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Tel Aviv to north-west Argentina: Salta, Purmamarca and Cafayate

Tel Aviv → Salta → Purmamarca → Cafayate

Salta
"Panorámica_Ciudad_de_Salta.jpg" by loco085, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Panorámica Ciudad de Salta (Salta)
Photo: loco085, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Colourful canyons & high-altitude wine Best season (general guide): Apr–Nov

North-west Argentina is a land of red canyons, colourful mountains and high-altitude vineyards. This route spends seven nights between Salta, the village of Purmamarca and the wine town of Cafayate. From Tel Aviv you'll connect through Europe and Buenos Aires.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Salta: day one, the main square; day two, archaeology museum and San Bernardo hill; day three, rest day before the altitude. Then spend days four and five in Purmamarca: day four, travel north to Purmamarca; day five, Quebrada de Humahuaca and Salinas Grandes. Then spend days six and seven in Cafayate: day six, through the Quebrada de las Conchas to Cafayate; day seven, wineries and tastings.

Start in Salta, a colonial city, and walk the arcaded streets around the main square and its pink cathedral. The Museum of High Altitude Archaeology displays Inca finds from the Andes. A cable car climbs San Bernardo hill for views over the city.

North of Salta, the village of Purmamarca sits below the Hill of Seven Colours, a striped mountain. It is the gateway to the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a long valley listed by UNESCO for its landscape and its history as a trade route. Drive over a high mountain pass to reach the Salinas Grandes, a white salt flat.

South of Salta, the road to Cafayate runs through the Quebrada de las Conchas, a canyon of red rock formations. In Cafayate, visit vineyards that are among the highest in the world and try the fragrant, dry white wine, Torrontés.

April to November is the dry season and the best time. Summer brings rain and sometimes road closures.

Salta's peñas, folk music clubs, serve empanadas and local wine with live music. Along the road, small villages have adobe churches and craft markets, and the landscape changes colour with the light.

Practical notes: a hire car is the easiest way to see the region, but roads are long and sometimes unpaved. The Salinas Grandes and Purmamarca are at high altitude, so take it easy, drink water and allow time to adjust.

Suggested outline

  1. Tel Aviv

    Start

  2. Salta

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    A colonial city with a pink cathedral and the High Altitude Archaeology Museum.

  3. Purmamarca

    Overland · 2 nights suggested

    A village below the Hill of Seven Colours, gateway to the Quebrada de Humahuaca.

    Purmamarca
    "Cerro_de_los_siete_colores.jpg" by Augusto Sarita, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  4. Cafayate

    Overland · 2 nights suggested

    Torrontés vineyards and the red rock formations of the Quebrada de las Conchas.

    Cafayate
    "Catedral_de_Nuestra_Señora_del_Rosario,_Cafayate_01.jpg" by Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Salta — Arrive; the main square· Tel Aviv → Salta (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Salta — Archaeology museum and San Bernardo hill
  3. Day 3 · Salta — Rest day before the altitude
  4. Day 4 · Purmamarca — North to Purmamarca· Salta → Purmamarca (overland)
  5. Day 5 · Purmamarca — Quebrada de Humahuaca and Salinas Grandes
  6. Day 6 · Cafayate — Through the Quebrada de las Conchas to Cafayate· Purmamarca → Cafayate (overland)
  7. Day 7 · Cafayate — Wineries and tastings
  8. Day 8 · Cafayate — Travel home from Cafayate· Cafayate → Salta (overland), then Salta → Tel Aviv (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Salta

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Plan the trip: Salta

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Purmamarca

Nearest airport: Jujuy

Cafayate

Nearest airport: Salta Search fares · Salta ↗

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