Expedition to the Clouds: The Thousand Colors of the Andes Tour, in detail
Day 1:
Reception at Salta airport and transfer to the hotel.
Day 2:
Full-day excursion Active Cafayate:
Discovering the Cradle of Torrontés is what this delightful excursion offers.
The journey departs early from Salta, traveling through the scenic towns of the Lerma Valley until reaching the Quebrada de las Conchas. This magnificent stone wall seems to jealously guard the vineyards of the Cafayate Valley. The region features a unique microclimate for winemaking; the significant diurnal temperature range eliminates the need for agrochemicals, allowing for truly organic production. Furthermore, the 340 days of annual sunshine ensure an excellent point of ripeness for the long-awaited harvest.
A typical longitudinal pre-Andean valley, the area is surrounded by the towering elevations of the Ravine, which showcases curious formations carved by wind and water: The Castles, the Amphitheatre, the Devil’s Throat, and more.
In the town of Cafayate, the tour visits a local winery and the Jesuit Mill. Another alternative involves visiting local silversmiths and ceramic artisans. There is free time for lunch (not included), followed by the return to Salta in the afternoon.
Day 3:
Full-day excursion Enchanted Cachi:
The Calchaquí Valleys conform a set of culture, scenery and production that makes it a unique place in the world.
In this trip, you will get to the Valleys through Quebrada del Escoipe, a place where agriculture is the main activity and which is surrounded by multicolored hills.
Afterwards, the imposing Cuesta del Obispo will take you 3350 meters above sea level and later you will descend to Valle Encantado (Los Cardones National Park), where you will find a lagoon among high meadows, condors flying up high, and the pure air of the Andes. You will be able to enjoy a walk in this incredible place.
You will later visit Cachi, a pre-Hispanic town that used to shelter the aborigines. The architecture shows a noticeable influence of both the indigenous and Hispanic trends, with constructions aligned along very narrow streets, everything in an excellent state of preservation. You will visit the Archeological Museum in this town.
Note: Lunch or meals are not included.
Day 4:
Full-day excursion Ride to the Clouds:
This is one of the most amazing excursions in the North-Western side of the country, which offers a whole day of adventure, nature, history and landscapes.
This excursion covers the parallel route to “Tren de las Nubes” (train to the clouds), along roads that zigzag through hills, plains and the sky.
You will depart from Salta at 7 am towards Campo Quijano and Quebrada del Toro. In the pre-Incaic city of Santa Rosa del Tastil, you will make a stop for a short archeological trekking, where the guide will give an account of how life was in this lands before the Spanish conquest.
The trip goes on towards San Antonio de los Cobres, a mining settlement where the “Train to the Clouds” ends its journey. You will be given time for lunch in this town.
In the afternoon, the excursion continues to Purmamarca; however, before arriving at this colorful small town, you will see the impressive Salinas Grandes (large salt-mines), an enormous white desert that shines under the Puna sun that constitutes an authentic surrealist scene. You will observe the autochthonous fauna of the place and there is also a rest area.
Afterwards, you will climb the winding Cuesta del Lipán, to finally reach Purmamarca.
The Cerro de los Siete Colores (seven-colors hill), copyright of this picturesque town and of the whole Puna, will be awaiting you here. Make sure to have all the necessary devices to capture all the images you see.
Note:
The total duration of this trip is 13 hours. It is a rather long excursion but it is very complete. The excursion will take you a number of different sceneries and climates as well. Do not forget to take a coat, even in summer, because it is always cold on the higher stretches.
Lunch and other meals are not included.
Day 5:
Free morning and in the afternoon, a splendid Salta City tour:
This is a journey through History and Tradition. Salta stands as one of Argentina’s most historically significant cities. As one of the nation’s earliest settlements, it became the destination of choice for influential families tied to Upper Peru, whose legacy remains etched in the city's foundations. Consequently, its streets serve as a true treasure trove of colonial architecture, centuries-old churches, and historic monuments.
This tour of the Historic Center explores these iconic streets and landmark buildings. Additionally, an optional ascent to Cerro San Bernardo offers a privileged panoramic vantage point overlooking the entire Lerma Valley.
The journey then moves beyond the city limits to San Lorenzo, a traditional summer retreat, with its exuberant ravine of the same name. On the return trip, an essential stop is made at the Artisan Market, where the exquisite variety of regional crafts and souvenirs proves truly irresistible.
Day 6:
Early in the morning, departure for the full-day excursion Quebrada de Humahuaca and Hornocal:
The Quebrada de Humahuaca, recognized as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, unfolds as a cultural corridor where landscape and memory remain closely intertwined. The journey offers social contact and a visual approach to the ancestral, moving through villages that sustain a living relationship with land, history, and tradition.
The route begins in Purmamarca, a small settlement of adobe houses and unpaved streets, where the Hill of Seven Colors reveals its layered geology, shaped by millions of years of tectonic movement and sedimentation. From there, the road continues to the historic
Posta de Hornillos, a former colonial waystation, before reaching Tilcara, a cultural center of the valley with deep pre-Hispanic roots.
Farther north lies Huacalera, where crossing the
Tropic of Capricorn marks both a geographic and symbolic threshold. From this point, the chromatic folds of the hill known as
La Pollera de la Colla come into view, a formation that condenses the mineral palette of the region. The journey proceeds to Uquía, whose church preserves the paintings of the
Angels with Arquebuses, a significant legacy of the Cuzco School that reflects the Andean colonial synthesis of art and belief.
Arrival in Humahuaca introduces a landscape defined by its cathedral and the
Monument to Independence, known locally as El Indio, created by sculptor Ernesto Soto Avendaño. After a midday meal (not included), the route continues for about
26.1 miles (42 kilometers) to the Hornocal viewpoint.
Leaving Humahuaca eastward along Provincial Route 73, the road enters the agricultural valleys of Coctaca. The steady ascent reaches approximately
13,780 feet (4,200 meters) above sea level, where the
Serranía del Hornocal appears as a multicolored ridge of sharply folded strata. From this elevation, wide panoramas allow for a clear reading of the geography of the entire Quebrada de Humahuaca—its ravines, plateaus, gorges and ancient paths that continue to shape local life.
It's worthwhile noting that
the high altitude and Andean climate make bringing both warm and light clothing mandatory, even in summer as thermal amplitude is huge from day to night.
Day 7:
After checkout, transfer from the hotel to Salta airport. End of our services.
