Salta sits in the northwest corner of Argentina and is surrounded by mountains and unique landscapes. Of course, you could visit and just spend time in the city, but I don’t think it’s right to visit Salta without taking at least one trip to the surrounding area.
There’s a lot to see in Salta Province (as well as nearby Jujuy Province), but I know that not everyone has loads of vacation time to spend in just one destination. Still, the area is so varied, so I recommend spending a few days to really see and understand this variety.
I spent a week here, but the Salta itinerary that I’m providing is for just five days. I think five days in Salta gives enough time to see the highlights. That said, it’s a very busy five days with a lot of time spent in a car or on a bus. The incredible scenery of Salta Province is just so spread out.
Should You Rent a Car in Salta, Argentina?
The best of Salta Province sits outside the capital city of Salta, so you’ll need some way to get out and see all of the scenery. There are two options: rent a car or take the tours.
I chose to take tours to the surrounding area. I traveled solo, so for me, these tours were much more cost effective. I booked my tours through GetYourGuide and Viator and paid between $30 and $35 USD per tour. Keep in mind that these were full day tours where I was picked up by 7:30 am and then returned to Salta around 7:00 pm. I thought this was a pretty decent value.
If you’re traveling as a couple or a small group, I think it makes sense to look into renting a car. The benefit of the car is obvious: you can go at your own pace. Stop at the views you want to see and leave when you’re ready. For a small group, the cost of a rental car is likely less than that of everyone paying for a day trip. Just keep in mind that you’ll experience some gravel roads, windy mountain roads, and very long driving days.
So in the end, it’s your choice as to whether you rent a car. I think it really depends on your situation: how many people you’re traveling with and how comfortable you are with mountain driving.
That said, this itinerary is going to focus on travelers without a car. If you have a car, you can still follow this itinerary, though you may want to consider spending the night in some towns instead of backtracking all the way to Salta.
5 Day Salta Itinerary
Ok, enough boring logistics. Let’s talk about how I would design a Salta itinerary. As mentioned, this is meant for travelers without a car which means you’ll be booking day trips. There’s numerous operators in town, but you can also find these tours on sites like GetYourGuide and Viator. I booked most of my day trips the day before, but there’s no harm in booking in advance.
Now let’s get into this Salta itinerary.
Day 1 – Day Trip to Cachi
We’re wasting no time in your Salta itinerary. Normally, my itineraries give you the first day to settle in and get your bearings, but there’s so much to see near Salta that you have to be ready to get going immediately.
So start your Salta adventure with a day trip to Cachi. We’ll be taking a lot of day trips throughout this itinerary, but I’m choosing to start with Cachi. Yes, you can reorder these day trips, but I recommend starting with Cachi. Why? Because out of all of the day trips I did, it had my least favorite scenery.
Now, that makes a day trip to Cachi sound bad, but I promise that it’s not. There’s just so much spectacular scenery in Salta province and all of it is so different. Cachi’s just happened to be my least favorite.
On your day trip, you’ll be picked up in Salta and then spend nearly two hours in the car before getting a break to stop, stretch your legs, and get some coffee. After this, the scenery starts getting more spectacular. You’ll be driving through a canyon with towering mountains in either side of you. Unlike the other day trips, these mountains are green and covered by trees and bushes. You’ll also stop at a national park for a short walk to get up close to the cacti here (though my stop at the national park came after lunch).
You’ll eventually reach the town of Cachi, which admittedly doesn’t have a lot. You’ll have time for lunch and a small wander of the town, but two hours is plenty of time for Cachi.
In my opinion, the day trip to Cachi is all about the scenic views along the way, while some of the other day trips have more defined stops to help break up the journey. So, while I enjoyed my day trip to Cachi, it was my least favorite and that’s why I recommend starting with it. It’s just going to get better from here.
Day 2 – Day Trip to Cafayate
On the second day of this Salta itinerary, we’ll venture to Cafayate on what is possibly the most popular day trip from Salta. You’ll get stunning views of the rock canyons, taste some local wine, and have a little bit of time in the small town of Cafayate.
