Founded
in 1582, this city still has a very Spanish feel. That's ironic,
because Salta is where the decisive battle for independence
from Spain took place,. Today the city, offers some nice-guided
walking tours: There are quite a few colonial buildings, some
converted into museums, that are worth a look. Be sure to try
Andean foods while in Salta -- the empanadas and corn-based
dishes such as tamales and hamates are great. For an overview
of the city, take a cable car from Parque San Martin up to Cerro
San Bernardo. Tobacco is grown in deep gorges around the outskirts
of town, and there's a 700-ft-/215-m-long, 190-ft-/60-m-high
train viaduct.
An excursion
can be made from Salta to Cafayate or Jujuy. But one of our
favorite trips from Salta is the Train to the Clouds, a round
trip of 215 mi/350 km (Salta-Munano-Salta) passing over mountain
ranges, deep gorges and beautiful scenery (the very earth seems
to change colors, depending on the time of day). A startling
feat of engineering and one of the great train-ride adventures
in the world, the ride takes a full day to go and return (Altitude
sickness, however, can be a problem -- Munano is at 12,965 ft
/ 3,950 m).
About 55
mi / 90 km east of Salta is El Rey National Park, which is full
of birds and other wildlife. The park was created to protect
Argentina's southernmost subtropical forest. Plan a night in
Salta, or two nights if you're seeing area attractions.
