July 11, 2024
Steal My Itinerary | I Ate Empanadas Everyday in Salta & Jujuy
When I ask my Argentinian friends what are the must visit destination to visit in Argentina, Salta & Jujuy consistently rank at the top. After resting from the gastronomic indulgences in Mendoza, I finally booked my trip to Salta and Jujuy for a long weekend.
Salta and Jujuy are provinces in the north and are known for its vibrant landscapes, colonial architecture, and local communities. It is completely unlike the bustling city of Buenos Aires or the lush mountainous region of Patagonia. Salta and Jujuy almost reminded me of Cusco. It’s dry and colorful and dessert-like.
Here’s everything I did on my Salta and Jujuy trip:
DAY 1
7AM: Land in Salta and Grab Breakfast
The flight from Buenos Aires to Salta is approximately two hours. My original flight to Salta was cancelled two days ago and I rushed to book another flight that allowed me to get into Salta on Thursday. The Salta airport is small – you can walk from one end to another in less than five minutes.
I made my way to Design Suites Hotel (Pje. M. Castro 215, A4400 Salta, Argentina). Unfortunately, my room was not ready so I dropped my things off and headed to grab breakfast. I found a very cute café called Café Funes and I instantly fell in love with the original doors and window. I ordered a chipa con palta (chipa is a type of scone with avocado), a yogurt fruit bowl, and a café con leche. Everything was delicious.
11AM: Explore the Art
I walked around downtown Salta for the next several hours since I could not check in for another several hours. It was an abnormally warm day for winter (winter in Salta is from June – August) reaching a maximum of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. People in Salta (or really Argentina), I’ve noticed, enjoy the simplicity of relaxing at a park or plaza. I joined the many individuals lounging on the benches at Plaza 9 de Julio, the epicenter of Salta.
I visited the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC), which was free. The MAC is located in a colonial building right on Plaza 9 de Julio and opened in 2014. It features local artists from Salta and the surrounding areas. I was rather impressed with the artwork here and I spent a lot of time enjoying the work by local artist Caroline de Chaunac de Lanzac and Edgar Wallace.
Then I made my way to Museo de Bellas Artes de Salta. It’s located in a restored mansion and displays artworks from the region. I was greeted eagerly by the lady working in the front desk and she gave me a full rundown of the layout and artists. My personal favorite was the second floor where they had exhibitions and sculptures.
DAY 2
10AM: Admire Cacti
For the next three days, I took day trips to the popular destinations in the area. They all had start times of 7AM and were twelve to fourteen hour days. After a simple breakfast of coffee, toast, and fruits, I was picked up promptly at 7:15AM.
We drove on the iconic Ruta 33 and within the span of one hour, we climbed over 3400 kilometers. We were literally above the clouds! We stopped at several scenic spots to take in the landscapes. After climbing up and down Ruta 33, we entered Parque Nacional Los Cardones, known for its large cardon cacti growing everywhere. I bought some snacks from a vendor that sold almost every spice and nuts known to mankind.
1PM: Explore Colonial Architecture in Cachi
Later I would confirm that Cachi would be my favorite little town in Salta. Located in the Calchaquí Valley, Cachi is like a page taken out of the colonial Spanish period. White adobe houses surround the main park – Plaza 9 de Julio. The weather was perfect – another oddly warm day in the middle of winter.
Considered the ‘little sister’ to Cafayate’s vineyards, don’t sleep on the wines in Cachi. Cachi is known for its high-altitude wine production. I enjoyed lunch at Bodega Puna. They also have wine tastings and a course meal but I was short and time and grabbed a few delicious items a la carta.
If I had more time, I would visit the other wineries in the area, including Bodega Isasmendi and Nueve Cumbres. I walked around for an hour, visiting Museo Pío Pablo Díaz to learn about history of the region and relaxing at Plaza 9 de Julio.
8PM: Empanadas for Dinner
After a nap on the ride back to Salta and another short snooze at the hotel, I made my way to grab some local empanadas and humitas. Ask any Argentinian where to find the best empanadas in Argentina and most likely they will say Salta. I went to La Posada (Caseros 263, A4400 Salta, Argentina) due to their extensive (vegetarian-friendly) empanada menu. Even at 8PM, I was one of only two people at the restaurant. Dinner is served late here. I noticed that many restaurants don’t open till 8PM (even if it lists 7PM as an opening time on Google).
DAY 3
10AM: Journey Through Quebrada de las Conchas
After another early pickup, somehow, I managed to sleep worse last night, today we made our way to explore Cafayate and the landscape along the way. Today was colder then yesterday, I spent a good amount of time sleeping on the journey to Cafayate.
