salta road trip

Last week, at the last minute, I was fortunate enough to join my friends on trip to Salta, in northern Argentina. I knew little about the area besides everyone telling me it was "¡muy linda!" which it turns out, is true. Although my friends had done more research, they too didn't really know what to expect, so we were in for an adventure.

We started out on the luxurious 20 hour overnight bus ride which included a full reclining seat with a pillow and blanket, dinner, breakfast, both alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, 3 movies, and a stewardess. Unlike any bus ride I've ever experienced! We arrived in Salta, the capital of the Salta region, refreshed and ready to sightsee. After checking into our hostel, we explored the small city, including the stunning San Francisco Church, the Salta Tram, and the beautiful main plaza with orange trees.

The next day we rented a car and set off to explore the rest of the region for week, staying in a different little town each night. Mainly following suggestions from guide books and tourist offices, we had no idea what to really expect.

We drove on climbing narrow, rocky, twisty roads through mountains with no barriers separating us from the cliffs below, saw breathtaking scenery, stepped out of the car into complete silence and miles of mountains, stood in a natural amphitheater, hiked La Garganta del Diablo (the devil's throat), and tasted the natural salt of the salt flats...

We stayed in small dusty, outdated towns where we were the only tourists, bought (not so) fresh produce from local grocers and cooked dinners in our homestays, ate lots of empanadas, shopped artisenaries, toured vineyards, met locals, and experienced local holiday festivals, and of course, took a lot of pictures...





Overall, an amazing experience. Read about the trip in more detail here.