Reply To: Argentina advice

[JDB]

Salta Province is known in Argentina as Salta la Linda (Beautiful Salta!). The city / provincial capital itself is of some interest but the province itself is very special and much less touristy than many of the other places mentioned, probably partly because it doesn’t work that well for those short of time and you really need a car and/or a driver to get the most out of it. It’s a 2½ hr flight from Buenos Aires and then eg Cafayate is a 3-4 hour drive – not that great a distance 200km or so but its quite a windy road and you will want to stop frequently for photos. The route to/from Colomé, itself a very special place is incredibly beautiful. There’s such an incredible mix of landscapes from desert with cactuses, to most subtropical teeming with wildlife. Much of it is like being in one of the best US parks, but without the people. Then there are the delicious high altitude wines (the valley floor is at 1660m, so far higher than Mendoza) or Salta beer if you prefer. Hopefully you can share the driving so not always focussed on the road!