Catamarca & La Rioja
West of Fiambal谩, the paved road winds through the high desert, past picturesque red rock escarpments known as the Quebrada Angosturas, and into some鈥
Must-see attractions in Salta & the Andean Northwest
Catamarca & La Rioja
The spectacular rock formations and canyons of this dusty desert national park are evidence of the erosive creativity of water. The sandstone cliffs are鈥
Quebrada de Humahuaca
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鈥
Catamarca & La Rioja
The Inca ruins of El Shincal are located 7km west of Londres. Founded in 1471, the town occupied a commanding position in the foothills of the mountains,鈥
Salta & the Andean Northwest
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鈥
Catedral Bas铆lica de Nuestra Se帽ora del Valle
Catamarca & La Rioja
This 19th-century cathedral shelters the Virgen del Valle, patron saint of Catamarca and one of northern Argentina鈥檚 most venerated images. Her back is to鈥
Museo de Arqueolog铆a de Alta Monta帽a
Salta
One of northern Argentina's premier museums, MAAM has a serious and informative exhibition focusing on Inca culture and, in particular, the child鈥
Quebrada de Humahuaca
Susques is well worth a stop for its terrific village church. Dating from 1598, it has a thatched roof, cactus-wood ceiling and beaten-earth floor, as鈥
Catamarca & La Rioja
This old cable-car station documents the extraordinary engineering and mining project that created modern Chilecito at the beginning of the 20th century鈥
Cafayate
Located 5km southwest of Cafayate along the road to R铆o Colorado (it鈥檚 signposted 鈥楳ounier鈥), this small, organic and friendly winery has a fabulous鈥
Museo Arqueol贸gico Ad谩n Quiroga
Catamarca & La Rioja
This fine archaeological museum displays a superb collection of pre-Columbian ceramics from several different cultures and eras. Some pieces 鈥撯
Catamarca & La Rioja
This worthwhile museum is set in a wonderful early 17th-century adobe building, and has fine regional cultural displays. Themes include chaya (local La鈥
Centro Cultural del Bicentenario
Salta & the Andean Northwest
This excellent cultural center is an airy, modern space housing three museums, all imaginatively displayed; the highlight is the anthropological鈥
Catamarca & La Rioja
The focus of a visit to Parque Nacional Talampaya is this spectacular, (usually) dry watercourse bounded by sheer sandstone cliffs. Condors soar on鈥
Salta
A former church built in French academia style between 1721 and 1732, in 1913 it became Salta鈥檚 most important social club until the government took it鈥
Salta & the Andean Northwest
The ornate and unusual Museo de Pachamama combines a picturesque collection of indigenous art and artifacts with the sculpture and tapestries of the鈥
Catamarca & La Rioja
A network of stunning, red and white sand dunes rises from the desert floor 15km north of Fiambal谩. It's best to arrive in the early morning before the鈥
Parque Nacional Campo de los Alisos
Salta & the Andean Northwest
To the south of Tucum谩n, Parque Nacional Campo de los Alisos is a tempting destination, particularly if you have your own transportation. A hilly park at鈥
Cafayate
An atmospheric boutique winery set at the end of a dusty desert road with cacti on one side and vineyards on the other. It makes 250,000 bottles of wine鈥
Cafayate
This well-run family bodega has recently been taken over by the 30-something daughter, who knows how to keep good torront茅s from touching corrupting oak 鈥
Salta
This magenta-and-yellow church is Salta鈥檚 most striking. The exuberant facade is topped by a slender tower; inside are several venerated images, including鈥
Cafayate
A small producer, perched on a gorgeous hillside overlooking the verdant valley, backed by rugged mountains, with vineyards cascading down the slopes. It鈥
Salta
Salta鈥檚 pink cathedral was consecrated in 1878 and harbors the ashes of (among other notables) General Mart铆n Miguel de G眉emes, a salte帽o (resident of鈥
Ciudad Perdida & Ca帽贸n Arco Iris
Catamarca & La Rioja
In Parque Nacional Talampaya, accessed from the road 14km before reaching the main park entrance, these impressive formations are visited via guided 4WD鈥
Quebrada de Humahuaca
This reconstructed pre-Columbian fortification is 1km south of Tilcara's center, across an iron bridge. Its location is strategic, commanding the river鈥
Salta & the Andean Northwest
Students and families descend from far and wide to visit this late-colonial mansion where a collection of Unitarist lawyers and clerics declared Argentina鈥
Pajcha 鈥 Museo de Arte 脡tnico Americano
Salta
This eye-opening private museum is worth seeing if you鈥檙e interested in indigenous art and culture. Juxtaposing archaeological finds with contemporary and鈥
Salta & the Andean Northwest
On one corner of Santa Mar铆a's plaza, Museo Arqueol贸gico Eric Boman has a worthwhile collection of ceramics that dates back to the 8th century, plus gold鈥
Quebrada de Humahuaca
Part of a chain that ran from Lima to Buenos Aires during viceregal times, La Posta de Hornillos is a beautifully restored staging post 11km south of鈥
Catamarca & La Rioja
The road between Tinogasta and Fiambal谩 is designated the 'adobe route' for its ensemble of fantastic historic buildings. These are built with thick walls鈥
Catamarca & La Rioja
Quirky, strange and sanctimonious, this relatively new museum is free and stocked with sculpture, paintings and even digital and photographic art, all of鈥
Salta & the Andean Northwest
Tucum谩n's neoclassical cathedral is a handsome presence on Plaza Independencia, and has a Doric facade with a pediment depicting the Exodus. Curiously,鈥
Salta & the Andean Northwest
This is an 18th-century Jesuit chapel, built in 1708 and acquired by the Fr铆as Silva family of Tucum谩n after the Jesuits鈥 expulsion. It was expanded in鈥
Catamarca & La Rioja
Lying 15km east into the mountains from Fiambal谩, these thermal springs emerge from rock and cascade down the mountainside in a series of pools: the鈥
Catamarca & La Rioja
La Riojana is the area鈥檚 main wine producer, and a sizable concern; some 30 million liters a year are produced here thanks to fruit sourced from vineyards鈥
Cafayate
This private museum鈥檚 collection was left by enthusiastic archaeologist Rodolfo Bravo and merits a visit. Sourced mostly from grave sites within a 30km鈥
Quebrada de Humahuaca
It鈥檚 not often that you imagine the heavenly host armed with muzzle-loading weapons, but in this roadside village鈥檚 picturesque 17th-century church that鈥檚鈥
Salta
Only Carmelite nuns may enter this 16th-century convent, the oldest building in Salta (though it was rebuilt into its current form in the 1840s after鈥
Catamarca & La Rioja
Head down Maestro from Chilecito's plaza to reach this relatively recent addition to the town: a huge statue of Christ on a platform accessed by a 203鈥
Salta
For outstanding views of Salta, take the telef茅rico from Parque San Mart铆n to the top of this hill, a 1km ride that takes eight minutes. Alternatively,鈥