For me, the highlight of the day is the scenery that you pass on the way to Cafayate. The best I could compare it to is Zion National Park in southwestern Utah. There’s colored rocks (though not as colorful as what you’ll see later on in this itinerary) and incredible formations. The major stops along the way are Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), the Amphitheater, and Tres Cruces. All of these were good, but Tres Cruces was my favorite. You’ll also pass rock formations in the shape of frogs and the Titanic (which explained why my guide suddenly changed the music to Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On).
Then you reach the winery which seems to be the biggest draw for most people. Here’s my advice. If you take this tour only for the wine, you’re going to be disappointed. The wine is only a small part of this tour and the entire experience (tour and tasting) lasts less than an hour. The winery tour is entirely in Spanish (your bilingual guide is not allowed to come with), so be prepared. Then you’ll taste three wines: one white, one dry red, and one sweet red. It’s a pretty quick experience, so for those who aren’t interested in the winery, it doesn’t take much time.
In Cafayate, you have enough time to get lunch and wander the town. There’s not a lot in the town of Cafayate, but I felt like there was more here than there was in Cachi. At the very least, there’s many more artisans shops in Cafayate than in Cachi.
From Cafayate, it’s a three hour drive back to Salta.
Day 3 – Exploring Salta
After two long days on a bus, give yourself a break in the middle and spend the day in Salta. Yes, you could move this day to anywhere else in this Salta itinerary, but I think putting it right in the middle is the ideal place.
So take the morning to sleep in and relax. Then head out into the city of Salta to explore. By now, you’ve probably heard some recommendations from your tour guides. The most important thing to do is to visit the MAAM, or The Museum of High Altitude Archaeology. This museum is famous for telling the story of the children of Llullaillco: three Inca children who were sacrificed around the year 1500. It sounds morbid, but the museum does a great job of giving context and telling as much about the children as they can.
Beyond the Archeology Museum, you can also take the cable car to the top of the mountain for views of Salta. I skipped this, but I heard good things from other travelers. Take some time to people watch in Plaza 9 de Julio. If you like churches and cathedrals, there’s some great ones in Salta. The cathedral right off the main square is beautiful (and the interior is one of South America’s best in my opinion). Iglesia La Viña and the Convent of San Francisco are also some beautiful churches, but I haven’t been inside either of those.
The bottom line is that today should be about some sightseeing in Salta, but mostly just relaxing from some very long day tours.
Day 4 – Salinas Grandes & Purmamacra
We’re back to day trips, though I recommend packing your things. When you book your tour to Salinas Grandes and Purmamacra, ask your tour company if they will let you stay in Purmamacra. There was a girl who did this on my tour and honestly, I think it’s a great way to arrange your time (and save many hours in a van).
It’s more driving today as you go from Salta to Purmamacra to Salinas Grandes and back. The first main stop is Purmamacra, but it’s only long enough to take a few photos of the colored hills. But don’t worry, you’ll stop in Purmamacra later on in the tour where you’ll be able to spend some more time.
From Purmamacra to Salinas Grandes, you’ll drive a windy mountain road as you work your way up to over 4100 meters above sea level. We stopped at the marker for this on the way back and I could definitely feel that altitude. Salinas Grandes and Purmamacra both sit lower than that so while you’ll still likely feel the elevation, it’s not as dramatic as the highest point.
Salinas Grandes is the largest salt flat in Argentina and the fourth largest salt flat in the world. Your stop here is only 45 minutes, but I think that’s just enough time. You’ll get a chance to walk out on the salt flats and take some photos. Don’t forget to stop by some of the workers who can take some incredible photos. Their photo skills are included with your entrance fee to Salinas Grandes.
After Salinas Grandes, you’ll take that windy road back to Purmamacra. Get some lunch and then head out to the Paseo de Colores. This short walk takes you through some incredible scenery and it was some of the best of the day. I don’t think a visit to Purmamacra is complete without doing this walk. For the rest of the day, you can hang out in town.
Remember, if you planned things right, you don’t have to do the nearly three hour drive back to Salta tonight. Enjoy your evening.
Day 5 – Humachaca & Return to Salta
I’ll be completely honest here and say that I did not visit Humachaca when I was in Salta. It wasn’t that I wanted to skip it, but rather I was exhausted after all of my day trips and didn’t realize that I’d likely be able to stay in Purmamacra and do the itinerary the way I have it laid out. But I did research Humachaca and it was on my list, so I’m including it here.
