Salta and Pepas

July 19, 2008 12:51 PM

We are traveling from Buenos Aires to the north of Argentina and are looking for suggestions of where to stop and rest.

My partner and I are headed northward toward Peru from Buenos Aires by bus. I will be going through Chile and she through Bolivia because of some visa entanglement, but we'd like to travel together through Argentina. We have about a week and a half to get to the point where we split (we were thinking Salta, but if there's a more efficient way, thats that.)

Any ideas or suggestions of where to go or what to see along the way. We were thinking of stopping by Cordoba, La Rioja, and Tucuman but nothing is set in stone. We are into biking, nature and experiencing local culture. We are a little underprepared gearwise for Andean winter, so someplace not too arctic would be nice. We've been in the city for a while so we'd like to see some trees and little birds. Also we like cheap delicious vegetarian food.

posted by cloeburner to Travel & Transportation (1 answer total)

If you can make it to Mendoza, it's totally worth the detour. An awesome little city filled with trees, terasses and ice cream places. It also has a huge park with a fine zoo, nice place to chill for an afternoon. You can also do wine tours around the city. And since it's a major town, you'll find plenty of buses that go north. You can take a cama night bus from Buenos Aires, thus saving one night at the hotel.

Don't plan too much time in Tucuman; it's got a great plaza, but that's about it. The region I prefered was from Cafayate to Humahuaca. In Cafayate, you can also visit bodegas, as well as the Quebrada de Cafayate (if you stay at the El Balcon they offer guided tours) and the Valles Calchaquies. You can end up in Salta after the Valles. It's an ok town with a great plaza. Then you'll hit the Quebrada de Humahuaca, an amazing mountain range (don't miss Purmamarca; it's touristy, but really, really nice). Humahuaca is also a great little town with lots of boutiques and a funky cemetery.

Have fun! You can Mefimail me if you have questions; I've done the same trip, opposite direction (Peru, Bolivia and then Argentina). I'd like to add this: Do not miss the Salar de Uyuni and the Volcanoes valley, this, with the Macchu Pichu, was the highlight of my trip. You can do it from Tupiza and then end up in Uyuni.
posted by ddaavviidd at 1:26 PM on July 19, 2008