8 amazing landscapes you can find in Salta

Salta is a province where you can find a great variety of unique tourist attractions.

Each corner of this province has its charms and it is worth knowing them, that is why we are going to recommend you in this guide the 8 best landscapes of Salta:

Located in the Calchaquíes Valleys a few kilometers from the town of Cafayate (20 kilometers), this natural reserve impacts those who visit it with its rocky formations and its reddish walls that vary its colors according to the sunlight.

The Quebrada de las Conchas, also known as Quebrada de Cafayate was in the year 1995 declared a nature reserve to protect the curious geological formations icas, the high walls of singular landscape value and the paleontological sites belonging to the Cretaceous period.

The rock formations that you are going to see from the ravine are a geologically modern accident , produced by tectonic movements that took place in the last two million years. Inside the reserve you will also be able to observe the Las Conchas river where the route of National Route 68 is located, which connects the town of Cafayate with the city of Salta.

During the tour you can see landscapes of very varied colors and geo-forms of great variety, among which the Devil's Throat and the Amphitheater of reddish sedimentary rocks stand out. In the past (when this entire area was humid) these formations were waterfalls of fresh water, which, due to the flow of concentrated water, eroded the stone, which today astonishes visitors due to their striking shapes.

Other geo-shapes that you can observe in this reserve   which has an extension of 50 kilometers (each important site is signposted in the entrance of the reserve on the RN68 with their respective paths) are: the Amphitheater, El Fraile, El Sapo, La Yesera, Las Ventanas, La Casa de los Loros and Los Castillos. 

One way to know all these geo-shapes is with the one-day tour of La Yesera with which you will see the most important points of the Quebrada and enjoy beautiful views with a guide who will take you through a trekking and in a 4x van 4 through all the formations and will also organize a picnic to make it a super complete walk through the entire reserve. 

Due to its archaeological and historical past, the reserve Quebrada de las Conchas has numerous fossil remains. In the area near the Morales bridge (3 kilometers from the entrance to the park) are the fossil frogs of the pipids group. There are layers of continental and marine limestone and even dinosaur footprints. Also, the so-called stromatolites are presented. In La Yesera, there is an important deposit of fossil fish, evidence of a process that would have occurred about 15 million years ago: the last entry from the sea to the continent.

The stream and its surroundings are also one of the most important areas for bird conservation in Argentina. In this area you can see:  condors, burrowing parrots, Poma, Solitaria, Widow eagles and green macaws. Other animal species that you can cross are the guanaco, the bush cat, the collared peccary and the corzuela.

On the side of the fauna, it is possible to observe horco quebracho, guayacán, white quebracho, molle, cacti and cardones.

If you are interested in arriving from the downtown to La Quebrada de Cafayate, it is advisable to rent a car and drive 169 kilometers (3 hours) along National Route 68 to the signposted entrance of the reserve.

In the Salar de Arizaro   located more than 3,000 meters above the level of the sea is one of the most amazing natural formations of Salta, the great Cono of Arita. A geoform of volcanic origin that rises at the southern end of the salt flat and resembles a pyramid. It has a height of about 200 meters, it is for many the most perfect natural cone in the world.

Several studies showed that this formation  is nothing more than a volcano that did not have enough force to erupt, so it does not have a crater or cast lava, the surrounding landscape is black salt, which is attracted to the surface by underground magma. Due to the remains found in the place, it is believed that the cone was a ceremonial center for those who inhabited the area before the arrival of the Incas. 

For their part, the inhabitants of Tolar Grande (the closest inhabited center to the Cone of Arita) consider this natural spectacle the "Condor's Nest" or the "Vulture's Dormidero" in allusion to the place where the condors that fly over the area rest to feed on dead animals.

In addition to the excursions that arrive every day from the city of Salta ,  the area is also noted for the mining of salt, marble, iron, copper and onyx . Most of the visitors who approach the salt flats only go as far as the base of the cone, the more adventurous climb it although it has some difficulty, since being salt in a more solid state one is slipping as one ascends.

