When planning our travel path around Argentina, our eyes were constantly drawn to the northwestern province of Salta, which is bordered by Chile, Bolivia as well as Paraguay. With so numerous countries edging this province, we understood it would be an interesting, culture-rich region to visit.
We shown up in Salta city late at night hungry as well as exhausted after our journey from Montevideo. even though it was dark outside as well as we were in determined requirement of a meal, our spirits were high as well as our very first impressions of Salta were extremely positive.
(Don’t miss our travel video from Salta at the end of this post!)
The people in Salta were extremely friendly, welcoming as well as kind. These men were having a extremely intense chess match
We were actually at the door to our posada when we realized that we didn’t have any type of Argentinian pesos in our purse to pay for the taxi trip from the airport. We explained to the chauffeur that we had no money as well as he suggested driving us to an ATM, however instead he waited patiently while Nick asked the posada owner if we might borrow some money. The chauffeur was friendly as well as chatted with me while Nick was inside.
This was our lodging during our stay in Salta, Posada del Angel. We liked it!
Returning empty-handed from the posada (with apologies from the owner), we resorted to providing the driver US dollars – a currency that we always carry. expecting a rip-off exchange rate, we held our breath as we handed over the $20 bill. To our surprise, the chauffeur really provided us a much better rate than we expected, provided us our modification back, as well as shook our hands goodbye.
Having a positive experience with a taxi chauffeur doesn’t occur all that often. This was our very first encounter with the people of Salta, as well as everybody we satisfied during our stay was just as kind as well as welcoming as this man.
Set at the foothills of the Andes mountain range, Salta is at an elevation of 1,152m. The air right here was extremely dry as well as any type of wetness in our skin was promptly sucked out as soon as we arrived. But, the sun was high as well as the sky was blue. We couldn’t have requested much better weather condition at the end of January, which is the month with the greatest rainfall.
The design in Salta was amazing
In the light of day, we set off to check out the city as well as were in awe at every turn. The walk to the primary plaza as well as all of its sights was just as aesthetically attractive as the actual plaza itself. In particular, we couldn’t get sufficient of the San Francisco Church. When we later discovered out that there is a statue of San Roque right here (the customer Saint of dogs), we liked it even more.
How beautiful is this dog?! She latched onto us promptly as well as we had her for about 5 hours – we even had to provide her water
Every August, the church is full of well-groomed dogs who are blessed by the priest, to celebrate San Roque. The dogs get a bit red ribbon around their necks as well as bring on with their blessed year! Funnily enough, during the totally free walking trip we had a lovely stray canine with us the whole time, who even came into the church with us. I assumption she didn’t recognize it wasn’t August.
The totally free walking trip in Salta was truly great – even “our” canine liked it ?
Towering over the primary Plaza 9 de Julio was the elaborate Salta Cathedral. This Baroque style, pink, Roman Catholic cathedral was gorgeous! We’ve never seen a pink cathedral before so we were promptly intrigued.
Surrounding the other sides of the primary plaza were various museums, restaurants, hotels as well as shops, all set in lovely buildings in neo-classical, baroque or French style architecture. The balcony of the Centro Cultura America building provided us an amazing vantage point over the square as well as to the San Bernardo hill in the distance.
But, no matter where we were in the plaza, the views were spectacular.
Enjoying the excellent weather condition as well as excellent views in Salta
Salta is set at the foothills of the large Andes mountain range, which spans along the border of Argentina as well as Chile. during the time of the Inca people, kid sacrifice to the Gods was commonplace when there were important events or famine.
Sacrificing a kid was stated to appease the gods, as well as only the healthiest, finest looking kids were selected – offered they were between the ages of 6 as well as 15. They were dressed in their finest garments as well as given the greatest mountaintops before being provided an alcoholic drink to reduce the pain.
It’s a morbid thought, however an extremely visceral experience to really see the mummified kids in person. Salta City has three of them in the museum of High Altitude Archeology!
The three kids were found in 1999 on the top of install Llullaillaco (a 6,739m peak) by an expedition team. since of the freezing chilly conditions, the bodies never decomposed, as well as neither did the garments they were wearing. Although there are 3 kids in the museum, only one is shown every 3 months in purchase to ensure the preservation of the bodies.
