Above cloud covered Chicoana My husband and I decided to travel through the Northwest region of Argentina by rental car.  We wanted the freedom that driving a car can give.  There are no timetables and schedules that you have to follow.  You can make up your own itinerary as you go along, and that is exactly what we did.  In truth, I had studied guidebooks and reserved hotels and a rental car beforehand, but we met new friends who had lived for over twenty years in the Argentine Northwest.  Following their recommendations, we drove into areas that I had not even read about, bathed in the most beautiful hot springs area I have ever experienced, and saw more different types of terrain and landscapes than I could have ever imagined. We started our travels from Buenos Aires where we live.  In fact, we have Argentine residency, and that gives us cheaper airline tickets when traveling within Argentina.  Each round trip airline ticket between Buenos Aires and Salta with the company, Aerolineas Argentinas, also called Austral, cost about $220 US.  We could have bought even less expensive tickets but we wanted to be able to change the dates if necessary.    In the tourism industry in Argentina, there is a two tier system between resident and nonresident.  Locals pay less.  Foreigners pay more.   This not only applies to air fares.  For example, at National Parks, you can read the list of entrance fees.  Argentine residents might be 10 pesos, a little over $3 US and foreign residents 30 pesos, around $10 US.  There are advantages to being a legal resident with a national ID, called a DNI in Argentina. In Buenos Aires there are two airports.  Ministro Pistarini Airport, commonly known as Ezeiza, serves international flights.  To fly the route from Buenos Aires to Salta, both cities within Argentina, we used the domestic airport, Jorge Newbury, also known as Aeroparque.  This airport sits alongside the River Plate not far from downtown Buenos Aires. After we checked in and went through the security checks, we went upstairs to wait for our departure.  I was surprised by the cleanliness and luxury of the shops upstairs in the terminal.  Their selection of goods is world class.  I could have been in London except this airport is not as crowded as Heathrow.  Our flight left about 10 minutes late and landed in Salta close to its scheduled time.  Of the two or three rental car companies that had offices at the airport, we had reserved our car with Hertz.  All they wanted to see was a credit card and our Argentine driving licenses.  When we first arrived in Argentina, before we had residency, we used our US driving licenses and International driving licenses.  We were told that they were good for six months. It is a good thing that my father made me learn to drive a standard transmission car, because it was not possible to rent a car with an automatic transmission.  Cars with automatic transmissions are not common in Argentina.  At least the rental car had air conditioning.  We requested it when we made the reservation.  We requested a Chevy Corsa 4 door.  You can get a larger car but we did not want to pay the big bucks.  It was already costing us $100 US per day for the Corsa.

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I am glad that we arrived during the daylight hours to make the drive from the outlying airport, through the city of Salta, to the small town of San Lorenzo.  There are few signs marking the highways.  If you miss one sign, you may have missed the only one you will see.  And that one sign might be confusing.  The arrow points to the left, but there are two roads to the left.  Needless to say, it can be difficult to remain calm. 
 

Courtyard in Molinos

Footbridge over irrigation ditch

Salta:Main Square

Each Argentine Province maintains a tourist office in Buenos Aires.  They are called Casas de las Provincias in Spanish and offer detailed tourist information and excellent maps.  You can also wait and visit the local tourist offices once you are arrive in a town or city of the province.  However, for driving purposes, I prefer the maps that the Automobile Club sells.

There is such a variety of landscapes in such short distances in this Northwest region of Argentina.  The area between Salta and the Calchaqui Valley goes from a temperate, tobacco growing area to a subtropical mountain rainforest and then to mountain plateaux and dry, desert valleys.

The Andes Mountain Range cuts through this region and creates beautiful scenery just like the Rocky Mountains in the USA.  Like the Rockies, the Andes Mountains generally run North – South with long valleys between them.  However, unlike the Rockies where the dominant wind comes from the West, the wind in these Andes blows from the East, from the Atlantic Ocean, across a humid plain.  The temperate valleys around Salta are a traditional center for the Argentine cowboys, called gauchos in Spanish, and the large ranches, called estancias in Argentina.  Some of the oldest estancias in Argentina are in this area and they are filled with history.  The Argentine cowboys, the gauchos, fought in the War of Independence from Spain in the early part of the 19th century.