If you found this place interesting, a very practical way to get to know it is with the Tour to Tolar Grande, where you will know all the landscapes and natural wonders that surround this town and among them is the Cone of Arita. This journey is done with a guide and 4x4 transfers included from the capital.

Keep in mind that if you go on your own from l to the city of Salta is 600 kilometers  by car along National Route 51   until you reach the entrance to the town Tolar Grande and then from there there are 6 kilometers that are signposted to the sign that mentions the Salar de Arizano. 

The Ojos de Mar are pools of turquoise and salty water that form a kind of oasis in the middle of the puna. They are  640 kilometers from Salta capital and 5 kilometers from Tolar Grande.

There are three lagoons in the middle of a white salt flat ( Arizaro), they are called  Ojos de Mar  because the first settlers who arrived at the place in the 40s said that it was water from the Pacific Ocean (which is about 400 kilometers) that arrived to these salt flats formed by volcanic action through subterranean filtrations.

The reality is that all the slopes of this sector of the puna were volcanoes that erupted a lot of salt and the accumulated water from the rains passed under the salt and then through a process of erosion, when oxygen enters, the water gushes out forming these wonderful eyes.

A few years ago,  the CONICET discovered the presence of stromatolites, microorganisms specialized in transforming carbon dioxide into oxygen  dating back thousands of mi llons of years.   They are living stones that, when they die, remain in time as fossils. Although they cannot be seen, they have a high scientific value. The discovery was very important since it was thought that there, due to the height and adverse climatic conditions, it was impossible to find life forms. Therefore, the local authorities made a parking lot and several trails to protect the place, which can only be accessed by walking.

To get to Ojos de Mar, the most recommended option is to do it with the  Tour a Tolar Grande, where you will not only be able to visit this beautiful natural setting but for three days with hotels, meals, transfers and guides included you will see all the most important sites that surround this town (Cono de Arita, El Arenal, Arizaro Desert, Seven Curves and much more) you will be able to take amazing photos and visit each place.

If you prefer to go by car from Salta to Los Ojos de Mar (Tolar Grande),  it is about 640 kilometers along National Route 51 until reaching the in Go to the town, where you will see Provincial Route 17 that takes you to the entrance to the parking lot of the salar (5 kilometers) where the Ojos de Mar are located.

With the Train to Las Nubes without a doubt you will be able to enjoy the best landscapes that Salta offers from the heights, this train offers a  ride to the puna , where in addition to enjoying incredible views, you will be able to observe a of the  epics of railway construction: La Polvorilla Viaduct, which reaches up to  4,200 meters high. 

Once the train starts moving for 50 minutes it does not stop and goes with a slow march until it reaches to the  La Polvorilla Viaduct, during this section there is a guide who goes wagon by wagon telling his story and curiosities about the route, while through the window you can see the landscapes and enjoy the breezes on your face.  The train only stops once, at the height of the abandoned Concordia mine , so that the locomotive is behind and pushes the train to the end (it cannot get off). It is a short but impressive section due to the brown landscapes of the hills and the height, until finally the famous viaduct appears before the eye and dazzles with its 63-meter beams, extended for 223 meters. A masterpiece completed in 1932, where upon arriving at the station travelers are greeted by a group of boys who play Andean songs with sikus and quenas. They also sing the Aurora along with the waving of the flag against a sky.

In La Polvorilla where passengers are invited to descend before returning to the You can see stalls of local artisans with woolen fabrics, the children of the town come with their llamas and sheep to be photographed with the hills and cardones in the background. Once everyone goes through the area, the return to the starting point in San Antonio de los Cobres begins.

During the circuit you can see the best landscapes of the valleys and puna, 29 bridges, 21 tunnels and 13 viaducts are crossed. In total between roundtrip the trip takes 1 hour 30 minutes, it starts from San Antonio de los Cobres and the return to the La Polvorilla Viaduct.

