Northern Argentina Itinerary: What to See in Salta and Jujuy

Creating a perfect itinerary for visiting Northern Argentina is no easy task. There are SO many beautiful places to visit in both provinces, and although the things to see in Salta and Jujuy may seem all close together, in reality, the points of interest are quite far apart.

I spent loads of time researching the best way to ‘do’ northern Argentina, and to be honest, my efforts were still pretty inconclusive. I knew I wanted to visit the Argentinian salt flats, do a Humahuaca gorge tour, see the cities of Salta and Jujuy, see the sights and taste wine in Cafayate, and also do the famous Tren a Las Nubes train ride from San Antonio de Los Cobres.

Basically, I wanted to see everything I possibly could in these areas in the easiest way possible. I’m going to tell you how I ended up doing it, which was through day tours from Salta and a few nights in Cafayate, and also recommend that you do the same things I did but via renting a car rather than day tours.

So take 8-9 Day Northern Argentina Itinerary and make it your own, as you should with any content I write. I’m here to let you know what to see in Salta and Jujuy (and where to stay!), and you can decide for yourself the way that works best for you, your needs, and your budget.

Visiting Argentina? Check Out Some of My Other Content:

• Classic Patagonia Itinerary
• Northern Patagonia Itinerary
• Wine Tasting in Mendoza: More Than Just Malbec
• Visiting Iguazu Falls: a 2-3 Day Itinerary
• Places to Visit in Argentina (You Didn’t Know Existed)
• Complete Argentina Bucket List: Things to Do in Argentina

Northern Argentina: A More Indigenous Vibe

When you arrive in Northern Argentina, you will immediately feel a different vibe than much of Argentina. This part of the country could be seen as much more similar to Bolivia and Peru than many other places in the country due to its Inca history. Salta and Jujuy were the farthest south that the Incas came, and it shows with the people, culture, and history in this area.

When you arrive here you will quickly notice the colorful crafts and the presence of more traditional and indigenous traditions, clothing, dances, and food.

Visiting Northern Argentina: How I Did It With Day Tours

As I said before, it’s a bit tough to travel around this area. So I simplified my time here by basing myself in Salta at first and doing different day tours each day to make it to all the places, even the hard-to-reach ones.

For my first time in Northern Argentina, I ended up staying in Salta for five nights and Cafayate for three. On three of my days in Salta, I did day tours (linked below) to the Salinas Grandes, the Tren a Las Nubes, and the Humahuaca Gorge.

I think Cafayate is worth much more than a day tour (which many people do) and therefore worth staying a few nights in. Find more info about all of this below.

Visiting Northern Argentina: By Rental Car

Knowing what I know now about the layout of this part of the country, I will absolutely rent a car next time I visit Northern Argentina. But, I know from experience that it can be overwhelming to plan out your route if you’ve never been.

Luckily for you, I have outlined everything about what to see in Salta and Jujuy below, so you can choose whether to do day tours like I did or if you want to rent a car and drive around the sights yourself.

Compare Argentina Rental Car Prices Here 

What to See In Salta and Jujuy: A Map

This map outlines all the places that are worth visiting in the area that I mention below. Use it as a reference and my advice below while planning your day trips or road trips.

Where to Stay in Salta

Like I said, I stayed in Salta for a while doing day trips, and then moved to Cafayate. There are plenty of places to stay in Salta both for the budget and more luxurious traveler:

Comfort Accommodation in Salta:

I had the opportunity while visiting Salta to be hosted by one of the most incredible and award-winning boutique hotels in the country: Legado Mitico. Pictured above, this hotel does a fantastic job of recreating a different historical vibe in each and every different room and aspect of their hotel.

My room, called “El Gaucho,” had an old-time country horse gaucho type of feeling, with historical photos of Argentine gauchos doing their thing, an old cowhide adorning the wall, and luxurious amenities. My balcony looked out onto the private courtyard, bordered by orange walls with vines twisting and turning up them.

The staff were all over-the-top attentive and helpful, even helping me immediately to change out my DVD player when mine didn’t work for some reason. They made my breakfast to-order, provided me with a list of movies to watch (lots in English, too!) after some long days of exploring.

