A small town, colorful mountains, and the world’s fourth largest salt flats are the three big highlights of a day trip to Salinas Grandes. From the city of Salta, you’ll drive north, through the Andes Mountains before reaching some incredible scenery (though there is plenty of great scenery along the way). It’s a very long day trip, but I think the scenery is just good enough to make it worth it.
Here’s what to expect on a day trip to Salinas Grandes.
Day Trip to Salinas Grandes from Salta
This is all based on my experience. While there are several companies that offer a tour to Salinas Grandes, nearly every tour follows the exact same itinerary. They’ll make the same stops, typically in the exact same order, so it’s not unusual to see several identical looking tour vans every time you stop.
Pick Up
Pick up for a Salinas Grandes tour is early. I was told to be ready for pick up between 6:30 and 7:15 am. Unfortunately for me, my pick up was right at the end of that window (since I was the last stop before leaving Salta). I do wish they’d be able to give more accurate pick up times (even a 15 minute window), but that’s just how the tours seem to operate in Salta. At least they didn’t forget me.
Get settled into the van. It’s a two hour drive to the first stop.
A Brief Stop in San Salvador de Jujuy
Our first stop was very uneventful. We stopped at a gas station two hours into the drive in San Salvador de Jujuy. It was long enough for people to use the bathrooms and buy a coffee or snack if they needed one. This is pretty typical for tours from Salta. You’ll drive for about two hours before stopping for a bathroom and snack break. Then it’s back on the road and you’ll finally start to get some of that great scenery and the attractions you were promised.
A Glimpse at the Hill of Seven Colors
Our first real stop was near Purmamarca. We didn’t actually go into town and I was worried that this was going to be our only experience in town, but that fear turned out to be unfounded since we’d come back later. For now, the point of the stop is to just give you a taste of the scenery and to get you excited for later in the day.
By the Purmamarca sign, you’ll get your a nice glimpse of the colorful mountains. It’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but the views on the Hill of 7 Colors walk that you can do later in Purmamarca is way better. Still, take a few photos before you get back in the van.
A Windy Road Over the Andes
Now it’s time to go to Salinas Grandes. It’s a windy road up and over a mountain pass. The highest point is over 4100 meters (13,400 feet), so it does get quite high. My advice is to try to sit on the right side of the van (and not in the last row). The views on the left were ok, but from what we could tell, the right side had better views. In our van, the back only had half windows, so we felt like we were at a slight disadvantage. But it’s just how it goes sometimes.
Don’t stress too much if you can’t get good photos from the van. On the way back to Purmamarca, you’ll make a few stops so everyone can get out and take a few photos.
Be patient and be prepared for a lot of switchbacks up, over, and back down the mountains.
Our guide didn’t do much explaining along this stretch of road, but he explained a lot of the geology as we went from the gas station in San Salvador de Jujuy to Purmamarca. On these windy roads, it’s nice to just enjoy the scenery.
Salinas Grandes
Finally, we made it to Salinas Grandes. Here, you’ll need to pay a 6,000 ARS entry fee. Make sure you have cash because cards aren’t accepted. There is also a bathroom, but you’ll need to pay to use that as well.
So what does your entrance fee get you? You can walk out on the salt flats and take pictures to your heart’s content (or for about 45 minutes when the van leaves to return back to Purmamarca). The area can feel expansive and it’s big enough that it’s not too difficult to spread out and find an area all to yourself.
Unlike my visit to the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia, Salinas Grandes was dry. So, if you were hoping to get the cool mirror effect that you can find at the Uyuni Salt Flats, you’re going to be disappointed. Quite honestly, I don’t think the two salt flats are comparable and Uyuni is better by a long shot. But, if you’re not going to Bolivia, then Salinas Grandes is a great alternative.
In addition, your entrance fee includes photos. The locals here know what the tourists want and will take your photos. It’s a series of scripted poses, but you end up with a few fun pictures where you’re running from dinosaurs.
After about 45 minutes, it’s time to leave Salinas Grandes and start working your way back to Salta (though there are a few stops along the way).
Back to Purmamarca
The major stop is Purmamarca, where you’ll have lunch, but first you need to drive that windy mountain road again. Somehow, the right side of the van seemed to get really nice views a second time and I’ll admit that I was jealous. However, on the journey back, your driver will stop at two or three points and allow everyone to get out and take some photos. We stopped at the monument for the highest point on the road and at another viewpoint that gave a great shot of the road we’d been driving.
Exploring Purmamarca
In Purmamarca, you’ll have about two hours. This is just enough time for lunch, the Hill of 7 Colors, and a quick stroll through town. If I’m honest, an extra half hour would be greatly appreciated here because this felt like the most rushed part of the day.
Your guide will bring you to a restaurant, but it’s up to you if you want to eat here. The food was good (we tried the barbecue llama stew which was delicious) and the service was pretty fast. Given that you don’t have a lot of time in town, you want to make sure that you don’t linger at lunch.
The Hill of 7 Colors is short hike nearby that is absolutely worth it. It was easily one of my favorite parts of the day. It takes about 30 minutes, depending on how often you stop for photos (and you will want to stop for photos). While not a technically difficult hike, we were hiking at elevation and we could feel the effects. It’s not the highest point I’ve hiked in South America, but I still found myself breathing a bit harder than I normally would.
After the walk, spend a little time browsing the market in the town of Purmamarca. All of the towns that I visited on my day trips from Salta had some vendors, but Purmamarca was definitely the busiest and had the most selection. Unfortunately for me, I still had nearly three months left of my trip and anything I bought would have had to be shoved in my already full backpack.
Before you know it, it’s time to meet your guide and start the journey back to Salta.
Back to Salta
After Purmamarca, it’s just one long drive all the way back to Salta. We didn’t stop again and by the time I was dropped off at my hostel (more than 11 hours after I departed), I was completely exhausted.
How Long is a Day Trip to Salinas Grandes from Salta?
Like with most day trips from Salta, Argetina, a day trip to Salinas Grandes is a full day excursion. You’ll be picked up from your accommodation between 6:30 and 7:30 in the morning and won’t return until after 6:00 pm. While there is some great scenery, a lot of the time is spent in the car driving from one place to the next.
How to Book Your Day Trip
There are numerous tour agencies in town that will be happy to help you book a day trip to Salinas Grandes. If you’re planing to book multiple trips, it’s probably worth visiting (or contacting) one of these offices directly. You might be able to work out a deal if you book multiple tours.
These tours are also widely available on GetYourGuide and Viator. I booked my tour on Viator about twelve hours before departure (though I’d recommend booking just a little earlier than me).
Do You Need to Take a Tour to Salinas Grandes?
If you have your own vehicle, you could drive yourself to Purmamarca and Salinas Grandes. Just note that you’ll be driving windy mountain roads. It’s possible and I saw other travelers doing it, but as a solo traveler, it was more cost effective for me to just book the guided tour.
Should You Take a Tour to Salinas Grandes?
In general, I think the answer is yes, you should visit Salinas Grandes.
However, I will make one exception. If you’re also planning to visit the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia on the same trip, I think your time would probably be better spent on one of the other day trips from Salta. If I were to do this trip again, I’d skip Salinas Grandes and instead visit Humahuacha. You’ll still go through Purmamarca, but you’ll skip the salt flats for other gorgeous scenery.
Final Thoughts
Salinas Grandes is a long day trip from Salta, but the scenery is so unique that you hopefully won’t mind all of those hours spent in the car. Between the highway views, the salt flats, the colorful mountains, and town of Purmamarca, it’s a day trip with a lot of variety.