On today’s day trip, there’s few things you’ll want to do. First is obviously Humachaca, which is the Hill of 14 colors. Purmamacra has the Hill of 7 Colors, but Humachaca is supposed to be even better. Then you also have some small towns like Tilcara, which should be fun to explore and get a glimpse of local life.
As mentioned, I didn’t do this tour, but here’s what I would recommend. First, find a tour company that is offering a tour from Salta to Humachaca and find out if they stop in Purmamacra. They should, since Purmamacra is basically on the way. Then, ask if you can join in Purmamacra and return back to Salta. You’ll probably pay full price for the tour, but that’s fine. It just makes things more convenient and by spending the night in Purmamacra, you’ll save nearly six hours on a van over days 4 and 5, which I think is a huge benefit.
Can You Reverse This Salta Itinerary?
Yes, you can reverse this Salta itinerary, but know that I’m ending this itinerary with what I think is the best scenery in Salta province.
That said, if you’re arriving in Salta from San Pedro de Atacama, you should absolutely reverse this itinerary. Get off the bus in Purmamacra and spend the night here. Do a day trip to Humachaca and then jump on a day trip to Salinas Grandes that will hopefully take you back to Salta. Then you can pick up the last three days of this itinerary in Salta. Doing it this way will save a few hours on a bus, which is always appreciated.
Is 5 Days in Salta, Argentina Enough?
If your goal is to see all of the best of what Salta has to offer, I think five days is what you should look at. Anything more than that and you might find yourself bored. Having talked with other travelers when I was in Salta, many loved the city. I’ve just slowly been accepting that I’m not a city person (at least not a South America city person), so the city of Salta wasn’t a highlight for me.
With More Time
If you have more time, I’d build in a rest day to your Salta itinerary. The day trips are long and having a day to rest in the middle is great. As I mentioned, I spent a week in Salta and I took a rest day after every day trip. My rest day was typically combined with walking around Salta to get some exercise and to see the top sights but it was still a rest day that definitely felt needed.
With Less Time
If you have less than five days, you’ll need to cut something from this itinerary. I’d recommend starting with cutting day trips. Yes, I believe the day trips provide a way to see the best scenery of Salta Province, but the days are long and without your one day in Salta, you won’t have any time to experience the city.
So, which day trip do you cut? I think it really depends on the traveler. Here’s my thoughts on which day trip to cut.
Humachaca – I’m biased because this is the one day trip that I didn’t do. While it would have been nice, you’ll still get to visit Purmamarca on a day trip to Salinas Grandes
Cachi – Out of the three day trips that I did (Cafayate, Cachi, and Salinas Grandes), this was the day trip I enjoyed the least. That’s not to say it was bad, but I think Salinas Grandes and Cafayate offer much more dramatic scenery.
Salinas Grandes – If you’re also planning on visiting the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia as part of the same trip, cut the salt flats here. Are they cool? Absolutely, but you can also see the salt flats in Bolivia, so try to get the most variety of the planet.
Cafayate – This is one day trip that I would argue to keep. It’s by far one of the most popular (I’d say it’s tied with Salinas Grandes for the most popular day trip) and I think that’s for a good reason. The scenery is fantastic, you’ll get time in a small town, and there’s wine tasting.
How to Get to Salta, Argentina
Most international travelers will visit Salta as part of a larger trip through Argentina or South America. Depending on your route, Salta can feel out of the way. You’ll find long distance buses from the main station, but there is also an airport in the city (airport code SLA). For those traveling within Argentina, I’d recommend looking into flights to Salta. Buenos Aires is the most common destination (this is how I arrived), but you’ll find some flights to Mendoza, Cordoba, and Iguazu Falls.
There’s also a bus station in town. Note that most of the destinations are quite far from Salta. Mendoza and Iguazu Falls are both 20 hours away. For those heading to Bolivia, look for buses to Tarija. It’s ten hours and then from Tarija, you can connect to other destinations in Bolivia.
You can also reach Chile from Salta. I took a bus to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile and it was nearly 11 hours.
Final Thoughts
Salta is a great addition to any Argentina itinerary. The scenery in the entire province is incredible and so varied. With five days in Salta, you can see all of the highlights, but just be prepared for some very long days.
