As planned, I returned to Argentina (see previous post) and went up to the north-west, this time without my family.

The area around Salta didn't disappoint. It was absolutely amazing, a real adventure with a rough- around-the-edges feel to it, even though I was looked after and guided excellently by my tour operator (Optimundo).

It is a vast area and distances shouldn't be underestimated. If you want to see the best of the north west you need a few days and you can't just base yourself in Salta. You must stay overnight in the smaller towns too.

I can particularly recommend:
Quebrada de Humahuaca, Chalchaquies Valley, Cachi, Molinos and Cafayate.
The scenery is amazing: snow capped mountains, salt flats, deserts, green valleys, vineyards and rocky canyons. The people are also great, very friendly and willing to show you their homeland; not to mention their wonderful cuisine.

If you don't get a private guide and decide to hire a car, you need to get a good vehicle with clearance as most of the roads are compact dirt and can be quite bumpy. My guide told me that there is a great drive over in to Chile that follows the route of a famous train "train to the clouds" - ironically names as there are no clouds to be seen. Oh well, maybe Chile next year, but still so much to see in Argentina!

www.optimundo.com

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