold, dusty, and stark. One of the highest altitude towns in Argentina (3,750 meters), its claim to fame is being the last stop on the Tren a las Nubes. All of the dogs I encountered there were wary of humans.

Sign advertising zero special offers. Girl in a doorway. Old lady and a young man. Door in an orange building. Three kids in a doorway. Buildings with mountains behind. Dog sleeping in front of a doorway. Street. Street. Church with a family walking by. Dog and people walking on the street. Dog searching for food inside a grocery store. Dog. Motorcyclists crossing a bridge. Blue pickup truck. Store with Tome Sprite (Drink Sprite) sign. Wheeled stand.

Cafayate

Surrounded by excellent vineyards, Cafayate is a pleasant town with a wine museum, good restaurants with good wine lists, and multiple gelaterias selling suprisingly delicious wine ice cream.

Girl in the Plaza Principal (main square). Pink building. Yellow building. Restaurante El Rancho. Storefront adorned with large alpaca.

Bodega Etchart

Bodega Etchart is a relatively large operation, and visiting their premises isn't a completely satisfying experience. Large groups of visitors are herded through a carefully choreographed tour, with barriers maintained between them and anything "real" (the exhilarating experience of being surrounded by fragrant, wine-filled, wooden barrels is not to be had here), and visitors are brusquely chided if they linger while taking photographs. However, Etchart makes very good Torrontes, so they're forgiven.

Gate. Bodegas Etchart. Bell. Bodegas Etchart. Boxes of recently harvested grapes. Bodegas Etchart. Bottles in the tasting room. Bodegas Etchart. Crowded tasting room. Bodegas Etchart. Vineyards with a steep, mountainous backdrop. Bodegas Etchart. Steel tanks. Bodegas Etchart. Workers putting grapes into boxes. Bodegas Etchart. Woman putting grapes into boxes. Bodegas Etchart.

Bodega El Esteco

This winery, founded by two French brothers in 1892, is a joy to visit. Their wonderful wines have won a variety of international prizes (the first being in 1929), and I was quite taken by their Don David Tannat.

Bodega El Esteco. Large barrels. Bodega El Esteco. Control panel of the bottling machine. Bodega El Esteco. Grapes. Bodega El Esteco. Workers surrounding a vat of wine must. Bodega El Esteco. Tasting room display case. Bodega El Esteco.

Bodega La Banda

Bodega La Banda was founded in 1857, and the onsite museum provides some fine examples of antique wine-making equipment.

Decorative barrels. Bodega La Banda. Bodega La Banda. Vines. Bodega La Banda. Old equipment. Bodega La Banda. French manual pump. Museum of Bodega La Banda. Portable boiler. Museum of Bodega La Banda. Italian horizontal mill. Museum of Bodega La Banda.

Bodega Tierra Colorada

This is a real family winery, with no fluff or pretense. They don't have a tasting room, but I enjoyed watching the wine production.

Cacti and Bodega Tierra Colorada sign. Boy examining grapes. Bodega Tierra Colorada. People working on the conveyor line. Bodega Tierra Colorada. Workers queueing. Bodega Tierra Colorada. Grapes on a conveyor. Bodega Tierra Colorada. Grape stems and leaves. Bodega Tierra Colorada. Worker resting. Bodega Tierra Colorada.

Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of Vine and Wine)

Visiting this museum is more an aesthetic experience than an educational experience. Everything is beautifully laid out, but many items lack explanation.

Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of Vine and Wine). Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of Vine and Wine). Chalices. Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of Vine and Wine). Old bottles of wine. Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of Vine and Wine). Old photo of an Aleman?Cafayate bus. Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of Vine and Wine). Pump. Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of Vine and Wine). Chemistry equipment. Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of Vine and Wine). Tank. Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of Vine and Wine). Terra cotta container. Museo de la Vid y el Vino (Museum of Vine and Wine).

Other Sights and Landscapes in and around the Salta Province

Cacti and mountains. Ruta Nacional 51. Mountains seen from Ruta Nacional 51. Trees, Ruta Nacional 9. Arrows at the side of Ruta Nacional 52. Mostly empty cemetery beside the remote town of Tres Morros. A building and mountains seen from Ruta Nacional 52. Mountains seen from Ruta Nacional 52. Mountains seen from Ruta Nacional 51. Mountains and an adobe house seen from Ruta Nacional 52. Barn. Sign with distances to other cities. Train station. Very windblown tree. Train station. Abra Blanca, the high point on Ruta Nacional 51, at 4080 meters above sea level. Shrines at Abra Blanca, the high point on Ruta Nacional 51. Mountains seen from Ruta Nacional 52. Mountains seen from Ruta Nacional 51. Mountains seen from Ruta Nacional 51.

More photos: View all photos in the directory /photos/argentina/.
Eve Andersson (eve@eveandersson.com)
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