Salta

[Robertdu]

I have been there three weeks ago. Nothing really interesting. Barbies is a bar with more or less 10 girls but service is very basic and cost 120 Pesos. Did'nt find anyone who does servicio completo. Some girls in the streets but depends day and time. Go there to enjoy the city and the provincia and get tired to sleep well!

[Azmitgom]

I spent a few days in Salta recently and confirm it is a nice city to relax and a good base for many interesting tours. Plenty of agencies offer a wide range of activities.

Not being a young disco dweller, and not confident in my irresistible magnetism, I called Soraya from http://www.zonalove.com.ar/: she quoted 300 AR$ and I declined.

So I went to Barbie's (every taxi should know where it is) 10-12 girls where there, I sat at the bar, had a beer (20 AR$) a few came to kiss me and tell their name, not pushy at all.

I spent some time chatting (in spanish) no one asked for a drink, I took out Jacqueline for 150 AR$, you have to pay upfront because she has to pay the bar (no lady drink or bar fine for you) taxi to a shorttime hotel (21 AR$ the room)

She wasn't very active but very sweet and I was happy. Then taxi back to Barbie to drop her, then to my hotel.

[Redondo]

Huamhuaca is way to far.

[BundaLover]

Guys, The following are extracts I cut and pasted from virtual tourist of comments about Salta area. (I think this is all public domain stuff) All are from late 2007. I have not been there yet. The article in Spanish is about the Movitrak tourist van that had an accident in the hills and several foreign tourists were injured (I think Sept. 2007) Enjoy.

The bus service is not good in the area and travelling with locals could be an experience for one protion of the trip but depending on public service is not really comfortable and enajoyable. No pictures are possible from the dark spoilt window of and old bus. In other words, you are crazy (kidding) Driving but yourself is also a bad idea. The roads are really bad and signs are not there when you need them.

If you do not know if you will have a second chance to visit, please, take a regular tour if you can not pay a private one, but take a tour.

Enjoy it.

If you can pay private tour, do not miss. Tilcara-Purmamarca and the Salt Flats in the north of Salta (province of Jujuy) and take two days to see Cafayate and stay at KIlla, drink the wines from several wineries, visit the goat cheese factory, and take some wine iceream at Miranda's, do not miss the best of the area.

You can ask the TA northwest guide specialist Giena (or Angie as she's known on Fodor's) for assistance. She quoted us $150 U. S. Per day (hotels not included) We booked Monday arrival to Saturday departure with Irene at www.active-argentina.com including airport transfers, private touring with excellent English speaking guides (Adrian picked us up from the airport in Jujuy upon our arrival from BA & drove us through San Salvador de Jujuy & on to Purmamarca & Noe was with us for the balance of the trip) & all hotels. Purmamarca- La Camarca, Salta- La Candela & Cafayate- Hotel Killa. Each hotel was in an excellent location, lovely & comfortable with good breakfasts included. The Killa had the best mattress of the trip.

Total cost was $1398 U. S. For the 2 of us.

I booked with Movitrak (google them and the site comes up)

THE FOOD is an issue!

The food is great, at least you ask for a LOCRO, in December. I suggest some food and nobody died. Of course never get a Menu where all those big buses stop to eat and choose what you want. You have great dishes, like milanesita de peceto con papas rejilla and corn sauce at LA POSTA in PURMAMARCA or Quinoa and Chiken pie at YACON in TILCARA, or lomo relleno also there! I know that most people in this forum like the less busy places, where the food is not just to satisfy the need of eating but the pleasure to taste the best dishes.

I visited Santiago del Estero last year and there was nothing interesting to see or do there. The province itself is quite boring and the trip from Santiago to Cordoba seems eternal.

Tucumán is more interesting than Santiago del Estero, as it's a bigger city. There are nice places in Tucumán Province, which for me is one of the nicest in Argentina. But I agree with Giena, Salta is much nicer than both Santiago and Tucumán.

Un safari con alta demanda.

El contingente de 18 personas había partido ayer, a las 6, con el MoviTrack para hacer el circuito denominado "Safari a las Nubes". Este viaje es una de las dos ofertas de 24 horas que vende la operadora turística MoviTrack Safaris & Turismo EVT.

