Salta and Jujuy: Cafayate Wine and the Quebrada de Humahuaca

1. Day 1: Arrive in Salta

   Salta airport (SLA) to your hotel in central Salta

   • Dinner
   • Stay in Salta
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Martin Miguel de Guemes International Airport (SLA) in Salta, a city at roughly 1,150 m, low enough that most people feel nothing yet. A driver is proposed to meet you in arrivals and take you to the hotel in the centre; the transfer is short and we do not quote a time until the airport and hotel are fixed. If you land early you can walk to Plaza 9 de Julio, the arcaded colonial square with the cathedral, and find a cafe under the arches. In the evening your See Sight Tours guide, to be appointed, briefs the group on the eight days: why the order is Cafayate first and the high north later, how altitude is handled, what to pack for cold dry mountain mornings. A welcome dinner of northwestern dishes such as empanadas salteñas follows nearby. Flight arrival times vary; early or late arrivals may need a different plan.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Salta airport (SLA), proposed
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

   

2. Day 2: Quebrada de las Conchas to Cafayate

   Salta to Cafayate through the Quebrada de las Conchas

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Cafayate
   Day 2 details

   We leave Salta in the morning and drive south into the Calchaqui country, with the road running up the Quebrada de las Conchas, a gorge of red, ochre and green rock cut by the Rio de las Conchas. Short walking stops are planned at the formations along the road, which have names such as the Garganta del Diablo and the Anfiteatro, so you see them at walking speed rather than through a window. The full road is a long day by Andean standards, roughly three and a half to four hours of driving once the stops are counted, and we treat the stops as the point of the day. We arrive in Cafayate, a low town of whitewashed houses around a plaza at about 1,660 m, in time for a stroll and a first glass of torrontes, the white grape the town is known for. Dinner is free so you can choose.

   Included

   • Vehicle and driver, Salta to Cafayate
   • Walking stops in the Quebrada de las Conchas with your guide

   Easier option: Stay at the roadside viewpoints rather than walking into the formations

   More active option: Add a longer walk at the formations where the guide judges conditions and access suitable

   Free time: Free evening in Cafayate

   Activity: Long driving day; the drive time is an estimate to be confirmed against the final vehicle partner and road conditions. Heavy summer rain can affect the gorge road.

3. Day 3: Torrontes wineries and high vineyards

   Cafayate and the vineyards of the Calchaqui valley

   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Cafayate
   Day 3 details

   A full day for wine and landscape around Cafayate. We plan to visit two or three wineries in the valley, among them a smaller family cellar and one that grows grapes high on the valley sides, where the altitude and the large swing between hot days and cold nights shape the torrontes. The producers are not appointed and the list depends on tasting capacity and who is open on the day. Lunch is proposed at one of the wineries or in a restaurant in town, with local dishes such as empanadas and goat. The afternoon is free: wander the plaza, walk the dry riverbed paths on the edge of town, or rest. Tastings are measured and a driver is used throughout, but guests who prefer not to drink can join the walks and meals without the glass. Whether tasting fees are included is a supplier confirmation item.

   Included

   • Visits to two or three wineries with tastings, producers to be confirmed
   • Lunch at a winery or in Cafayate

   Optional experiences

   • A longer vineyard walk or bicycle hire in the valley, subject to local operators

   Free time: Free afternoon and evening in Cafayate

   Activity: Winery names and tasting inclusions are unconfirmed.

4. Day 4: Back to Salta, the high-mountain museum and a peña

   Cafayate to Salta by road, then the MAAM museum and a peña

   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Salta
   Day 4 details

   We drive back to Salta by the same gorge road, this time stopping at different viewpoints and taking our time, and aim to reach the city by early afternoon. The afternoon is for the Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana, the MAAM, which tells the story of the Inca child sacrifices found near the summit of Llullaillaco. The museum shows one of the children at a time on rotation for conservation, and the current one is announced on its own website, so we cannot promise which child you will see; the museum lists Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 19:00, with last entry at 18:30 and Mondays closed; it posts holiday exceptions, so we recheck each date. The exhibit shows the remains of children, which some guests find affecting, and it is entirely optional. Dinner is at a peña, a restaurant with live folk music, where guitars and a bombo drum accompany zambas and chacareras; the venue is unconfirmed.

   Included

   • Vehicle and driver, Cafayate to Salta
   • MAAM (Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana) entry with your guide
   • Dinner at a peña with live folk music

   Optional experiences

   • Cable car up Cerro San Bernardo for a view of the city, subject to operation

   Free time: Free time around Plaza 9 de Julio before dinner

   Activity: Departure dates must avoid a Monday for this day because the MAAM is closed, and holidays may change its hours. Which child is displayed is the museum's decision. Entry fees and ticketing are to be confirmed.

5. Day 5: Into the Quebrada de Humahuaca to Purmamarca

   Salta to Purmamarca by road through Jujuy

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Purmamarca
   Day 5 details

   Today we leave the valleys for the high north. The drive from Salta to Purmamarca is about three hours without stops, past the green tobacco and sugar country of the Jujuy lowlands and then climbing into the dry mountains of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a UNESCO World Heritage valley. We stop where it suits the light and the legs. Purmamarca sits at about 2,300 m under the Cerro de los Siete Colores, the hill of seven colours, striped by ancient sediments. In the afternoon we walk the little circuit of coloured rock close to the village, an easy walk of about an hour, and then the handicraft market on the plaza, where llama wool goods are sold. We sleep at 2,300 m, a gentle step up from Salta, so sleeping altitude rises in steps before the days above 4,000 m. Tonight is a quiet dinner of your choice.

