Salta

After the beauty of Iguizu I was a bit apprehensive over what to expect in Salta. I needn't have worried!

Salta is the capital of a huge state of northern Argentina bordering Bolivia to the north, Paraguay to the east and Chile to the west.

I arrived after an uneventful luxury 24 hour bus journey and immediately found my hostel. A pleasant place about 5 blocks from the centre of town. I was in a dorm but was lucky enough to be on my own for my entire stay which was a touch!

Salta is a great base for two reasons, first it is a picturesque city with colonial architecture and a great nightlife. Secondly it is a great starting point for exploring the surrounding countryside.

I decided to stop here for a week and quickly began planning my activities. The three outings I settled on were a trip to Cafayate through a fantastic gorge. The train to the clouds and some more whitewater rafting...

Once all these trips were booked up I hit the town, taking a cable car up the nearby mountain (1500 meters) for a great view over the town and then visiting a few of the local museums. The High Altitude Archaeology Museum, featuring a complete 3000 year old mummy was a particular highlight. That evening I hit the town to sample Salta's famous nightlife. It was a similar experience to Buenos Aires in that nothing started until gone midnight, something I'm still struggling to get used to.

Trip to Cafayate:

I was up early for this organised trip (6.30 ouch). It was a bus trip stopping off at several fascinating gorges and other rock formations

The afternoon involved a trip to a wine distillery and a trip to the town of Cafayate itself, a really nice trip overall.

Train to the clouds:

This was an 16 hour train ride up into the mountains that border Argentina and Bolivia. Initially built for mining use the train now runs four times weekly as a tourist attraction. On the 8 hour journey up you really get to see what a magnificent feat of engineering this was at the time it was built. The tide finishes at an aqueduct at 4200 meters before the long trip back down!

Whitewater rafting:

A really pleasant days rafting down through the green valleys south of Salta. Pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/tumbridge/RaftingInSalta#

Next up is a trip across to Chile on route to Bolivia...