Salta & Jujuy.

Painted hills, adobe villages and high desert

Five to seven nights to see the Quebrada de Humahuaca and Cafayate without living in the car

The far north feels like a different country: adobe churches, llamas on the roadside, Quechua place names, empanadas baked in clay ovens. Salta is the gateway, a colonial city of arcaded plazas and late-night peñas where folk music is played around the table.

Striped red, ochre and grey ridges of the Serranía de Hornocal near Humahuaca, with a band of white cloud drifting along the summits.

From there the roads climb. North into Jujuy, the Quebrada de Humahuaca is a long valley of striped rock and small villages: Purmamarca under its hill of seven colours, Tilcara with its pre-Inca fortress, Humahuaca near the ridges of the Hornocal. South, the Quebrada de las Conchas leads through red sandstone to the vineyards of Cafayate.

Getting there: 2 h 05 flight from Buenos Aires
How long: Five to seven nights to see the Quebrada de Humahuaca and Cafayate without living in the car.
Best time: April to November is the dry season, with clear skies and cold nights at altitude. January to March brings summer rain, which can close mountain roads for a day or two.

What to see.⁽⁰⁴⁾

01
Quebrada de Humahuaca

A UNESCO-listed valley of coloured rock and old villages. Base yourself in Purmamarca or Tilcara.
02
Salinas Grandes

A blinding white salt flat reached over a high mountain pass. The pass is high enough to feel; take it slowly.
03
Quebrada de las Conchas

Red rock gorges on the road from Salta to Cafayate, best in late-afternoon light.
04
Cafayate

A small wine town known for Torrontés, the aromatic white of the north. See the wine page.

From Salta.

Straight-line distance and typical door-to-door time to every other stop.

How we work these out

Distances and times from Salta & Jujuy
To	Distance	Door to door	How
Iguazú	1,094 km	about 4 h 30	1 flight (not every day)
Purmamarca	116 km	about 3 h	by road
Mendoza	960 km	about 4 h 30	1 flight (not every day)
Buenos Aires	1,284 km	about 5 h	1 flight
Bariloche	1,897 km	about 9 h	2 flights via Mendoza (not every day)
Puerto Madryn	2,000 km	about 10 h 30	2 flights via Buenos Aires
El Chaltén	2,805 km	about 14 h	2 flights via Buenos Aires, El Calafate
El Calafate	2,902 km	about 11 h	2 flights via Buenos Aires
Ushuaia	3,345 km	about 11 h 30	2 flights via Buenos Aires

Practical.

The things to know before you add Salta to a trip.

Getting there

Fly from Buenos Aires to Salta (SLA) or San Salvador de Jujuy (JUJ), about two hours. Most people then hire a car or travel with a driver.

When to go

April to November is the dry season, with clear skies and cold nights at altitude. January to March brings summer rain, which can close mountain roads for a day or two.

How long to stay

Five to seven nights to see the Quebrada de Humahuaca and Cafayate without living in the car.

Watch out for

Altitude. Several roads cross passes well above 4,000 m. Drink water, go easy on the first day, and talk to your doctor if you have heart or lung conditions. Many mountain roads are gravel; allow more time than the map suggests.

Where to stay

See the 3 kinds of place we look for on our stays page.