Northern Argentina and Bolivia

We originally bought tickets from Iguazu to Mendoza in Argentina with plans to bus north to Salta and then into northern Chile. After travelling all the way to Puerto Williams and spending 23 days backpacking in our first 2 months in South America, we were starting to feel pressed for time. So we changed our flights to take us directly to Salta, and decided to leave northern Chile for another trip. Many of the high elevation places we'd wanted to visit were in the middle of the rainy season when roads can become impassable, so it wasn't much of a loss.

We used Salta as a base for some multi day trips in the surrounding area. First we took a 4 hour bus trip west to the small town of Cachi for a couple of nights. The steep road switchbacked over the Cuesta del Obispo pass then ran through the Parque National Los Cardones. Los Cardones are the candelabra cactus, and they are the only substantive plants in the area. Outside the park, the large cactus are harvested and milled for lumber to make doors, window frames, furniture and even rafters. While in Cachi we did a 20 km day hike along back roads that ran through several smaller villages and ended with a tasting at one of the local wineries.

Next up was a few days in Cafayate, the second most important wine area in Argentina after Mendoza. Since we'd skipped Mendoza, it only seemed right to spend a bit of time in Cafayate and sample the local products. It was also just a half day bus trip from Salta through colourful canyons and rock formations. It's a beautiful little town with just the right amount of tourism infrastructure. Lots of places to stay, decent restaurants, and numerous wineries in the region sprinkled among the cactus and rocks.

After returning to Salta we headed a few hours north to the Quebrada de Humahuaca. The UNESCO listed Quebrada is a narrow and very dry valley with amazingly colourful mountains and small indigenous towns. We settled into Tilcara for three nights and explored the area.

The hills south of Tilcara.

Amazing erosion.

Just south of town is Pucara, a reconstructed pre-Columbian site that also offers great views of the valley. 

Some of the reconstructed buildings at Pucara.

We also made a short day trip south to Purmamarca - a small, very touristy village that has some of the best colours in the valley.

Purmamarca.

Great colours.

More great colours.

Just south of the Bolivian border.

Just north of the Quebrada de Humahuaca is the border with Bolivia. From Tilcara, we bussed to the Argentinian border town of La Quiaca then walked across the border into Villazon, Bolivia. Combined, the two towns were probably the least attractive place we'd visited so far, so we decided to experience another common South American travel highlight - the overnight bus. We got the last two tickets to Sucre, Bolivia, grabbed a bite to eat and mentally prepared ourselves for 12 hours bumping through the mountains of Bolivia in the rain and pitch dark. Sometimes, it's better not to be able to see where you're going.

Sucre is another wonderful Latin American colonial city with beautiful old buildings, cobblestone streets, and lovely plazas filled with locals and tourists. It was also another opportunity to meet up with an old friend and a couple of new ones. We first met Robert way back in our Watson Lake days over 15 years ago, and he travelled down from Cochabamba, Bolivia with Mariana and her delightful daughter Mila to spend a couple of days with us. We toured the city a bit, enjoyed some good meals, and took in an entertaining dinner theatre where dancers demonstrated the local costumes, cultures, and traditional dances of the various regions of Bolivia in a blur of motion and colour.

The plaza at the Recoleta Convent in Sucre.

Unfortunately several areas of Bolivia that we had originally planned to visit suffered the same fate as northern Chile. Not enough time and a little too much rain meant that the salt flats of Uyuni and hiking in the cordilleras would have to wait for another trip. After the too short visit with Robert, Mariana, and Mila we travelled through the thin air of the old silver centre of Potosi and La Paz - Bolivia's largest city - to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca.

The view over La Paz.