Day 7: Salta
I arrive in Salta at around 1pm, just in time for lunch. It’s overcast here, and only 23 degrees (that’s just a good Scottish summer). I’m surprised because everyone kept telling me how unbearably hot Salta would be. My Airbnb host tells me it’s been 40+ the past few days, so hopefully it improves.
Salta is famous for its empanadas, so I head straight to Dona Salta for lunch and order two empanadas and humitas. Not bad, but nothing special. The best thing on the table was the fresh tomato salsa which I spoon liberally over everything.
I have 90 minutes to see the town before the England game starts. Perfectly doable at my pace. I instantly like Salta a lot. It has a nice small town feel to it and it’s one of the prettiest I’ve been to so far. After wandering around the town square, I hop on the cable car up to Cerro San Bernardo. It’s possible to walk up the hill, but I learnt my lesson from last time, so I take the lazy option with the cable car!After taking some mandatory photos, I head straight for the nearest pub as the England v France game is about to start!
The pub is rammed! I feel like there’s more tourists here than the other places I’ve visited so far though. Which is fine, unless those tourists are, you guessed it…French! I can never escape them wherever I go! I would’ve liked England to win, but I feel less gutted about travelling home during the final. Can you imagine if it were an Argentina v England final and I would have just missed it!
Before dinner that night, I head to Paseo Balcarce where there are lots of bars. I sit on the terrace at Gintoneria where it’s 2 for 1 happy hour. I try the local gin which is pretty decent.
My evening meal tonight is at Jose Balcarce and its one of the tastiest I’ve had on my trip so far. To start, I ordered a single empanada. I like to try them everywhere I go, but also don’t want to ruin my appetite, so one is enough. For main it’s pork with pumpkin mash and a sweet and sticky sauce. I know everyone raves about Argentine beef, but I tell you what, their pork is incredible! This is the second pork dish I’ve had while I’ve been here and both have been stand out plates of food.
Day 8: Purmamarca
The next morning I head to Hertz to pick up my hire car. Although I ordered a sat nav, I’m told they’ve none left. I briefly throw my toys out of the pram before I realise I can use my offline map for navigation. The maps.me app is an absolute life saver by the way, until it takes you down roads that don’t exist that is…
I set off in my Chevrolet, which has the highest biting point of any car ever. Cue LOTS of revving! It takes me about 2.5 hours to get to Purmamarca where I’m spending the evening. I stop briefly in the town square to grab a tortilla rellena de queso y jamón (basically their version of a cheese and ham toastie done on the bbq). I then spend the next hour traversing the steep windy roads to reach Salinas Grandes - the salt flats. Large parts of the road are completely impassable on one side due to fallen rocks. Cue a fun game of chicken! I’m so glad I decided to rent a car as opposed to doing a bus tour here as that would’ve been torture!
When I eventually arrive at the salt flats I’m a little disappointed I won’t lie. It’s basically a massive pool of shallow water. I’m from Scotland. That’s my day to day view! I know it’s only because I’m visiting in summer - i’m sure it’s a lot more impressive at the right time of year. Nonetheless I take the customary actions photos before the one hour drive back to the village.
I check into my Eco Cabin where I’m greeted by Greta and Gontar, the resident dogs. It’s not long before I’ve adopted them as my own and they’re in my cabin on my bed.
I spend the next couple of hours walking around the town and climbing the viewpoints of the 7 coloured hills. It’s such a beautiful spot, and pictures don’t do it justice. I buy a very large bottle of local beer on my walk home and sit on my porch with my pooches and my mountain views.
On suggestion of my Airbnb host, I check out Los Morteros for dinner. The venue itself is nice, with a massive wood burning fire which I imagine is really nice in the winter months. I order two empanadas to start - one beef and one goats cheese. Both have my seal of approval. My waitress recommends the llama stew. I haven’t had llama before, and as an ex vegetarian, I’m hesitant. But, when in Rome…
To be honest, if you hadn’t told me what it was, it could’ve been any other type of meat. It wasn’t a memorable meal. To top it off, I ordered a glass of red wine and was told they didn’t have any wine by the glass left. I take a look around, bottles of wine lining the walls. It’s not difficult love, just bloody open one and charge by the glass!
After dinner I let the music be my guide and I’m drawn to a bar with a live guitarist/singer. Well, I couldn’t possibly spend a day here without drinking any wine now could I? I order a Malbec and spend an hour watching the musician and making friends with the clientele - a group of old women from Argentina, a couple from Brazil and a couple from Chile. The guitarist goes around the room after every song asking for requests. Ermmm, do ya ken 500 miles?!
I have to set off in the car early the next morning so I head back to my cabin for an early night. My guard dogs keep me up most of the night with their barking, but I still love them.