The main room was decorated beautifully with bookcases, old art, and what must have been indigenous crafts and pottery. They really did well creating a nostalgic and historical feeling that ran throughout the entire property, and I really didn’t want to leave!

Budget Accommodation in Salta:

Salta also has loads of hostels for the backpacker and budget traveler, some of which also have private rooms. Check out:

Coloria Hostel: Bright and colorful hostel near the town center with comfortable dorms and solid wifi.

Prisamata Hostel: Comfortable hostel with free breakfast and occasional traditional group dinners.

What to See in Salta and Jujuy: A List of the Best Places to Visit

Here are places that are a must on your Northern Argentina Itinerary. I recommend spending a day exploring Salta and three days doing day trips from the city for the most ease.

Salta Province

Salta City: Things to Do

Salta is a large city situated around a few main hills. There isn’t a crazy amount going on in the city, which is why you should focus on the amazing sites outside of the city. However, there are a few things to keep you busy for a couple days, and there’s definitely some great shopping as well. Here are some points to check out:

Main Square, Plaza 9 de Julio

Plaza 9 de Julio is the main and central park in the city. There will often be events going on here, from traditional dancing to children’s school events. All the main cafes, restaurants, museums, and accommodation in Salta will be centered around here.

You can walk around or do a half-day tour of Salta if you wish.

Museums

There are a few museums in Salta to visit in Salta. The main one is the Museo Arqueologica de Alta Montaña, which aims to preserve indigenous Andean culture. Its main display is of three children who are thought to have been sacrificed and perfectly preserved in a ceremony in the late 1400’s.

Another museum to put on your radar is the Museo Historico del Norte, which exhibits colonial and war history of Salta in an old 1700’s government building.

Cerro San Bernardo Cable Car/Hike

If there’s one thing to see in Salta, it would be the Cerro San Bernardo, which is a hill overlooking the entire city. If you’re up for it, you can do a fairly simple hike up the hill (they say an hour, but for me, it was about half!).

If not, they have cable cars running up and down the hill all day. You can also buy a one-way cable car ticket if you’d like to walk up or down. Either way, the view is incredible, and it’s a must-see in Salta

The view encompasses the entire city and a lot of its outskirts. Standing here gives you perspective into just how large Salta city and metropolitan area is, with over 600k inhabitants. You will be able to pick out some main points of interest from up there, including the main squares and the San Francisco church.

San Francisco Church

One of the main symbols of Salta, the Church of San Francisco, is painted red with yellow and white trimmings. It’s absolutely gorgeous in the day or the night when it is lit up brightly over the bustling streets.

Art Markets + Shopping

There are two artisanal markets in Salta, with everything you could imagine to buy. As I mentioned, there are loads of indigenous and Andean crafts here in the north, which sets it apart from the rest of Argentina.

Some things to watch out for here and in the area are Andean/Inca crafts, leather, textiles, and cactus wood. Cactus wood was one of my favorite souvenirs from this area, and I recommend getting some!

There’s also some amazing shopping in Salta. In the main streets of town you’ll find huge and cheap stores selling all kinds of clothes and accessories, which are worth checking out.

Folkloric Dance Shows

If you’re lucky, you’ll stumble upon a folkloric dance show while in Salta, or a peña. I saw one in the main square on a Friday night, and it was incredible!

You can book a folklore walk and traditional peña as a 3-hour tour if you want, too.

What to eat in Salta – Empanadas Salteños

Salta is known for having the best empanadas in the country. They are called Empanadas Salteños, after the people of Salta. Apparently, the best place to get these is a restaurant called Doña Salta, which I loved!

You also must try tamales and humitas, which are basically cheese tamales. This area is known for these and they’re very tasty!

Coffee shops in Salta

Like the digital nomad that I am, I found some super cute cafes in Salta to work from, which I like to share with you. These coffee shops are Bixi Coffee House (my favorite), Cafe Martinez, and Cafe Balcarce.

Adventure Activities in Salta

Did you know there are lots of adventure activities to do in the province of Salta? You can go:

• Andes Mountain Biking Tour from Salta – experience the mountains by bike in a full or half-day tour.
• White Water Rafting – full day rafting on the Juramento River in class 2 and 3 rapids
• Hike to Inca Ruins – long (17km + altitude) but beautiful hike to Inca ruins near the Quebrada del Toro.

