Explore New Heights in Northern Argentina

By Nancy Wigston

From a sky-high train to the quirky mountain town of Salta, here is why Northern Argentina is a must-see.

EXPLORE SALTA

This 16th-century city of more than half a million people is often the first stop into northern Argentina’s high altitudes. Salta is laidback and quirky. Its attractions include ornate architecture, cutting-edge art, historical treasures, and ancient Inca mummies preserved by the cold.

Enjoy superb dining, wine-flavoured ice creams and highenergy peña performances starring gauchos and their señoritas whirling and stomping about the stage. Under the sliver of the new moon, try a casual dinner overlooking Ninth of July Plaza.

CARNIVAL DEVILS IN HUMAHUACA

©NANCY WIGSTON

TRAIN TO THE CLOUDS

An excellent adventure awaits in Jujuy Province, aboard the Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) billed as “a Miracle of Argentinian Engineering.” Hugging tracks and high bridges, the 40-minute journey currently caters to tourists, due to pesky rock falls on lower tracks.

Onboard, enjoy coca tea to prevent altitude sickness. The Polvorilla Viaduct (4,220 metres) will leave you speechless. Coasting on cloud-train euphoria, next, visit the wonders of Salinas Grandes salt flats under blinding skies of magical blue.

TRAIN TO THE CLOUDS

©NANCY WIGSTON

HUMAHUACA

High above the world, colour is everywhere. Even the mountains appear to be painted. Gaze in wonder as herds of wild vicuña prance in the meadows below. In Humahuaca, find alpaca-wear soft as silk. At noon, crowds gather in the square, when a mechanical saint, San Francisco Solano, blesses one and all.

Try a typical Humahuaca lunch of superb roast chicken and potatoes with a spirit-lifting side of Andean flute, drum, and guitar music. Time your stay around the annual Carnival when flamboyantly costumed “devils” cry (or mew), dreading their return to hell. The party atmosphere here (and in nearby Pumamarca) is electric.