During our visit, La Niña Del Rayo (lightening girl) was on display. She was extremely little in stature as well as look like a doll. Her body was so well-preserved that it practically looked fake. These three kids are stated to be the very best preserved mummies in the world.
It’s certainly morbid as well as difficult for us to comprehend why the Inca people would do this. however in fact, it was extremely typical during pre-Columbian times across Mesoamerica, South America as well as north america as well. The museum offered us with a much better comprehending of Andean culture as well as their connection to the mountains.
Both the Spanish as well as native cultures are extremely popular in Salta, not only in terms of design as well as religion, however likewise in the food.
We had heard about a meal called “Locro”, which is from the Quechua language as well as is a typical Andean meal. We discovered this hearty stew at La Criolleta restaurant, which serves up conventional meals. The bowl was overflowing with pieces of stewed meat, white corn, beans as well as papa chola potatoes.
It was thick as well as it was delicious.
The Locro soup was delicious, as well as extremely filling
Our guide on the walking trip introduced us to an economical restaurant serving up a mix of Andean, Peruvian as well as South American cuisines. The location was called Viracocha as well as we very first went there for the menu of the day, but, we ended up returning to eat there 4 times during our trip to Salta!
There was a whole page providing foods cooked in Peruvian ways, while utilizing wholesome components that are common to the Andean culture as well as the region.
During the program of our 5 trips to Viracocha, we dined on quinoa soup, vegetarian pasta, steak, pork, chicken, empanadas, as well as more. The sauces utilized in the cooking were unique, savoury, wonderful as well as tasty. The mint infused lemonade was divine, as was the lentil starter with buns.
This vegetarian meal was the primary program in the menu Of The Day, however it altered daily
We were always stuffed as well as satisfied after our meal, as well as thankfully, it wasn’t difficult on the wallet.
For our final day in Salta, we chose to deal with the San Bernardo hill. You can opt to take the cable television car, drive, or hike up the 1,000 + steps. We opted to get some exercise as well as made our method up the hill for sunset.
The hike was really quite exhausting, however worth it for the scenery. Initially, the view we saw was covered by some trees as well as not all that outstanding but, we then realized that the view better to the cable television cars and truck was much better as well as we were rewarded with an remarkable panoramic view of Salta.
It was worth the 1,000+ stairs to the top of San Bernardo hill
We descended down the steps thoroughly delighted with our decision to travel to Salta, as well as completely intrigued by the culture, food as well as history of this region of Argentina. We were prepared to see much more as well as so we chose to lease a cars and truck as well as travel separately around the provinces of Salta as well as Jujuy for 8 days! checked out much more about that here:
Road trip in Northwestern Argentina: Salta to Cafayate
Cafayate, Argentina: It’s All about The Wine
Road trip in Northwestern Argentina: Cafayate to Tilcara & The Salt Flats
Traveller Tips:
We stayed at Posada del Angel as well as liked it! The place is excellent, the personnel are extremely sweet, the space is large as well as a so-so breakfast is included in the price. The wi-fi works well as well as the spaces have a/c. Click right here to book with booking.com.
A Taxi from the flight terminal to near the primary plaza costs 170 pesos ($10).
The museum of High Altitude Archeology costs 100 pesos ($6.30) to enter.
Restaurant new Time is found in the primary square as well as is a excellent location for people viewing as well as a drink.
Viracocha restaurant was our preferred with the menu of the day costing 150 pesos ($10). It includes a starter, juice, appetizer as well as a primary course. It’s huge sufficient to show 2 people.
Check out the totally free walking trip (Salta totally free Walks) for an informative as well as fascinating walking trip around the city.
The expense of the cable television cars and truck as much as the San Bernardo hill is 150 pesos ($10), return.
We felt risk-free the entire time in Salta so there’s no requirement to be excessively cautious.
There is a Carrefour grocery store in the city, which is a excellent location to stock up for a road trip.
Buses to Mendoza are between 18 – 19 hours. There are various business to select from. After our road trip, we bussed from Salta to Mendoza with AndesMar. The expense was 2,079 pesos each ($135), there was totally free red wine as well as (bad) food onboard.
Note: No part of our trip in Salta was sponsored. We paid our own method as well as wished to share our tips, guidance as well as suggestions with you ? We hope you discover our material useful! If so, we’d like it if you might comment below as well as share it on social media. say thanks to you!
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