El tour parte desde la ciudad de Salta por la ruta nacional 51, llega a San Antonio de los Cobres cerca del mediodía. Tras un almuerzo liviano, el contingente continúa hacia las Salinas Grandes, por la ruta nacional 40. Desde allí why luego de un paseo para tomar fotografías why caminar por el salar, prosigue el viaje por la ruta nacional 52 hasta la localidad jujeña de Purmamarca. Desde este pequeño pueblo why por la ruta nacional 9, comienza el retorno a la Salta capital, con un breve paso por la ciudad de San Salvador de Jujuy.

Para que los visitantes tengan la mejor vista panorámica de la Puna salteña why jujeña, el circuito turístico se hace en uno de los vehículos 4x4 que tienen sus techos con escotillas para que el pasajero pueda salir a mirar, sacar fotos o filmar desde lo alto why sin detener la marcha.

Dada la rigurosidad del clima de esta zona árida why del trayecto con tramos en los que se viaja a 4.200 metros sobre el nivel del mar, la empresa exige que cada persona lleve equipamiento especial: "ropa de cebolla" (remera, buzo why campera) con calzado deportivo, abrigo también para verano (guantes, gorro, rompeviento, pantalones largos) why protección solar (crema why anteojos oscuros)

Ayer, tal como lo prevé el programa de viaje, el grupo de turistas había llegado a San Antonio de los Cobres poco antes del mediodía, con lo cual tuvieron algunos minutos para conocer el pueblo why visitar los lugares de mayor interés.

De acuerdo a la versión que pudo obtener El Tribuno, poco después de las 12 compartieron un lunch why finalmente retomaron el trayecto del safari con la idea de llegar hasta las Salinas Grandes.

Sin embargo, el grupo no iba a llegar hasta este conocido salar. Alrededor de las 14, en el cruce de las rutas nacional 40 why la provincial 38, el camión volcó, sólo 10 kilómetros después de dejar San Antonio de los Cobres why cuando el contingente no había recorrido ni la mitad del trayecto.

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Desde hace 10 años.

La empresa MoviTrack Safaris & Turismo EVT tiene una trayectoria de diez años como operadora turística que desde Salta brinda servicio en todo el Noroeste de la Argentina.

La principal diferencia de sus servicios son, precisamente, los vehículos que están equipados para asegurar a los viajeros la mejor vista de cada lugar.

El "MoviTrack" fue diseñado why modificado por Frank Neumann, quien junto a su esposa Heike armaron la empresa en 1998. Es un micro de larga distancia 4x4, que cuenta con las comodidades de un motorhome. Es el más grande de todos los que posee la empresa.

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El Safari de las Nubes cubre, en un día, una distancia de más de 600 kilómetros a través de la Puna de Salta why de Jujuy.

El lugar donde se accidentó el MoviTrack está a pocos minutos de San Antonio de los Cobres, a unos 3.770 metros sobre el nivel del mar.

Desde San Antonio de los Cobres hasta la ciudad de Salta hay 167 kilómetros, que recorrieron las ambulancias con los 12 heridos.

Hi! If I were you, when going to Jujuy Province I'd use the first day to tour Purmamarca and the Salt Flats. The 7 color mountain can be seen from any point in Purmamarca, even from the main square. A piece of advice: visit Purmamarca in the morning or at midday. In the afternoon, especially after 4 pm, the sunlight will not let you appreciate the colors of the mountain. I would overnight in Purmamarca, as there are some nice hotels and restaurants. On the second day, I'd go to see Tilcara (don't miss the Pucará, which is very nice) and Humahuaca. Don't bother to drive to La Quiaca, the scenery is not that spectacular there.

The drive from Purmamarca to the Salt Flats is spectacular, and I guess the route from Salta to San Antonio de los Cobres might be quite the same. If I had to choose a place to go on a daily trip, that would be Cafayate. The drive through the Rio de las Conchas' gorge is magnificent and Cafayate is a lovely city, much nicer than San Antonio de los Cobres.

Brasu is right Purmamarca is not worth in the afternoon only. I suggest people to overnight and drive up to Tilcara one day and to the Salinas Grandes the second day.

Cafayate is another spot you should not miss.

La Quiaca only if you are interested in Yavi or the bording activity watching the slaves ofd this century.

San Antonio de los Cobres is not worth without the train. And the driving is so long from San Antonio to the Salt Flats that when you reach there you are tired. Enjoy Purmamarca, youcan walk around the hills or just listen to the silence.

