Anyone can tell me what the road is like to drive after leaving Salinas Grande then taking RT40 (Puna Region) to San Antonio de los Cobres then to RT 51 along Quebrada del Toro to El Carrill (Rt 68) then on to Cachi...

My husband and I intend to drive from Salta the day prior and spend the night in Purmamarca (RT9 northward). Instead of taking this same route to go back to Salta the next day, I am wondering if the above route is good route for another sightseeing. I am also thinking to have another night stay in Salta or if we can manage to go all the way to Cachi after we leave this route the same day and ending in Cafayate where we can spend the night. I gather that it takes 4 hours or so drive from Cachi to Cafayate.

any tips will be appreciated. I have to decide where to get a hotel.

Thank you all.

hi travelhook. We did this drive last year and absolutely loved it. Here is a link to our blog. Entries 74 to 80 cover the drive.

After leaving Salinas Grandes the road gets pretty rough. - sand and gravel for much of the way to San Antonio de los Cobres with some soft patches of sand but no real problems. Our intention was to spend the night in San Antonio but when we got there we found it was a bit of a windswept dump so we carried on to Chicoana which is a nice little town and a good place to stop over. The route from San Antonio follows the Tren de la Nubes route for much of the way.

My main advice is to take your time as it really is a spectacular drive ( we took 5 days). There really is an amazing amount to see.

As for where to stay, we in the main just turned up and had a look at a few hostals and picked one. There are loads of nice places in Cafayete and Cachi. One that I would recommend is about 8 miles outside of Cachi Finca La Paya. Lovely rooms in an old working finca, swimming pool, great food and wine and fantastic hosts.

In Salta we stayed at a great B&B in San Lorenzo both before an after the drive http://www.lacasahernandez.com.ar/ it is on the right side of Salta town for the drive and so was really convenient. The owners Alex and Reijke have both done this drive and can provide lots of useful info.

I am sure flintstones will be posting soon with her input she is the local expert for this area.

Hi,I am sorry for the delay... yes, you can drive to Salta to Purmamarca and Salinas and Tilcara with no rpoblem. I would not recommend you to drive throughout San Antonio de los Cobres as the road is terrible. Just drive back on route 9 between Salt and Jujuy to go and thorughGûemesd Town in the way back. You can get fantastic masp at the Ministery of Tourism. If you need more info with details can e-mail me. I wil be pleased to help you.
Flintstones

I spent 8 days in the Northwest in 2007, and drove to the places you mention.

I agree with the above suggestion to skip the route to San Antonio de los Cobres, not only due to the road conditions but because we found it the least interesting of our time in the Northwest of Argentina. There is little in the way of services along that route, if that matters to you. I thought the main highway west from the Salinas Grandes toward Chile to Susques (and beyond) was beautiful, as well as paved, and the route from the Salinas Grandes to Purmamarca was spectacular, so traversing it twice is ok. We enjoyed the towns of Purmamarca and Tilcara a great deal. I did not try it, but I understand the portion of Route 40 driving south from route 51 towards Cachi is horrible. Agree with above to take your time. We found the driving generally fine (downtown Salta was a slight challenge) and the main roads were well marked. You'll have a great time.

Thank you again for all your encouraging suggestions and tips! I am so delighted to read all your adventures that I can't wait to see the beautiful NW of Argentina!

I changed my plan. I had a hard time finding a hotel in Purmamarca so I decided we will just go back to Salta late afternoon after we explore Purmamarca and the Humahuaca regions. Then we can drive south to Cachi all the way to Cafayate the next day and spend a night in Cafayate. Almost missed the opportunity to get a room in Hotel Killa. Only 3 rooms when I called!

We spent 9 days in the NW in November. U might want to think about spending a night in Cachi before driving onto Cafayate. The drive from Salta to Cachi took about 4-5 hours. It's at least that long from Cachi to Cafayate and almost entirely on unpaved road. Not a problem to drive, just slow going. I've got a TR that goes into detail about the drive and the places. Hotel Killa is great---enjoy your trip!

Hi travelhook, Can I help you with your booking inPurmamarca????
I just arrived from a trip so, if I could help you I am sure I would contribute to make your trip more enjoyable. I would be pleased. Stay either in Purmamarca or Tilcara it worths to spend a night or two there.
Flintstones

Flinstones,
Thank you very much for the offer! I was able to get a reservation for 2 nights in Salta at Hotel Almeria last night (one of your recommendations too) and ot lucky to get a room as they are already fully booked. Wish we could spend the night in Purmamarca as you and everyone suggest. With only 5 days in NW and long hours driving to Cachi-Cafayate, I shifted our direction --- and decided that we could go back to Salta from Purmamarca. (much as I hate to give up the night stay in Purma-). Any tips how to make this full day trip in P-T-H to the fullest, I would appreciate it with much delights.

yestravel, I just went to read your post about your Argentina trip and will continue reading them all this weekend to soak up your wonderful experiences. You have seen 'em all! wow!
How many days did it take to do all your trip?