One of the most recommended ways to get to know this exotic transport is to hire the Tour Tren a Las Nubes, where passengers have a transfer from the city center to San Antonio de los Cobres , where the adventure begins on board the railway to the Viaducto La Polvorilla station (It is the highest structure of the C-14 railway branch, at more than 4200 meters above sea level) where the return to Los Cobres is resumed.

To get to San Antonio de los Cobres and get on the Train to the Clouds on your own, you can take the combis from the city of Salta   (Plaza San Martín) to the starting point of the train. Another option is to go  by car , you have to go along the RN51 for 160 kilometers.

 

Los Cradones National Park is an area of 65,520 hectares spread between the departments of Cachi and San Carlos, 100 kilometers from Salta. In 1996 this reserve was created in order to protect an area that encompasses four different natural environments: The mountains, the dry streams (between 2,700 and 5,000 meters high), the pockets (where the cardonal is developed) and the area with foggy grassland, typical of the Las Yungas region. 

During the tour of the reserve you will notice that the peaks of the nbsp stand out in the distance ; Cerro Malcante, Sierra del Candado and Filo del Pelado.  To the west you can see the  Colorada and Apacheta mountains, to the north the Abra del Pozo Bravo  and to the south, an imaginary line divides the  Tonco or Los Colorados valley in half. 

Something very characteristic of this National Park are cardones, they look like green lookouts in the middle of the desert. The cardón or pasacana (Trichocereus pasacana)  is a typical species of our country, its bark is covered with thorns that look like golden needles  and can measure 30 centimeters, there are still artisans who use them to knit llama wool. 

The average growth of a cardón is 1 to 5 centimeters per year and only when it reaches half a century of life, can they generate their characteristic white flowers that die after a few days giving way to its fruit: the pasacana, from which about 80 thousand seeds are released. Incredibly, only one seed will germinate under the shelter of the jarilla. In the park  you can see specimens of up to 3 meters   that are the witnesses of the centuries in the area, since it is estimated  they are between 250 and 300 years old.   Although its wood seems fragile, it is used to make braces for ceilings, furniture and handicrafts. 

The landscape of the reserve is surrounded by cardones, there are more than a million of these specimens and 17 different species , ranging from small ones at ground level to ten meters high. They all grow under the shelter of jarillas, small bushes that shelter them as nurse plants in their first years of life.

If you have the possibility to travel in spring, it is A beautiful season to see the flowers of the cardones (Just at 50 years of age they give their first flower), they are small, pink, beige or yellow. During the winter only the thorns are seen that over thousands of years replaced the leaves in the evolution of the species to survive the desert. 

Other plant species that you will notice in the landscapes are the amancay, small plants that only grow in times of rain and are grouped at the foot of the slopes. In the most open and desert sectors are the typical pitches and brooms, which are shrubs that do not exceed one meter in height, with green stems and yellow flowers. There are also grasses and legumes, and some species of fungi.

In the reserve you will also  be able to photograph and see more than 150 species of birds , being the rock carpenter the most emblematic, locally called yasto. As for the endemic ones, that is, species that only exist in this region, you can find the sand cock, the okra bandurrín and the white-browed churrín.

Within the landscapes offered by the Los Cardones National Park, you will notice that the guanacos are not lacking, who will observe you curiously from afar. Also inhabiting this desert are the  pajonal cat, the gray fox, skunks, the mountain monterita and the red fox.   Other species of fauna are the  tuco puneño, the Andean snake and the stone frog.  It is also worth mentioning the  Andean Condor , who flies over the reserve in search of food.

This great reserve is recommended to visit it with the  Tour a Cachi, where With a 4x4 truck you reach this picturesque town and then you go through the entire park to appreciate the landscapes, flora and fauna of the place. They will stop to learn about the characteristics of the soil and plant species such as cardones. A guide will accompany you throughout the journey and you will also be able to visit other nearby places such as the Tin-Tin straight, the Mill Stone, the Enchanted Valley and the Cuesta del Obispo.