Warm regards.

Incaman: I would not say two night is Purmamamrca is too much, as I see you want to do it carefully, not in a rush and if you are driving yourself it is better to stay two nights. I do not find Humhahuca itself the must in your trip but if you reach there you can eat at La Cacharpaya, see the Monuments to Heroes of Independence and the church, Tilcara is great, visit the indian ruins and the Museum. A great place to eat is Yacon in Rivadavia 222, my friends Cristian and his brother run this restaurant which is one of the best in the area. I suggest pastel de quinoa why pollo. And pancakes with dulce de leche! In Purmamarca you can stay at EL Cardon, nice inexpensive and comfortable. Take one of the rooms upstairs, and in the morning see the marvellous scenery from there.

The train to the clouds is not touristy anymore. IT IS DEAD! And the trip through out SAn Antonio de los Cobres and Salinas Grandes is long, exhausting and the sceneries do not worth such a ride. IMHO, I prefer the ride through Purmamarca including Tilcara and maybe Humahuaca.

Try to follow me in a map. The scenery in the way to San Antonio is worth up to Santa Rosa de Tastil. Besides, San Antonio is at 3775 mts, that is close to 12000 ft and most people get sick, not only because of the altitude, but also for the low atmosphere preasure and the lack of oxigen. There is no way to avoy it, there are promoted trips in special vehicles, that is a cheat. In the way to Salinas from Purmamarca you will go even higher but you will not feel sick. I suggest you to concentrate the see Cafayate (NOT Calafate or the mix of them both Calafayate) See Humahuaca, Tilcara, Purmamarca stay a night there if possible and go the next day to Salinas Grandes. Avoy the awful bumping, dusty route 40 between San Antonio and Salinas. Prefer Cachi or the whole way around the Calchaquies Valleys better. Remember this is your 1st time in the NW and the 1st impression is the most important. Do not spoil it by choosing the wrong itinerary.

There are plenty of Estancias around Salta, anmd very nice them all.

I like Manantial del MIlagro, close to Salta town. I would take one or two nights in COlome instead. And maybe enjoyed two nights in Salta,.

What do you think about Starting in Salta to Cachi - overnight at COlome, driving down to Cafayate, a night in KIlla Hotel and the 3rd day route 68 Cafayate- Salta not before tasting some of the wines from the area, or the wine ice-cream at MIRANDA'S or the goat ice-cream. Overnigth in Salta and then two days to the norht visiting Tilcara - Purmamarca - Overnight - and the Salt Flats - SAlinas Grandes. Salta the 5th day.

Colome has a great horseback-riding around the Estancia and the scenery is unique. If a horseback riding id not for you the alternative are massages. I heard they are incredible.

Colome, while pricey by Argentine standards, is spectacularly beautiful, and the road south to Cafayate is astounding. Hotel Killa is a lovely place--low key, tastefully and lovingly put together in the Andean style--with an equally lovely proprietor Martha. The one thing that surprised me most about the town, though, was the wind in the afternoons--the air was filled with dust (I should have known when I saw the sand dunes outside of town)--made me glad to be staying IN town rather than out in a more open area. The same was true at the Quilmes ruins--seems to be more an afternoon phenomenon, though. Then it's an easy drive, with time for stops along the way, back to Salta. The goat cheese place, halfway to Salta, makes for a really tasty and relaxing stop.

In Tilcara, I can recommend Quinta la Pacena--inexpensive, with character and very pleasant, enclosed grounds, (parking, too) and an easy walk everywhere. Have fun, you really can't go wrong--just plan on every destination taking longer to get to than you think, no matter how intrepid a driver you are (but we loved driving, nonetheless)

First off, I would recommend hiring a driver instead of driving your own car. Many of the roads are not paved and altitude sickness can be a problem. If you are really opposed to going in a tour and would rather drive, I guess driving to Cafayate and Purmamarca would be okay, although I still wouldn't personally recommend it. For private, personalized tours I can recommend Turismo San Lorenzo, located ten minutes outside of Salta in San Lorenzo. Tastil also has a good reputation for larger tours.