Today we journeyed down Ruta 68 and made several stops along the way. We stopped to enjoy Garganta del Diablo (The Devil’s Throat) and El Enfiteatro (the Amphitheatre), two very popular formations in Quebrada de las Conchas. There was a group of people playing music in El Enfiteatro and many vendors selling jewelry and nick-nacks of local stones. It was beautiful, however, due to the overcast weather, the canyon looked washed out without the sun to showcase the orange glow of the canyons.
1PM: Winery Tours
Cafayate is the little sister to Mendoza, which is the heart of Argentina’s wine region. There are plenty of bodegas and wine hotels in this area to visit. Many of the wineries in this area do not need a reservation (compared to Mendoza where reservations are almost always required).
We toured two wineries and had the chance to do a tasting. Some top wineries in this area include Piattelli Vineyards and El Esteco. In town, I visited the Museo de la Vid y el Vino de Cafayate and ended up having lunch at their museum bar as well as a tasting of three white wines (probably the best white wines I’ve tasted in northern Argentina).
3PM: Find Artisan Goods in Cafayate
Cafayate is a small-ish town and I enjoyed walking around and browsing the artisan stores and market in Plaza de Cafayate. Right across the wine museum there is a cute shop called La Casa de la Llama, which unfortunately was closed or I would have gone home with llama goodies.
DAY 4
10AM: Zig Zag Along Ruta 52
Today we visited Salinas Grandes and Purmamarca. The day started off early again. I had a quick breakfast at my hotel before journeying to Jujuy, a province next to Salta. We zig zagged along Cuesta de Lipan – the highest point reaches above 4,700 meters. Our guide was very adamant about making sure we chewed on gum or cocoa leaves. There were several people who felt altitude sickness. I was fine in the moment but later that evening I did have a headache.
1PM: Visit the Third Largest Salt Flats in the World
I didn’t know what to expect of Salinas Grandes – maybe because I devoured every picture of the salt flats beforehand. But let me tell you, it was breathtaking.
We paid ARS 2000 (about USD 2) to get into the park – all proceeds go to the local indigenous community. A guide hopped into our car before we entered the park. I wasn’t sure if he was supposed to give us facts and historical knowledge of the flats but he took pictures of all us at various locations. We had plenty of time to walk around and take in the flats.
I applied sunscreen three times to stay protected from the strong UV rays (yes, I did wake up with a nice tan at the end next morning).
4PM: Buy Shawls in Purmamarca
Purmamarca is the most colorful town in Jujuy. The main plaza – Plaza 9 de Julio (you guessed it) is a souvenir heaven. The entire plaza is surrounded by stalls of people selling artisan goods. I indulged in a tortilla (a quesadilla looking bread filled with queso another meats or vegetables) as I browsed the market.
I then made my way to Cerro de los Siete Colores (The Hill of Seven COlors), a quick hiking path at the edge of town. It has a unique color range and a complex geological history. The entire hike took me approximately forty-five minutes.
DAY 5
11AM: Walk Around Salta
I was excited to spend a day to explore Salta, as well as sleep in a little. I packed up all my luggage and stored it at my hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel was at full capacity and I wasn’t able to get a late check-out.
I spent the morning strolling around Parque San Martin and found a bench to read a book. I felt well rested from getting a full nine hours of sleep. I took the teleferico, or cable car up to Cerro San Bernardo, which has stunning views of the entire city. Around the park, there are tons of souvenir stalls.
2PM: Eat Vegan Food
Good vegan food is generally hard to find in Argentina. But when I found Tantra Salta Restaurante Vegano on a random Google search. The food was delicious and flavorful. I ended up ordering too much and took some to go.
6PM: Take a Free Walking Tour
I usually try to take walking tours the first day I visit a city to help acclimate to the important areas and get recommendations from locals, but I decided to wait till my last day on this trip. I went with the Salta Free Walking Tour. We met in Plaza 9 de Julio. Our guide spoke perfect English and it was only me and another traveler. This gave us ample opportunity to ask many questions and cover more ground.
We walked all around Salta and visited several churches, including Catedral Basílica de Salta and San Fransisco Church and Convent. I loved learning about the history of the important structures and buildings.
8PM: Fly Back to Buenos Aires
Pin This For Later
Welcome to Well Rested Girl
Welcome to my visual diary full of travel guides and experiences. Well Rested Girl is rooted in the belief of balance, wellness, and perspective.
As my travel style and motivations evolved, my deep curiosity and need to expand my perspectives remain stead forth.
