After three nights in Cachi, it was time to continue our trip. We left the Ruta 40 for a side trip to Salta and to explore the highlights north of Salta.
(Editor’s note: we have visited this area in April 2023)
Ruta 33 and Quebrada del Escoipe
From Payogasta we took the Ruta 33 again. Soon after the Parque Nacional Los Cardones we reached a pass with an altitude of 3457m. This was so far the highest point on our trip.
The view from this pass was spectacular.
The road follows now the Rio de Escoipe. The valley of this river is stunningly beautiful and the vegetation changes every km.
Chicoana
At the end of the Ruta 33 we reached Chicoana, where we had a short break to explore the village.
San Lorenzo
From Chicoana we continued along the 68 to Salta. Since Salta is a big city we expected that driving and parking could be a bit stressful. Therefore, we decided to book an apartment in San Lorenzo instead. San Lorenzo is a cute little village just outside of Salta with many nice restaurants.
The apartment was very nice and we even had some wildlife directly next to our apartment 😉
Salta
Salta is the largest city in this part of Argentina with over 600,000 inhabitants.
Its city center features many historic buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. The main square is the Plaza 9 de Julio. Most of the attractions are either at this plaza or close to it.
The Cabildo de Salta is the oldest colonial building in the city of Salta. In former times it was the city’s town hall, nowadays it’s a historical museum. The oldest part of the building is from 1626, while the masonry arcades are from 1789. The tower as an independent structure was added later in 1797.
The most beautiful church in Salta is the Basilic San Francisco.
Another spectacular church in Salta is the Catedral de Salta.
The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo is not a historic building but its style fits perfectly in the historic environment.
The Centro Cultural América built in 1913 in Art Deco style has a beautiful interior.
The most famous museum in Salta is the Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montaña. Its main attractions are three frozen Inca mummies found at the Llullaillaco volcano and known as the Children of Llullaillaco. Only one of the mummies is visible at a time, while the others are stored at very low temperatures. Which one, changes every day.
The process of finding the mummies and storing them in cold chambers to preserve them is explained very well in the museum. Sadly, photography is not allowed in this fascinating museum.
But this is not the only interesting museum in Salta. There are many more. Some of them are smaller and lesser known but still worth a visit.
The Spanish heritage can be seen everywhere throughout Salta. Even nowadays its resemblance to Spanish cities like Madrid or Barcelona is striking.
Although Salta is not one of our top favorite cities in Argentina it’s definitely worth a visit. You should spend at least one day there and visit some of the fascinating museums.
Ruta 9 from Salta to San Salvador de Jujuy
After a few nights in San Lorenzo and the exploration of Salta, we continued along the Ruta 9 to San Salvador de Jujuy.
This road leads through an absolutely magical mountain rainforest with dense jungle directly next to the road. It’s one of the most beautiful roads in South America and should not be missed. In addition, it’s all paved but winding and narrow which could be a challenge if you are driving a large truck. For our Ford Ranger, it was an easy and very enjoyable drive.
Not only the rainforest was stunning but also the birdlife along this road was spectacular (bird images by Linnéa).
The drive from Salta to San Salvador de Jujuy is altogether 95 km long.
La Caldera
25 km after the start we reached La Caldera.
The landmark of this small village is the Cristo Penitente statue. It has a height of 26 m and was built in 1969 by the artist Juan Carlos Iramain.
San Salvador de Jujuy
Finally, we reached San Salvador de Jujuy where we had a short lunch break. We chose the interesting-looking restaurant and dinner theatre Guajira.
The food was just ok, but the decoration was very lovely.
San Salvador de Jujuy was not our final destination for that day. We still had to drive another 80 km to reach our next apartment. More about this in the next post.
Wild Places 