As far as hotels in Salta, my parents stayed in Hotel Salta and liked it. It could probably use some updates but has a great location right on the central plaza and is cozy enough. In Purmamarca we stayed at Rincon del Fuego. Beautifully decorated and great breakfasts. I would definitely stay in Tilcara, as it has the most options for restaurants and bars. If you want something calmer Purmamarca is nice too. If you want to venture past Tilcara I wouldn't go farther than Humahuaca, as it gets pretty desolate and there are no towns until you get to the Argentine-Bolivian border. Hope that helps!

If you are driving to Cafayate via Cachi, you absolutely should spend at least one night enroute! Whether you spend two depends if you would like to spend a day enjoying the surroundings, or just get back in the car. The driving time is longer than the distances would indicate.

The road to Cachi is absolutely spectacular, with amazingly varied scenery -- as if you are in several different geographic regions within the space of hours. However, it is a very narrow, unpaved road traveling along high cliffs with no barriers and fog often sets in. (I have to say that during the fog it was absolutely terrifying; our only saving grace was our guide's familiarity with the road; there was ZERO visiblity) Also, there are no tourist service enroute (except for one grungy hostel) and limited, if any, road signs. Your ability to drive this is up to you, but we did it with a guide. And he was fantastic.

We spent two nights enroute at Estancia Colome. I would have loved to have had even more along that route, either another night at Colome, or a night in Cachi. (they are only about two hours apart, but I would have liked to have spent more time in Cachi; not much to do, but very enchanting place)

The drive to Cachi from Salta is about four hours; probably two to Colome (near Molinos) and then I think 2-3 to Cafayate. Not sure exactly, but that's my recollection.

When in Purmamarca, take the walk in the hills behind the village. Tilcara is a great stop as well, with Inca ruins, a small museum, crafts market in square.

Don't try to get from Salta through Cachi and on to Cafayate in one day. It would be a full day of hard driving with no time to see anything at all. The itinerary posted above, with a couple of days in each place (Cachi, Colome, Cafayate, Salta) is the way to enjoy it. Of course, take Route 68 through the Quebrada when going from Cafayate back to Salta: a gorgeous, easy drive, and takes about 4 hours with sightseeing.

Even getting from Salta to Pumamarca is no piece of cake, timewise. Of course, Humahuaca is even farther.

[Redondo]

Salon on a Wednesday night is nice, but I am sure on other nights as well.

[BundaLover]

LAN flies Salta-BA. It was 122$ one way last week.

[Dominicfla]

I just reviewed my itinerary from earlier this summer, and the BA-Salta RT ticket was US$ 303.

[El Perro]

Just called Argentina Airlines, got a quote from BsAs to Salta round trip for $282 US. Flying anytime. Penalty charge for cancellation is $50. Will refund the rest.

Does anyone think it is a good deal?

Thanks!

Strad

I think that is about right for the gringo fare. I doubt LAN flys from BA to Salta, but they might. Might be worth comparing.

[Strad]

Just called Argentina Airlines, got a quote from BsAs to Salta round trip for $282 US. Flying anytime. Penalty charge for cancellation is $50. Will refund the rest.

Does anyone think it is a good deal?

Thanks!

Strad

[Dominicfla]

Could you post a bit more tourist info about your trip to Salta? How does the scenery compare to other regions of Argentina? Is this as nice an area to visit as Patagonia for example? Is it snowing there at this time of year? What is there to do during the daytime? Are there foreign toursits there?

Is the food different from the rest of Argentina? Thanks

Sure. I have only been to BA and Salta, so I cannot compare the scenery with the rest of the country. Nevertheless, the area has a lot of intense things to see; you are in the Andes.

I chose to visit Salta mainly through a process of elimination: it is one of the more temperate areas in the country during winter. Having been to BA once in April 2005, this time I had wanted to check out one other part of the country in addition to some time in BA.

The climate in Salta is more desertlike, and fluctuated wildly throughout the course of the day (70s in the day, down to 40s or even 30s at night) There was no snow.

Because there are different landscapes in each direction from town (e. G. West is desert, north becomes sub-tropical) daytrips for sightseeing are one of the best tourist-type activities. They usually start early in the day and in a sense are physically demanding. I only had time for one such trip, to the small town of Cachi through Parque Nacional de Cardones. I lined it up through a tour company beforehand, and it was US$74. The guide spoke English as well. The tour company is MovieTrak. I didn't run into any other Americans in Salta, but there were a fair amount of tourists, especially from England and Spain. Also met a few tourists visiting from BA.