Day 9: Humahaca and Tilcara
I have a long day of driving ahead of me today, so I get up at the crack of dawn and drive 2 hours to the 14 coloured hill. It’s only an hour to Humahaca, but it takes an additional hour to drive the 15 miles from there up the winding roads to the scenic lookout. I use the word road very loosely, as most of the way is unpaved and very slow to traverse in a standard car. The sensible thing would have been to pay for a 4x4 transport in the town centre, but I think we’ve established by now that I’m anything but sensible. Because it’s so early, I see very few other cars on the road at this point. I’ve got visions of me getting a puncture and being totally stranded! After what feels like an age, I make it to the viewpoint. The air is pretty thin at the top, being 4350 metres above sea level. Walking up hill is hard! I’m hoping it’s all due to the altitude as opposed to my lack of exercise over the last 10 days.
Although the drive was worth it, I think I picked the wrong time of day to visit due to the positioning of the sun, as the colours of the mountain weren’t as visible. But still a pretty incredible sight.
The next stop is the little town of Tilcara where I stop for a wander and lunch at El Patio. Craving something light, I order a salad. It’s basic, but I exactly what was needed! The plan was to drive a few miles to la garganta del diablo, a waterfall on the outskirts of town. This is where my offline map loses the plot, creating roads that just don’t exist. After 15 minutes of driving around in circles, I give up and begin my 3 hour journey back to Salta capital.
I have to return the car full so I stop at a petrol station. It costs me £18 to fill the tank. £18! And they even wash your windscreen while they fill your tank.
I feel like it’s been at least 2 days since I had steak, so for dinner that night I head to El Charrua for a nice juicy sirloin and salad. You don’t need to order any sides when you order steak here as the cuts are massive!
Day 10: Cachi
It’s pissing down this morning, perfect timing for my full day scenic trip to the town of Cachi. Not very scenic when you can see fuck all for clouds, which was unfortunately the case when we arrived at the Cuesta del Obispo lookout. Google it, its a massive green valley and looks stunning. It did not look like that when I was there!
Typically the weather clears an hour later when we arrive at the next stop, Parque Nacional Los Cardones. It’s an enormous cactus field on one side with beautiful coloured mountains on the other. The landscape changes so drastically in such a short distance here.
The final stop is the town of Cachi where we have lunch, which is a typical stuffed pepper dish with beef and rice. I make friends with the only other English speaking person, Emily, who is from New Zealand and we spend the next hour wandering around the village. It doesn’t take us long, there’s not much to see!
We hop back on the bus to return to Salta. Argentina are playing Croatia in the semi-final at 4pm so the tour guide asks the group if we want to stop somewhere to watch the game. I can’t imagine a tour company anywhere else in the world diverting an entire tour group to watch a football game, but this is Argentina where football is life. I’m obviously thrilled about it, as I was gutted at the prospect of missing the match. So, we stop at a petrol station cafe to watch Argentina win. At this point I’m seriously contemplating changing my flight to a day later so I’m here for the final!
As expected, the roads are hell on the way back to Salta as people line the streets celebrating. When we arrive back to town, I attempt to make my way to the square to watch the celebrations. I only get so far before I’m faced with a wall of people and give up trying to go any further. Absolutely nuts!
I expected the atmosphere in the town to be buzzing after the win, but the bars are fairly quiet. It seems the locals celebrate in the hours after the game, and possibly continue the party at home where it’s cheaper.
Tonight, I head to a local Peña, La Casona de Molino. These are traditional Argentinian gatherings with food, drink and folklore music.
It’s about 2km outside of town, and bit of a trek from the more touristy bars and restaurants. From what I can see it’s all local people, and I’m the only tourist, which I love. It feels far more authentic than some of the other peñas in the city centre.
I sit down at the table beside the large outdoor grill so I can watch the chef in action. I can feel the heat of the flames from where I’m sitting, so lord knows how this poor sod is coping. Plus, this is a big place, and he’s the only one cooking. The grill is stacked high with different cuts of meats at any one time, so I’ve no idea how he keeps tracks of what’s ready!
I have no choice but to order a steak! It arrives on the medium to well done side, not that i’m surprised given how many he’s juggling. Still, it’s bloody delicious, perfectly charred on the outside and very well seasoned.
Suddenly, the group of men at the table behind me whip out their guitars and drums and start singing some traditional Argentinian songs. During their break, I ask if they work here or whether anyone can bring their guitars and play. They tell me they’re paid to play each night and then ask if I’m alone. When I tell them yes they insist that I join them at their table, so now I have the best seat in the house. They’re a really lovely bunch of guys, and very talented musicians. We drink and chat away in between sets until about 1230. It was definitely one of the more memorable nights I’ve had on my trip and one I’ll always remember.
I’ve loved the Salta province, and it’s probably been my favourite area of my trip so far. Beautiful scenery, amazing food and lovely people. Now it’s onto my final stop, Iguazu.
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