Our last stop in Argentina before heading deeper into the Andes was Salta, the capital of the North West of Argentina. Salta is an attractive town with many preserved colonial buildings and also a convenient base for exploring the surrounding countryside, where the Andes Mountains and Andean communities meet Argentina. The centre of Salta is Plaza 9 de Julio a pretty harmonious square of arcades and colonial buildings, with not too many inappropriate modern buildings. The square itself has well tended gardens and the palm trees offers decent shade from the hot sun.
On the North side of the square is the cream coloured Italianate cathedral that glows a shade of pink in the bright sun and is also reflected in the glass windows of the modern office block next door. Opposite the cathedral is the Cabildo an old colonial building that has a museum with dusty collection of old colonial artefacts, but has some attractive courtyards and a well appointed balcony with fine views over the square. On the Sunday there was also an re-enactment of an old colonial ceremony, complete with horses, soldiers dressed up in period uniforms and a band.
Salta’s other principal museum is Museo de Arqueología Alta Montaña, which houses the Llullalliaco Children, three naturally mummified Inca children found on top of Volcán Llullalliaco. While their story of human sacrifice is both fascinating and disturbing in equal measure and the museum is well presented the display of their bodies in glass display cabinets is very disconcerting.
One of Salta’s other big attractions is the collection of bars in the North of the City where peñas are performed. These are a type of folk music with dancing that draws upon a combination of Andean and Gaucho roots, where the musicians and dancers perform while the punters enjoy a meal and drink.
The surrounding countryside is spectacular, with many bucket list highlights. First of these is the Tren a las Nubes an old train that follows the Quebrada del Toro valley up into the high Andes. The train is in a varying state of repair so we followed its route up the valley. Particularly impressive was the La Polvorilla viaduct high above the valley that looks a bit like the Forth Rail Bridge meets the Andes. The railway line carries on up the valley through a series of switchbacks, tunnels and many more viaducts to the small town of San Antonio de los Cobres some 3775 metres above sea level. San Antonio would not look out of place in the more Andean countries to the North.
Beyond San Antonio are the Salinas Grandes, Argentina’s largest salt flats. Mountains on all sides surround the Salinas Grandes, and the glistening white salt flats sit in dramatic contrast to the deep blue skies that persist in this area almost devoid of rain. While not as large as those in Bolivia they are nevertheless mightily impressive and extend right to the horizon. The salt flats are actively mined and the salt is used for both human and animal consumption as well as for many industries. The buildings on the roadside are all constructed from blocks of salt, a most unusual building material.
The other big draw in the region is the Quebrada de Humahuaca and in particular the small town of Purmamarca. The surrounding mountainsides are multi-coloured and make a picture postcard backdrop to Purmamarca. The Cerro de los Siete Colores is in all the guidebooks and is made up of at least seven different colours, mainly different types of iron ore giving the reds and greens and the other minerals the ochres and other colours. Being a UNESCO World Hertiage Site, Purmamarca is rammed full of daytrippers, taking in the beautiful setting and also the craft market in the main square.
Date: 26/04/2018 to 01/05/2018