You can find buildings from as early as the 17th century.  The colonial architecture, using adobe bricks and heavy wooden doors, is found not only in private homes, but also in government buildings and churches.  The city of Salta has some of the most beautiful colonial buildings that I have seen in Argentina.  We spent an hour leisurely walking around its main square and enjoyed coffee at a sidewalk café.
 

Hotel El Castillo

San Francisco Church Tower in Salta

We chose to spend our first nights in San Lorenzo, a small town about 10 minutes outside of the city of Salta.  It is slightly higher in elevation and cooler in temperature than Salta.  Even though we weren’t traveling during the hot, rainy summer season, of December through March, we decided to stay in San Lorenzo because we wanted the peaceful atmosphere that a small town can offer.  San Lorenzo was traditionally where the wealthy from Salta had summer homes.  Today, with the convenience of modern transportation, people live in San Lorenzo year round.

We had decided that this trip was going to be one of luxury, but luxury in Salta and San Lorenzo means spending only $100 US to $150 US per night on lodging.  We had a suite at the Hotel El Castillo, www.hotelelcastillo.com.ar.  Following each day of sightseeing we returned to the Hotel and lit the fireplace in our room.  We sat, read, and talked in comfortable, winged armchairs in front of the fire until it was time for dinner. 

The food at Hotel El Castillo was excellent and of gourmet quality.  We met Americans and Europeans in the dining room.  One had lived for over 20 years in the area and introduced us to some of his friends.  Soon we all agreed to leave the next day on a trip, through the tobacco growing valley south of Salta and over a mountain pass, to the Calchaqui Valley.

In less than 3 hours, we climbed in elevation from the city of Salta’s 1200 meters to over 3,000 meters though the mountain pass of The Bishop’s Slope, called La Cuesta del Obispo in Spanish, and down to 2,000 meters in the Calchaqui Valley.  The road was narrow and winding, and large sections were not paved.  You need a driver accustomed to mountain driving.  I was glad that we were traveling with others who knew the way.  If we had been traveling alone, I would have continually thought that we were lost.  It is also wise to start with a full gas tank.  If you decide to book a group excursion to visit the Calchaqui Valley, then you will not have to worry about the roads, the car, and the oncoming traffic.  You may still suffer from elevation sickness.  We did not travel the route of the famous Train to the Clouds because it reaches a height of 3,774 meters in the town of San Antonio de los Cobres 

We were concerned about traveling at this altitude due to high blood pressure.  The high elevation would have been easier on our bodies if we had approached the Calchaqui Valley from the South.  For example, we could have gone to the wine growing area around Cafayate, elevation 1,600 meters, first, and then driven North through the towns of San Carlos, Molinos, and Cachi before going through the mountain pass of La Cuesta del Obispo.  Approaching the over 3,000 meter high mountain pass at the elevation of 2,000 meters is easier on the body than climbing from 1,200 to 3,000 meters in the same day. 

This route, going first through Cafayate, is favored by those traveling from winery to winery.  A private car service, called a remise in Spanish, will take you, and as many will fit in their car, to Cafayate, wait for you, and drive you back to Salta for around $60 US. This is cheaper than renting a car and you don’t have to pay for the gas.

The drive from Salta to Cafayate is through part of the Calchaqui Valley.  There are colored sand and rock formations that remind me of the Painted Desert and the Garden of the Gods in the USA.   If you drive a rental car to Cafayate, this is a good town to spend the night and plan to continue the next day.  It takes about two hours to travel from the one of the 16 wineries in Cafayate to Donald Hess’ winery, Colome, near the town of Molinos.  These wineries offer a broad range of varieties, such as Torrontes, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Mendoza area may be more famous for wine but the Calchaqui Valley in the province of Salta is growing in importance. 

The Calchaqui Valley has a completely different climate than the city of Salta.  The small towns in the Valley receive over 300 days of sunshine per year.  The 3,000 meter high wall of mountains keep the humid Eastern wind out.  The air is clean and dry.  There is little rainfall.  Drinking water comes from the higher mountains where there is more rain.  The rivers and wells also supply some drinking water and irrigation water. 