Cafayate

Cafayate is Argentina’s other wine region – lesser known than Mendoza but amazing just the same! Cafayate is known for its strongly flavored high-altitude wines and for a dry yet sweet-smelling white called Torrontes.

The wineries in Cafayate are all very close, with four within the city center itself. Most people rent bikes to get between the wineries and a few more within 2-6km of the city center.

Cafayate is about a three-hour drive from Salta, and driving there presents some of the best scenery in South America. If you take the bus like I did, make sure to get a good seat! See below for recommendations about seeing the scenery.

Quebrada de Las Conchas

The Quebrada de Las Conchas is an area of incredible natural beauty along the 68 highway between Salta and Cafayate. You’ll see it from the bus ride, but this area is probably one you’ll want to get a better look at.

To see the Quebrada de Las Conchas you can:

• Rent a bike from Cafayate, and jump on a bus (Flechabus) heading for Salta. Many people do this, and the busses know to stop at the Garganta del Diablo, a huge crevice in the mountain called the Devil’s throat. You can then make your way back to Cafayate by bike, stopping at the sights along the way. Many hostels and places in the city center rent bikes. It’s long and has some up’s and downs, but this way you have the freedom to stop wherever you want.

• Do a tour from Cafayate. This is what I did. Tour vans will shuttle you between the points of interest along the Quebrada de Las Conchas in the afternoon when the light hits the colorful hills just right. This way you won’t have to research stops, but you won’t have as much time to yourself. Book this from an agency in town.

• Rent a car and take your time stopping at the points of interest (and wherever you like) on the way from Salta to Cafayate. Having a car here will also be great for wine tasting and visiting the more removed wineries.

Cachi

Cachi is another beautiful town not too far away from Salta that you can reach both via day tour from Salta or by driving with a rental car. A day tour to Cachi would be one of the days of your Northern Argentina Itinerary.

It’s an old-style town you can reach by driving the beautiful 33 Highway through a few beautiful gorges.

Check out this Day Tour to Cachi from Salta or This one that also visits the Calchaquies Valleys

Highway 51 Drive – Quebrada del Toro From Salta to San Antonio de Las Cobres

Another epic must-do day trip from Salta is the Quebrada del Tori/Highway 51. This road is simply beautiful, with jaw-dropping views throughout. It takes you through the Toro Gorge (Quebrada del Toro) and up into the Puna Highlands (Puna de Atacama), which are all colorful and gorgeous.

The tour to San Antonio de Los Cobres takes you along this road with all relevant and beautiful stops.

There are about 5-6 different places you can stop along this road, including a beautiful viaduct, many viewpoints and colorful mountains, and some tiny towns called El Alfarcito and Santa Rosa de Tastil.

The road ends in San Antonio de Los Cobres, which is where the Tren a Las Nubes begins and ends. The city itself is a small dusty town full of indigenous tribes and mountain dwellers who make a mean empanada and tamale! You’ll find some locals selling crafts in town and a few restaurants selling local fare, including llama meat.

For the sake of space, I will direct you to my specific post about this road and all the stops along it, linked below.

Read My Post About Highway 51 or Book the tour here

The Tren a Las Nubes

The Tren a Las Nubes, or the “Train to the Clouds” is an absolute engineering marvel created to unite two very high altitude areas of Argentina and Chile. It takes off from San Antonio de Los Cobres, and is bookable on its own or with a return-trip bus ride from Salta.

It used to bring cargo, but is now a tourist attraction and one of the highest altitude trains in the world (it reaches over 4200m!). It’s best known for a 62m high viaduct over a deep canyon, which is simply picture perfect.

The views and colorful mountains throughout are simply amazing, and the full tour includes a few meals, lots of info, and attentive guides.

Read more about the Tren a Las Nubes Here, or Book It as a Tour from Salta Here

Salinas Grandes – Argentina Salt Flats

The Salinas Grandes are about an hour away from San Antonio de Las Cobres via Route 40, the road that runs the entire length of Argentina and is actually part of the Pan-American highway that goes to Alaska.