In the case of going  by car you have to drive to the southwest of the city of Salta, traveling National Route 68 to the town of El Carril, here you take Provincial Route N33, which runs through the Quebrada de Escoipe and the Cuesta del Obispo, until you reach Piedra del Molino. From that point you can access the Park, by the Tin-Tin straight to the picturesque town of Payogasta and then continue along National Route No. 40 towards Cachi.

The  Devil's Bridge it is  a cavern of 111 meters of extension located in La Poma (200km from the city),  is covered by stalactites, stalagmites and is crossed by a frozen underground river.

This cavern is a geographical feature formed naturally by rain and strong winds, it has an important geological value due to its excellent condition in the found, the tunnel is on the Calchaquí riverbed formed by the basaltic remains of the eruptions nes of volcanoes that surround it.

The place has been known since ancient times, since  its roof was used by native peoples as a natural bridge to crossing cattle , currently became a site studied by biologists due to its natural qualities.

Those who visit this cave will notice that As you descend  you will find two fossil galleries and at the bottom of the ravine is the access to the main gallery through which the river of frozen waters enters.  Its flow is important and its drag force increases and the difference in level between the extremes reaches 1.5 meters.

The first sector consists of a large room where you can walk on your feet, From this point looking towards the entrance, you can see the water in a green hue, product of the presence of photosynthetic algae, which indicates the establishment of primary producers in the ecosystem of the cave. a.

These algae, plus the matter carried by the river, are used by a colony of crabs that gather in the backwaters. Stalactites and stalagmites casts cover the entire level, cementing, even trailing trunks and branches. The room narrows until it becomes a gallery one meter wide, considerably increasing the depth of the water, reaching 1.7 meters in some sections.

As you go, the height of the ceiling lowers until you have to crawl, with only 15 centimeters between the water level and the ceiling. The outlet end is expanded to form a new room where the river loses depth.  On the walls of these fossil galleries you can see an infinite combination of colors and textures   that make them true " natural works of art ”.

These drawings that are formed on the walls with water and minerals, give rise to the imagination of those who visit them and they say they see human figures and faces, demons and mythological beings , which give rise to ancient legends and the fearful respect of the locals for this place where they assure that "the Devil lives" and that is why it receives the name of the Puente del Diablo Cavern.

To get to this cavern you can hire the Trekking Puente del Diablo which includes a guide with which the hike begins a few kilometers from the town of P Umamarca to the cavern (approximately five hours of walking), throughout this tour you will be able to see characteristic landscapes of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, as well as the Puna of Jujuy and see different animals such as llamas, vicuñas, guayatas and Andean vizcachas. Once in the Cavern, they will tell you all the curiosities about this mysterious place and you will be able to do the whole tour inside with the helmets and accessories that the guide gives you.

In the case of going  by car, you have to go from the city of Salta for 200 kilometers to El Puente del Diablo, from the entrance to this site you have to follow the signs that lead to the ravines of the Calchaquí river, where a sign welcomes the cave of the Devil's Bridge. 

Another of the most attractive landscapes that Salta offers is the Quebrada de las Flechas located between Cafayate and Cachi, its name is due to e xtrañas  pointed rock formations inclined towards the sky that form walls up to 20 meters high.

The Quebrada de las Flechas is located in Angastaco, a town in the department of San Carlos, and Route 40 stretches for several kilometers on both sides. It forms part of the Calchaquíes Valleys, a circuit of traditional villages with adobe houses, ravines and reddish hills. These formations that seem from another planet are about  20 million years old , for this reason the area is protected and is part of the Provincial Natural Monument of Angastaco. 

If you are interested in touring the Quebrada de Las Flechas you have to get to  by car to the  kilometer 4,380   of national route 40 , it is about 242 kilometers from the city of Salta, here you will see all the rock formations and you can take incredible photos, you also go to notice gravel roads to your right where you can enter with the car and continue seeing the wonderful landscapes that this area has.