We’d heard good things but nothing quite prepares you for the business class comfort of Argentina’s long-distance buses – as far as our backpacker budget goes, they’re not particularly cheap but when you’re staring down the barrel of a 14 hour trip, the wide, leather, fully reclining lounges, meals, wine and movies of the Cama Suite bus is manna for the weary traveller.
And we’ve put in some serious mileage! Since departing BA, we’ve clocked up more than 2,500kms, visiting attractive colonial towns, awe-inspiring gorges, multi-hued mountains, tiny adobe villages, impressive pre-Incan ruins and blinding salt flats on the road to – and through – the northwestern Andes.
Our first stop, Cordoba – one of Argentina’s oldest cities – clued us into the fact that time of year in some places can make or break our take on it. In this town, in our part of town at least, the streets were thriving during the day, bustling with busy people, the squares jammed with school kids and pigeons. Come 8pm however and it was a scene out of ‘I am Legend’…silent, empty and a little strange.
During the daylight hours, we explored the exceptional architecture of the town’s 17th century Jesuit heyday, and its poignant memorial museum for Cordoba’s own ‘Disappeared’ – some of the thousands of young men and women who went missing during the country’s Dirty War of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Although entirely in Spanish, the excellent installations (housed in a former prison for dissidents) spoke far, far louder than words.
We also bussed out to the nearby town of Alta Gracia, famous not only for its own Jesuit estancias, but also for a little house a couple of blocks from the main square where one Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara spent his formative years before jumping on a bicycle, then a motorbike, for a life-changing tour de force.
Chez Che in Alta Gracia.
From Cordoba, we made our way further north to the charming town of Salta, which became our base as we explored the extraordinary natural and cultural landscapes of the region.
On three separate day trips in and out of the town, we chartered a course through jungle to altitude and the wide flat salt plains of the Salinas Grandes (perfect for cultivating sunburn-by-salt-reflection and silly photos)…
Grandes illusions on the salt plains north of Salta.
….we travelled through the striking World Heritage-listed Quebrada de Humahuaca, with its incredible palette of geological colours and its fascinating pre-Inca and Inca history…
Vibrant valley of Humahuaca.
…and marvelled at the riveting scenery and jaw-dropping formations of the Quebrada de Cafayate before visiting the town of the same name to sample its famous high-altitude wines – the highest in the world in fact.
Wine and geology of Cafayate….a potent mix.
Salta itself has been a delightful stop – its main square much more in keeping with the architecturally beautiful, tree-filled and café-lined plazas of Peru that we love.
Highlights for us have been the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology, with its incredible Incan children of the mountain; and the Teleferico – a cable car to the top of what seems a molehill from below but which becomes a very high mini-mountain once you’re at the top overlooking the splendid drama of peaks-skirting-city.
Charming cityscape of Salta…particularly poignant at twilight.
But now it’s back on the bus for our longest bus journey yet…23 hours straight to the corner of the country and the border with Brazil. We’ve heard there’s a little waterfall over that way that’s worth checking out…
Good to know
Getting there: While overland distances are long, the inter-city bus network in Argentina is extensive and a great way to experience the scope and scale of the country’s landscape. We travelled with El Practico from BA to Cordoba and PlusUltra Mercobus from Cordoba to Salta, both were great.
Touring: Basing ourselves in Salta, we joined local company Turismo de la Posada and their excellent guides for a selection of day tours in the region, including the World Heritage regions of Cafayate and Humahuaca.
For more pics, head on over to our Northern Argentina photo gallery.
The worst thing about reading your blog Danielle & John, is illustrated by this piece: I did these places on my trip and yet you seem to have reached further (farther?). Anyway, I’m blocking you now so I don’t need to feel this level of jealousy and, worse, desire to set off again. Enjoy you wretched pair. ??
Hey Mik,
We know the feeling, we often meet other travellers that share their experiences of places we have been to and often end up turning to each other and saying “why didn’t we do that?”
I guess everyone’s travel experience is different – I’m sure you probably did stuff we missed?
Anyway, always good to have a reason to go back ??
John