The rivers produce an oasis.  Where the Indians grew corn and quinoa, today grapes for wine are being grown.  There is also fruit, garlic, peppers and other vegetables.  This contrasts with the sandy soil and naturally growing cactus as you travel away from the rivers.  The cardon cactus, that we call saguaro cactus in the States, grows only one centimeter per year.  We saw many plants more than 200 centimeters tall. 

In this dry climate, you can see for great distances.  We even spotted a couple of herds of wild guanacos, a kind of llama that has cushioned feet that does not damage the fragile surface.

According to a book I read in Spanish about the Calchaqui Valley, Valles Calchaquies por imagen, published by Talleres Graficos, Verlap, S.A. in Buenos Aires in 1997, at the time of the first National Census in Argentina, in 1869, 23% of the population of the province of Salta lived in the Calchaqui Valley.  Today only 3 % live there.  As long as there is plenty of water, I think the population will grow again due to the increase in tourism in the last few years. 

People are discovering the ancient towns, colonial churches, the artwork, the regional dishes, and the views.  You can relax on a traditional square in Cafayate that is similar to how I remember the square in Santa Fe, New Mexico in the 1960’s. 
View from Hotel Termas de Reyes
However, the highlight of our trip was an unplanned drive north from the city of Salta to the neighboring province of Jujuy.  We wanted to visit a Hot Springs complex, called termas in Spanish.  The Hotel Termas de Reyes, www.termasdereyes.com, was the one recommended to us by our new friends.  This Hotel and Spa is set in a narrow canyon.  Mist rises off the river on the floor of the canyon every morning.  The fast flow of the water down the canyon is the main sound that you hear.  Every room, including the massage rooms and the saunas, has a view of the canyon.  You can use the outdoor pool or request a private bath.  In fact, all the water in the hotel comes from the hot springs.  Even if you take a shower in your hotel room, you are using the water from the Hot Springs. 

This Hot Springs water, like hot springs throughout the world, is reputed to have therapeutic value.  Whether you agree with this or not, the warmth feels good all the way to your bones.  The massage was the best I have ever received at a hotel.            Vineyard in Cafayete

To top it off, the restaurant serves both international and local cuisine.  This was the first time that I saw llama steaks and quinoa flan on a menu.  Both were delicious.  I asked the chef how he makes the flan.  He told me to consult a traditional flan recipe and make the following changes.  For every 10 eggs he uses in making the flan, he adds a Cup of ground, uncooked quinoa to the mixture.  He adjusts the thickness by adding more milk. 

The Hotel Termas de Reyes provides free airport transportation from Jujuy if you stay a minimum of three nights.  We are planning to go next year for my birthday.  We will travel farther north to Humahuaca, an area in the province of Jujuy that we did not reach. 

There is plenty to explore in the Northwest region of Argentina.  We spent six days in the area, but it deserves more time.  If you are interested in wineries, you can spend a few days in Cafayate alone.  Driving three to five hours per day, traveling from the city of Salta to the towns of Cafayate and then Cachi, before returning to Salta, can be a three day trip.  Group excursions do that circle in a day.  We wanted more control over time and location than tour operators can give, and we got it.  For us, that was worth the added expense of a rental car.
 

Delores Johnson (info@lifeinargentina.com) is author of Moving To Argentina-How to Go About It - see below

.Picture a place where history and modernity transform a bountiful land into a paradise for those who are willing to simply come and experience a new life.  Now picture yourself traveling there, to live, to settle, to experience all that such a place has to offer.  What once seemed remote - a dream worthy of another dreamer - came true for us and it can be yours too.  With the Moving to Argentina E-Book you will have the answers you need to create your new life.  The Moving to Argentina E-Book contains our detailed experience of moving to this spectaular country.  For this E-book we've collected all of the valuable information we gained from our relocation that will help make your move as smooth as possible, and sprinkled the pages with the colorful details of our new life in Argentina. Moving to Argentina -  How to go about it by Delores Johnson.