Salta's Folklore: The Soul of Northwest Argentina
Salta is the capital of Argentine folklore music — the zamba, the chacarera, and the baguala are the three great musical forms of the northwest; the Salta peñas where these forms are performed live, the Cosquín Folk Festival connection, and the great folklore composers associated with the city make Salta the heart of Argentina's folk musical soul
Train to the Clouds: One of the World's Great Railway Journeys
The Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) — one of the highest railway lines in the world — ascends from Salta (1,187m) to the La Polvorilla viaduct (4,220m) in 16 hours; the engineering achievement, the dramatic puna landscape, and the altitude experience make it Argentina's most celebrated train journey
Salta la Linda: Argentina's Most Beautiful Colonial City
Salta — called 'Salta la Linda' (Beautiful Salta) — is Argentina's best-preserved colonial city; the pink Cathedral, the colonial arcades, and the Cerro San Bernardo cable car make it the most characterful city in the Argentine northwest
Salta's Puna: Flamingos and Volcanoes at the End of the World
The Puna of Salta — the high-altitude plateau in the remote northwest of Argentina, bordering Bolivia and Chile — is one of the continent's most extreme and beautiful landscapes; flamingo lagoons, active volcanoes, salt flats, and complete solitude define this extraordinary region
Salta's Colonial Churches: Baroque in the Andean Northwest
Salta's colonial religious architecture — the San Francisco church, the Cathedral, the Convento San Bernardo — represents the finest baroque in northwest Argentina; the churches' interiors blend Spanish baroque with Andean indigenous craftsmanship in a regional style distinct from the Río de la Plata
Cafayate: Argentina's High-Altitude Wine Region
The Cafayate wine valley — 200 km south of Salta, at 1,700m altitude — produces Argentina's most distinctive white wine: the aromatic, floral Torrontés grape; the valley's dramatic red rock canyon (Quebrada de las Conchas) and the boutique wineries make it one of South America's most beautiful wine destinations
Quebrada de Humahuaca: UNESCO Coloured Canyon
The Quebrada de Humahuaca — a 155 km canyon in Jujuy province, 3 hours from Salta — is a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of extraordinary coloured rock formations, pre-Inca villages, and living Andean culture; the Cerro de los Siete Colores above Purmamarca is the most photographed natural site in northwest Argentina
Salta's Kitchen: The Flavours of the Argentine Northwest
Salta's cuisine is the most distinctive in Argentina — the Andean ingredients (corn, potato, quinoa, dried meat), the indigenous techniques (tamales, locro), and the Spanish colonial spicing create a regional food culture with no equivalent in the Buenos Aires-dominated mainstream