   Included

   • Vehicle and driver, Salta to Purmamarca
   • Walk around the Cerro de los Siete Colores circuit with your guide

   Easier option: Walk only the first part of the circuit and take a seat at the plaza

   More active option: Climb to the viewpoint above the village if the guide judges conditions suitable

   Free time: Free afternoon and evening in Purmamarca

   Activity: Many travellers drink water, use sun protection and walk slowly at altitude; ask a doctor what suits you.

   

6. Day 6: Salinas Grandes and the 4,170 m pass

   Purmamarca to Salinas Grandes over the Cuesta de Lipan and back

   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Purmamarca
   Day 6 details

   This is the first of the two days above 4,000 m. A paved road, Ruta 52, climbs in long switchbacks from Purmamarca over the Cuesta de Lipan, whose high point is reported at about 4,170 m, then drops to the white expanse of Salinas Grandes at roughly 3,450 m, where official sources give slightly differing heights. The distance one way is about 65 km. We walk a little on the salt crust, see the rectangular harvesting pools, and learn from a local community guide how the salt is cut by hand; tourism information indicates visits inside the salt flat are led by local community guides; arrangements and fees are theirs to set and are unconfirmed. We drive slowly, keep the day short at altitude, and return to Purmamarca for the afternoon. Altitude headaches are common on this road. Wind, cold and bright sun can make it demanding, and weather can change the plan at short notice.

   Included

   • Vehicle and driver, Purmamarca to Salinas Grandes and back
   • Salt-flat visit; local guide arrangements to be confirmed
   • Lunch

   Easier option: Stay near the vehicle at the viewpoints and skip the walk onto the salt

   More active option: Add a longer walk along the edge of the salt flat at the guide's discretion

   Free time: Afternoon free in Purmamarca

   Activity: Altitude above 4,000 m on this day. The pass and salt-flat access can close or be restricted by weather. Entry fees and community guide arrangements are to be confirmed.

   

7. Day 7: Tilcara, Humahuaca and the Hornocal

   Purmamarca to Tilcara by Maimara, Humahuaca and the Hornocal viewpoint

   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Tilcara
   Day 7 details

   Today we follow the valley north through Maimara, with the Paleta del Pintor hillside, to Tilcara, where the pre-Inca Pucara hill fort has been partly rebuilt on a rise above the village and gives a view along the whole quebrada; the site lists Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 18:30, with last entry at 17:15, closed on Mondays, and its guided route is suspended in rain. After a break we continue to Humahuaca, a historic town of narrow streets around a plaza at about 3,000 m, and then take the gravel road, reported at about 24 km from the town, to the Hornocal viewpoint, reported at about 4,350 m, the second day above 4,000 m. The Hornocal is a long wall of striped rock, often called the hill of fourteen colours, and how it looks depends on cloud and light, which we cannot promise. We go slowly, spend only a short time at the top and then descend to sleep in Tilcara at about 2,460 m, a lower night than Humahuaca. Dinner is proposed in town.

   Included

   • Vehicle and driver for the day
   • Tilcara Pucara visit with your guide
   • Humahuaca town walk
   • Hornocal viewpoint
   • Group dinner in Tilcara

   Easier option: Skip the climb at the Pucara and enjoy the view from the lower paths

   More active option: Take the longer circuit across the Pucara hill with the guide

   Free time: Short rest in Tilcara before dinner

   Activity: Altitude above 4,000 m. The road to the Hornocal is reported to be gravel and can be closed by weather; Monday departures for this day do not work because the Pucara is closed. Admission to the Pucara and any local access fees are unconfirmed.

   

8. Day 8: Return to Salta and fly out

   Tilcara to Salta airport by road

   • Breakfast
   Day 8 details

   After breakfast we drive back down the quebrada and south through Jujuy to Salta. The road is about 4 hours in total by our estimate, a rough figure to be confirmed against the final route and traffic, and we allow time for a stop on the way if the group wants one. The driver takes guests to the airport in time for onward flights. Because the road time is long and unpredictable in rain, we cannot give a safe earliest flight time yet; we will set one once the route and supplier are fixed, and we ask guests not to buy flights home until then. Extra nights in Salta are not part of this proposal; whether they can be offered, and at what cost, is not yet known. The trip ends at Salta airport.

   Included

   • Vehicle and driver, Tilcara to Salta and the airport

   Activity: Earliest safe flight time to be confirmed; do not book onward flights yet.

Wildlife and weather: April to November is the dry season in the northwest, with sunny days, but mornings at altitude can be near freezing, winter nights (June to August) are cold and the sun is strong. Summer (about January to March) brings rain that can cause road cuts, which is why we do not propose those months. This note is general and not a forecast.

• Salta1 night
• Cafayate2 nights
• Salta1 night
• Purmamarca2 nights
• Tilcara1 night