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The Calchaquí Valleys lie to the south of Salta. A winding road travels up the Cuesta del Obispo, giving fantastic views before entering Los Cardones National Park where the land becomes arider and is dotted with cacti. Cachi is a charming town with adobe houses and whitewashed buildings. The town is backed by the Nevado de Cachi, a 6,000-meter high snow-capped mountain. From Cachi, visitors can head south along the Ruta 40 passing the village of Molinos (with a detour possible to the high altitude winery at Estancia Colomé) and then through the Quebrada de las Flechas, a canyon of jagged rock formations, eventually reaching the wine-producing town of Cafayate. Cafayate has numerous vineyards. Malbec is the dominant wine here but others are produced too, including Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon. White wine is produced here too – from the Torrontés grape. From Cafayate, visitors can continue south towards Tucuman, or complete an attractive loop (best done over the course of a few days) back up to Salta by way of another canyon – the Quebrada de las Conchas.

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To the north-west of Salta, the Train to the Clouds is a popular attraction passing through small villages on the way to the remote mining town of San Antonio de los Cobres. Currently, the section of the railway taking passengers runs from San Antonio to the Polvorilla Viaduct at 4,200 meters above sea level – an impressive feat of engineering. A little further north, the salt flats of Salinas Grandes span the border of Salta and Jujuy Provinces. While not as impressive as the Uyuni Salt Flats in neighboring Bolivia, the Salinas Grandes are nonetheless well worth a visit.

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To the east of Jujuy Province, Paso de Jama is the main crossing point by road into Chile and the Atacama Desert. Jujuy’s capital (San Salvador de Jujuy) is not visited much by foreign tourists though has useful flights to Buenos Aires and Córdoba. North of the city, the Humahuaca Gorge is a popular destination with a rocky landscape, attractive small towns and archaeological sites. Pumarmarca is a pretty town that’s worth a stop of at least a night. It sits at the base of the famous Hill of Seven Colors. Nearby Tilcara ruins is a pre-Inca fortification. Further up the Humahuaca Gorge is the town of Humahuaca itself, beyond that, the road continues to the Bolivian border at La Quiaca where the adventurous can continue to Tupiza and onwards to the Uyuni Salt Flats.