Bolivia may get all the credit for having huge salt flats, but these are beautiful as well. You can walk miles out through the geometric-shaped cracked salt, visit a few salt houses and tables, and take as many warped-perspective photos as you want. Just don’t drive on them, because they still extract salt for export and you never know if you’ll drive over a place they did an extraction. It’s very unsafe!

The Salinas Grandes are actually partially in Salta and partially in Jujuy, so I’ll switch over to the Jujuy province after this.

Jujuy Province

Highway 52 Between Salinas Grandes and Purmamarca

This is a picture-perfect road winding its way through colorful mountains. It’s absolutely stunning. You can get on this road from the Salinas Grandes, or from Purmamarca/the Humahuaca Gorge. It connects the two and will be done on your Humahuaca Gorge tour to the Salinas Grandes and Purmamarca.

Humahuaca Gorge (Quebrada de Humahuaca)

The Humahuaca Gorge is actually an UNESCO World Heritage site due to the Inca and pre-hispanic history of the area and its use as a trade route for over 10,000 years. It’s basically a big long gorge along the Highway 9 and the Rio Grande from Volcan to Tres Cruces (visible on Google Maps).

I did a Humahuaca Gorge day tour from Salta, but you can also do it as a day tour from Jujuy or drive it yourself. Along the Humahuaca Gorge, you can visit an art market in the town of Volcan, Purmamarca/The Hill of 7 Colors, Maimara and the ‘painter’s palate’ colored mountain, Huacalera and the Tropic of Capricorn, the tiny town of Tilcara and the ruins of the Pucara (fortress) de Tilcara,  the tiny town of Uquia, and the historical and beautiful town of Humahuaca.

If you were wondering if I would share more info about all these places to visit along the Humahuaca Gorge, you might have guessed that I wrote an entirely different post all about it: click below!

Read my Post About the Humahuaca Gorge Here or View the Tour I Did Here

Wild Vicuñas (left) and domesticated llamas (right) grazing in the highlands.

Jujuy City – San Salvador de Jujuy

Although I did not spend any nights in Jujuy (its full name is San Salvador de Jujuy), many people do. Some tours I took actually picked people up in Jujuy 2 hours after my start time in Salta (for me it was easier to stay in one place, but to each their own!).

Jujuy is the highest altitude capital city in Argentina at 1,259 m (4,131 ft). Jujuy is quite a green city, which sets it apart from many other locations in Northern Argentina.

Jujuy is much greener than Salta and the whole Humahuaca Gorge, because humidity tends to get funneled to Jujuy but dissipates before it gets further. You can actually see the green hills abruptly stop and turn to red rock as you enter the gorge!

If you decide to stay in Jujuy, check out the things to do in Jujuy by taking a city walking tour like this one here.

Multi-Day Tours of Northern Argentina Sights

Overwhelmed a little? Not ready to plan out an entire trip to Salta and Jujuy? Ready to just book one multi-day tour that takes you to all these places hassle-free? I feel you, and I gotchu. Below I have linked a few highly esteemed Viator tours that are multiple days and will include multiple of these places in one package, plus some that include more! You’re welcome.

• 4 Days 4 Excursions Package – Humahuaca, Cafayate, Salinas Grandes in 4 (awesome) days
• 2 Day Tour to Cafayate including Quebrada de Las Conchas and Wine
• 10-Day Northern Argentina Tour, which includes Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls
• 7-Day Best of Salta AND San Pedro de Atacama, Chile – Humahuaca + Salt Flats and into San Pedro de Atacama in Chile

Northern Argentina Itinerary Summary

I know it’s a lot to take in, so here’s a summary of how I recommend spending your time:

• 1 Day Exploring Salta
• Day Tour to Cachi Area
• Highway 51 Day Tour – Quebrada del Toro to San Antonio de Las Cobres and Tren a Las Nubes
• Day Tour Up the Humahuaca Gorge to Purmamarca, Salinas Grandes, and Jujuy
• 1 – 2 Days in Cafayate – Town and wineries
• 1/2 Day Tour to Quebrada de Las Conchas

I hope this has helped clarify the best way to experience the magic and wonder of Northern Argentina! Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or suggestions.