Day 7 - 29 Sep Flight north to Salta, Argentina

Photo above - Salta Cathedral

Early start to fly north

This morning, we'll fly for two hours north to Salta (793 miles), one of the liveliest cities in the north of Argentina apparently; “a blend of colonial architecture, fascinating museums and buzzing nightlife”. We set off early for an 8am flight from the Second airport in Buenos Aires, which is smaller than the full international one, but nearby in the city centre.

Into the north of Argentina

Our flight left on time, but nothing to see except clouds out of the window. Then, on the approach to Salta, there was a break in the clouds, and despite the forecast for rain, there were clear views of green mountains, snow capped peaks in the distance, and a series of large lakes with small settlements dotted around their shores. Closer to the city the landscape turned into a patchwork of fields in autumnal colours, and actually looked quite English.

About Salta

Salta has a population of approximately 650,000 and is the 7th largest city in Argentina. It lies at an altitude of 1,200m, and is in the far north of the country. This was as far south as the Inca civilization came, and the city is more akin to Peru or Bolivia in its food, culture, and indigenous heritage. Salta province is bigger than Belgium and Luxembourg combined. The two main industries are agriculture and tourism.

As we drove the short distance from the airport to the city centre, the difference to Buenos Aires was notable. The climate is a lot warmer here, so there are palm trees and orange trees in the square. The place is really quiet with only very light traffic on the street. Obviously a lot less people around, and less money too.

Panoramic views and a meal in a convent

The rain was just about holding off still, and actually it is not the start of the rainy season until December. Our first stop was a cable car ride up San Bernardo Hill where there were great panoramic views over the city. Luckily the rain stayed away, but it was quite windy. Next we went to find a place to eat, and ended up in an ex convent which is now a cafe! Had a corn and cheese tart, which is perhaps nicer than it sounds.

Walk around the city

After looking at the outside of the striking red Basílica y Convento de San Francisco, we walked into the nearby 9th July Square which is a small Square with trees, statues, and seating, where people come to meet and chat. Surrounding the square are several interesting buildings, including the garish pink Salta Cathedral, where pilgrims come from as far away as Peru and Bolivia. Then there is the museum of high altitude archeology, which has the deep frozen remains of three Inca children ‘offered’ to the gods hundreds of years ago. Another is a Spanish era town hall, that is now a museum.

Finally, we walked round to our hotel. Later in the evening we went out for some food, and to get a taste of Salta's music scene at a 'pena', a traditional folk music hall where locals come with guitars and take turns to play and sing. We saw some male and female dancers first doing a very Spanish influenced show. Then a five piece band called Kaymanta doing traditional songs that all the Spanish people ended up singing along to.

Tomorrow, we will do a round trip drive through some gorges and into a wine making region.