The city itself is good for walking around, and you can take a teleferico / gondola up a hill for a panoramic view. It is in the most indigenous area of Argentina, so while I blended in fine appearance-wise in BA (until American English-accented Spanish came out of my mouth) as a 6'2 white Jewish guy I certainly stood out here. Did not feel unsafe or experience any problems in that regard.

Souvenirs of leather and colorful cloth are plentiful and quite inexpensive. The food in Salta is especially good and represents a terrific bargain. Empanadas are smaller than in BA but more flavor-packed. I had locro (a traditional stew) rabbit stew and a fillet of llama throughout the course of my visit, all of which were outstanding (llama does not necessarily compare to beef or chicken – I would classify it as tasty grilled meat) One restaurant had coca tea, which I had to try (it may have given me a bit more energy than a regular cup of tea, but no effect beyond that) Since BA was the next place on my agenda, and because I wanted to try the more native or unusual dishes, I didn't have too much beef in Salta but it is available everywhere.

I had really wanted to get "away" for my recent 9 days of travel, and definitely got that feeling in the northwest.

[BundaLover]

Could you post a bit more tourist info about your trip to Salta? How does the scenery compare to other regions of Argentina? Is this as nice an area to visit as Patagonia for example? Is it snowing there at this time of year? What is there to do during the daytime? Are there foreign toursits there?

Is the food different from the rest of Argentina? Thanks

[Dominicfla]

I saw an ad for this place in the classifieds of a local paper, which billed it as a "confiteria lingerie". From that title I figured it could be anything from a rip-off strip joint to a café that simply has waitresses in lingerie.

Rest assured, it is a place to meet chicas. I arrived a bit after midnight and was virtually the first guy there. The place is pretty small. There were about 6 chicas there; without prompting a fat one proposed AR$100, while the one I ultimately chose was AR$200 (I am sure that figure includes an element of foreigner tax) I think there was a requirement to buy one chica drink, but can't remember how much. There is a transitorio but it is not nearby, maybe a 10 minute cab ride away. If you have been to a club in BA you should be able to handle yourself here quite fine.

This was all the time and energy I had to explore such activities during my three and ½ days in Salta. Overall this area is highly recommended; inexpensive, terrific food and excellent scenery.

[Tinman]

There are a lot of beautiful women in Salta; I would say you will find more morochas in the North of Argentina in general, but I have actually seen more pure Rubias in Salta than on my trip to Buenos Aires where I saw more Raven-haired women.

If you go outside the city you will find many more Indian-looking people as Moore stated, but in the city it is pretty diverse and there are also A LOT of European tourists, especially Germans.

It's very easy to score with a regular girl in Salta since they are extremely easy to approach.

For instance:

I went to a club one night and as I was wading through the dance floor a girl grabbed my hand and started dancing with me and then we kissed a few times before I continued my way through the crowd again. This same thing happened again with two more girls in the club not 10 minutes later. It seems like people have more fun there in Salta.

Check out Balcarce Street for the club scene where they have clubs / pubs for all ages. Balcarce is flooded with people on the weekend nights; you should try to get into a club before 2:00 am on a Saturday night (or Sunday morning rather) or you may not be able to get in.

A popular club on Balcarce is Club 21.

There is a club on the way to the Airport called Cleopatra's which is supposed to be good.

Also, definitely check out a club called Salon VIP - It is very close to the Bus Terminal in Salta Capital. The girls there like to have fun and you will more than likely go home with one at the end of the night or at least a few phone numbers. - Sunday is the big night for the younger crowd and Friday night tends to be the older crowd.

There is also a red-light district (with genuine red lights!) and women standing out in front of small apartments. This will warrant further investigation by myself or another monger who wishes to take one for the team; however, there is so much free pussy around that this should remain a last resort.

As for Escorts, I've found one website in Salta - Zona Love:
http://www.zonalove.com.ar/

Check out the website for the local paper - El Tribuno - and maybe you can find some ads for acompañantes in the classified section.
http://eltribunosalta.com.ar/

Suerte,

Tin.

[Moore]

Are the providers in Salta mostly Indian or are there ones of European descent as well?

I was only there one night since I was able to change my flight and get out asap. I did not monger but I would guess that the demographics of the whoares there resembles those of the general population. Think Mexico/Aztec.

[Felipe]

Are the providers in Salta mostly Indian or are there ones of European descent as well?