Salta

Nestled in the lush Lerma valley, Salta is the largest city a region that resembles the southwestern United States, surrounded by areas of high desert, deep canyons, and frigid peaks where the Andean cordillera features some of most desolate heights — heights where researchers discovered Inca mummies that are now on display in the city's archaeological and anthropological museum. With its links to the highlands of Peru and Bolivia, this is Argentina's most indigenous, and institutions such as Pajcha ethnic arts museum reinforce that tradition. It's not short of other attractions, including the wildly colorful architecture of the Iglesia San ...

Nestled in the lush Lerma valley, Salta is the largest city a region that resembles the southwestern United States, surrounded by areas of high desert, deep canyons, and frigid peaks where the Andean cordillera features some of most desolate heights — heights where researchers discovered Inca mummies that are now on display in the city's archaeological and anthropological museum. With its links to the highlands of Peru and Bolivia, this is Argentina's most indigenous, and institutions such as Pajcha ethnic arts museum reinforce that tradition. It's not short of other attractions, including the wildly colorful architecture of the Iglesia San Francisco. It's excursions where Salta really shines, starting with the Tren a las Nubes railway to one of the world's highest viaducts — an engineering triumph with almost no economic rationale. Other extraordinary destinations are within a few hours: the World Heritage Site of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, the high altitude wine route of Cafayate, and the charming Andean village of Cachi.

About the Expert

Wayne Bernhardson is the author of Moon Handbooks to Argentina, Buenos Aires (including coastal Uruguay), Chile (including Easter Island), and Patagonia (including the Falkland Islands).