Thanks, glad u find the TR useful! Just loved the NW...its beautiful and the people were all so welcoming. We spent a total of 9 days in the NW and could have easily spent more time. As it was we did go at a leisurely pace and had plenty of downtime between the drives. Just curious as to when u are going since it sounds as if its a busy time. We had no trouble with reservations in advance or on the spot in Novemeber.

We are going in late November to December, spending 4 days in BA, 5 days in NW(wish had more time to stay here), then 5 days in Patagonia (El Calafate and El Chalten) and 2 days in Colonia and Montevideo to go back to U.S.

Argentina is so huge that I underestimate our vacation time. It is the only allowable vacation I have at work! Too many beautiful places to see and regret to give up some like the Baroliche and Petro Madryn, Mendoza and other places in Patagonia and NW due to limited time. I chose the NW specifically based on many favorable reviews and on those beautiful photos of the mountains that I thought unique in the world. One compares the NW like the Colorado and Arizona....? maybe there will be striking difference.

Thanks again for sharing.

I'm amazed every place has been so crowded. I do know Hotel Killa is very popular and with good reason... a lovely place with wonderful owners. The NW is compared to the US SW and there are similarities, but I thought it far more dramatic. I'm not a huge fan of the US SW, its pretty but not my favorite area, but I was truly enchanted with NW Arg...seemed more dramatic or maybe the culture got to me, I don't know, but I loved it and didn't really expect to be so enamored of it.

Yea, Arg is huge -- u just have to make lots of trips to see it all! We'll likely go again for at least our 3rd trip, stay in BA and then explore another region.

Have a great trip!

yes, travelhook, Argnetina is huge and I PROMISE you will not be disappointed by your choice. NW is unique. DO not iss the empanadas, the great wines. Regarding retirning to SALTA, maybe you will notahve time to see the Salt Flats... Too much driving.
Anyway... any doubt, do ot hesitate in contacting. And once again, Thanks for choosing the NW!
Flintstones...

I know I seem to be in the minority on this, but we were totatlly underwhelmed by the Salt Flats...beautiful drive out there, but then it was like, so this is it? So given that if u want to cut down on driving I agree with Flintstones that u might want to skip them.

I am making notes of all your suggestions and can't wait, your comments are making me more excited! I will see how much time we have while in Purma---- maybe a bit or a glimpse of the Salt Flat will do (looks much better than the one I saw in Utah Salt Lake!) and hey it is Argentina, anything what needs to see or remember in a lifetime!

Flinstone, Fodors highly recommend you as one of best guide and contributors in Fodors! and that is how I gather some info abou NW! thanks a lot!

will post about the trip and while may not be as detailed and thorough as yestravel's and crelston's, well, anything what is left for me (ho), will be happy to share with you guys!

R u planning to check out Tilcara while up that way? We really enjoyed it.
One of the things I love about these boards is that everyone has such different perspectives on the same places, so each additional comment someone adds I appreciate.

Yes definitely, will go direct there first then to Humahuaca (since it goes straight along Rt68? then to Purmamarca where we will relax the rest of the afternoon before heading back to Salta. Really wish had more time to stay here. I might still flex the schedule later. I gather the road to go up there is well paved, right? I think Tilcara and the Purmamarca are where we should spend more hours based on everyone's (and yours) suggestions and recommendation so that is what I intend us to do.

If you are considering driving this route then it is definitely worth popping into the tourist office in Salta and getting a copy of the DE DIOS map of the region. All in English and highlights the many sights to see as well as a good route map.

crellston,
thank you, thank you. that is what I need to have! Been looking for information like that in websites but can't find much and was wondering if we are going to find those places everyone is talking about!!!! do not want to get lost in translation!

Hi, yes, you've picked great places to go. We've been to AR three times and enjoyed each trip greatly.

One suggestion for the NW, you might want to look into flying into Jujuy and exploring Pumamarca and Tilcara from there, then heading down to Salta. That's what we did (had a guide pick us up) and it cut down on the driving time a lot. I thought the salt flats were pretty cool. We thought having a driver was money well spent, since we could both enjoy the scenery.

Enjoy!