Stace79

Hi ...

Were flying into Salta in late January for 7 days and 6 nights an looking to explore the region. Weve had peek at the other forums and came up with this .. be great to get some advice/feedback Will this be rushed or will we have time to soak everything up & enjoy??

Day 1 : Arrive Salta midday. Pick up hire car & drive to Purmarca. Stay the night

Day 2: Explore Purmarca and then drive to Salt Flats in the afternoon. Drive back to Purmarca. Stay the night

Day 3: Head to Humahuaca & Tilcara - then hea back to Salta. Stay in Salta for the night

Day 4: Drive to Cafayate. Explore area & wineries. Stay Cafayate

Day 5; Cafayate.

Day 6: Cafayate.

Day 7: Drive back from Cafayate. Overnight bus to Mendoza

or possibly one day less in Cafayate and have a day/night in Salta??

Can anyone give us an idea of driving times?

Also as we'll be there in January will we need to book accommodation beforehand?

Thanks

avrooster

Welcome to the Fodor's Argentina forum, Stace 79!

I assume you are aware that it will be pretty warm up there in January (midsummer for us).

A week should certainly be enough for your plans. Be sure to rent from a reputable rental car firm.

I'll ask Angie (Flintstones), our resident NW expert, as well as the best independent guide out there, to answer the rest of your question.

Have a great time in our country.

flintstones

Hello, stace79, Thanks, AVRooster...
Well, i think you have a pretty good idea of what you want. I think you could add Cachiand do the loop if the weather let you do that. But it will all depend on the weather conditions. January is our rainny season but you have a wide range of time.
If it is raining or has been raining the night before DO not do it. Be careful.
Most of the rains happen in the afternoon, hard and deep.
Salta - Purmamarca takes 3 hour drive, Purmamarca - Salt flats and back 3,5 hours... salta - Cafayate 4 hours, or a little more...
If you need any other info, pls do not hesitate making questions.
Oops... no need to book so much time in advance. January is pretty quiet.
Angie/Flintstones.

avrooster

Stace79: Bottom line, I don't think January is a good time to go to Salta.

It seems to me there are good reasons why it is "pretty quiet", in January.

Have a great time in our country.

live42day

Sorry to but in here, but what about going to Salta area in mid Feb? Same thing?

Stace79

Hi - thanks for all of your responses! Weve looked into a bit more and going to re-jig our plans this time and probably miss Salta Gutted but were on honeymoon so not really keen for bad weather! All the advice really appreciated! Stacey