Footsteps of the Conquistadores
Trip Highlights
Street Corner in Purmamarca
The Seven Colours of Purmamarca
Cusi Cusi's spectacular Valle de Luna
The old Spanish Fort of Hornillos
Description
A high altitude 4x4 adventure along the old colonial mining route: bringing you into close contact with the Altiplano wildlife of vicuña, flamingoes, and rhea.
This tour combines the must-see highlights of the UNESCO-protected Quebrada de Humahuaca with little-explored sections of the Argentine mountain plateau, close to the border with Bolivia.
Click here to view map route.
Tour info
Why take this tour?
We head north from Salta to San Salvador de Jujuy, following the old mountain road between these two historic cities, before climbing into the Quebrada de Humahuaca. This is the old Spanish supply route from Buenos Aires to Lima, and it’s replete with history from the past milennium. The Inca adapted an 11th century indigenous hill settlement at Tilcara, the pukara fort. When the Spanish arrived, they built churches, including Uquia’s San Francisco which has some rare and startling artwork. A Spanish fort at Hornillos has been converted into a museum dedicated to the War of Independence, much of which was fought up and down the Quebrada de Humahuaca two centuries ago.
After passing through the relatively heavily populated Quebrada, we rise in altitude into the Puna, the mountain plateau of northern Argentina, through the colourful limestone rockscape of Tres Cruces, and visit the town of Abra Pampa, which remains to this day a hub for indigenous trade in llama, salt blocks, quinoa, and sweetcorn.
One of our overnight stops is Yavi, close to the Bolivian border, home to a 17th-century church and an old colonial house with an extraordinary history. At nearby Laguna Colorado there are petroglyph rock paintings from hunter-gatherer times. We also stay in arguably the oldest settlement in Argentina, Santa Catalina (founded in 1547), gateway to Laguna de los Pozuelos, a high altitude Altiplano lagoon that is home to 44 species of birds, including a colony of 25,000 flamingoes.
From here we take the classic Route 40, which links Argentina from north to the south along more than 5,000km, through some of the most remote parts of the country, many of them old and existing mining settlements like Pirquitas, Susques, and San Antonio de los Cobres: the latter is where the famous Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) makes its journey. We return to Salta through the Quebrada del Toro, visiting the pre-hispanic ruins of Tastil, and can also take a walk of two or three hours along a little-known section of the Inca trail.
Included
Local Tour Guide
Own Private Vehicle
Excluded
Food
Water
Things to know
Your Budget
Argentina has a parallel economy in which the official rate of the dollar is roughly half its real value. What that means is you need to leave your bank cards for emergencies and bring US$ or euros in cash which we can change into pesos for your everyday expenses. You’ll find Salta city is a lo...
Argentina has a parallel economy in which the official rate of the dollar is roughly half its real value. What that means is you need to leave your bank cards for emergencies and bring US$ or euros in cash which we can change into pesos for your everyday expenses. You’ll find Salta city is a lot cheaper than Buenos Aires, and your holiday in Argentina is even better value once we take you on the road on one of our trips. Read our guide to the "Blue Dollar" here.
Accommodation & Food
Double rooms at the privately owned B&Bs and small hotels we work with start from US$50 per night. You can eat well in some of the simple rustic places we use where you will be rubbing shoulders with the locals for less than US$10 per person. And splashing out on a three-course meal with wine in ...
Double rooms at the privately owned B&Bs and small hotels we work with start from US$50 per night. You can eat well in some of the simple rustic places we use where you will be rubbing shoulders with the locals for less than US$10 per person. And splashing out on a three-course meal with wine in a smart restaurant is unlikely to set you back more than US$50 for a couple.
Pricing
Headline price based on three people travelling together in one of our 4x4s with an English-speaking driver/guide.
Below are our DAILY rates PER PERSON excluding food and accommodation: valid to end 2023.
One person - US$350
Two people - US$200
Three people- US$150
Headline price based on three people travelling together in one of our 4x4s with an English-speaking driver/guide.
Below are our DAILY rates PER PERSON excluding food and accommodation: valid to end 2023.
One person - US$350
Two people - US$200
Three people- US$150
Group Size
This trip covers some very rough roads in the mountain plateau, so for safety and comfort we take a maximum of three passengers per vehicle. If you're travelling with a larger group, please contact us and we can try to accommodate you in two 4x4s.
This trip covers some very rough roads in the mountain plateau, so for safety and comfort we take a maximum of three passengers per vehicle. If you're travelling with a larger group, please contact us and we can try to accommodate you in two 4x4s.
Check Availability
More Experiences
Essential Humahuaca
Combine the highlights of the colourful Quebrada de Humahuaca with the other-wordly Salinas Grandes salt flats in the Argentina Altiplano.
Rich in indigenous culture and colonial history, the old trade route from Buenos Aires to Lima features the Seven Coloured Hill of Purmamarca, and Hornocal's lesser known sierra of Fourteen Colours.
A side-trip to appreciate the immensity of the Salinas Grandes salt flats makes this one of the most diverse two day trips available from Salta or San Salvador de Jujuy.
Click here to view map route.
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We can often combine this trip with our Classic Wine route by taking the mountain pass of Abra el Acay, the highest road crossing in the world outside the Himalayas, at just under 5,000m altitude.
Click here to view map route.
Fourteen Colours & Cloud Forest
Hike Argentina’s Inca trail, linking two completely different eco-systems, the dry canyon of Humahuaca and the Cloud Forest of Calilegua.
We take a narrow mountain road which was only finally completed in October 2019, tracing the footsteps of Inca explorers of northwest Argentina from the 15th century.
This trip can be extended to include a visit to the gorgeous mountain town of Iruya and the historic settlement of Yavi on the Bolivian frontier.
Click here to view map route.
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It’s combined with a tour of the Valles Calchaquies wine region, where the white grape of Torrontes finds its best expression, and apart from the classic Argentine Malbec, you can also sample Tannat, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Wine lovers should see our Classic Wine route or Salta to Mendoza trip for more details on the sacred grape: either of those trips can be combined with this one.
Click here to view map route.