Description

SEASON: OCTOBER - APRIL Operational notes: Day 10: The departure flight must be after 9 PM. To keep in mind: Due to the altitude at which this program takes place, as well as the roads and distances to be covered, this itinerary is not recommended for hypertensive or hypotensive passengers. We suggest to consult your doctor. Day 1 Catamarca. Arrival at Catamarca airport and after a brief tour of the city we stay at the selected hotel. Day 2 Catamarca / Fiambalá. B L D We set off on the Adobe Route, a tourist circuit between Tinogasta and Fiambalá, which runs through old colonial buildings as they are built of Adobe, a mixture of mud, straw and dung kneaded and dried in the sun, which is then transformed into blocks or bricks. Before reaching Fiambalá we pass through Batungasta, an Inca site declared a National Historic Monument since its current constructions date back to the time of the Inca rule (1471-1536). Arrival and visit to the Museum of Man which was born with the discovery of three naturally mummified bodies that date back 500 years. Travelled distance: 325 km (202 miles) Travel time: 6/7 hours Maximum altitude: 1.575 MASL (5.167 ft) Day 3 Fiambalá. B L D Today we enjoy the Seismiles Route, a section of National Route 60 that begins in Fiambalá and ends at the San Francisco Pass, and runs through a region with several peaks that exceed 6.000 metres, and is considered the second highest area in the world after the Himalayas. During the tour we pass through the Quebrada de la Angostura & Chaschuil Valley, we will see the Ojos del Salado volcano, the most active volcan of the planet, the Inca Huasi Summit, Tres Cruces, San Francisco and El Muerto volcanoes, to arrive to Las Grutas customs complex from where we can observe a mountain lake with flamingos. Travelled distance: 400 km (249 miles) Travel time: 9 hours Maximum altitude: 4.726 MASL (15.505 ft) Day 4 Fiambalá. B D Free morning to enjoy the Fiambalá Thermal Baths, a thermal complex with waters at 38 degrees. In the afternoon we enjoy the Taton Dunes, a sea of sand that contains some of the largest dunes in the world, such as the Federico Kirbus dune, which is over 1.200 metres high. Travelled distance: 91km (56 miles) Time travelled: 3/4 hours Maximum altitude: 1.200 MASL (3.937 ft) Day 5 Fiambalá / Belén. B L In the morning we take Route 60 to join National Route 40 and head towards Londres to visit the Shincal (or Shinkal) Ruins of Quimivil, a pre-Columbian archaeological site on the Inca Trail or Chapaq Ñan, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. After a tour of the interpretation centre and structures, we continue to Belén. Travelled distance: 210 km (130 miles) Travel time: 5 hours Maximum altitude: 1.300 MASL (4.265 ft) Day 6 Belén / Antofagasta de la Sierra. B L D We leave Belén along the mythical National Route 40 passing through Hualfin, Cuesta de Randolfo and the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Laguna Blanca at 3.620 metres above sea level, a wetland that is also a Ramsar Site. We continue to Antofagasta de la Sierra to visit the Los Negros volcanic field with its bell stones, so called because of the sound that emanates when hitting them, and the Archaeological Museum, with its 3000-year-old mummies. Travelled distance: 270 km (167 miles) Travel time: 9 hours Maximum altitude: 4.000 MASL (13.123 ft) Day 7 Antofagasta de la Sierra. B L D Departure to the Indigenous Community of Antofalla, located near the Volcano and Salar of the same name, the latter being considered the longest in the world. During the tour we'll go through the Quebrada de Calalaste and Quebrada del Diablo, a route of contrasts. Travelled distance: 200 km (124 miles) Travel time: 8 hours Maximum altitude: 4.620 MASL (15.157 ft) Day 8 Antofagasta de la Sierra. B L D Get to know the Galan volcano with the largest crater on the planet with a diameter of 40Km. During the journey we pass by the Vega del Real Grande, to enter the world’s largest volcanic boiler with its 42 km2 diameter. Inside, we will see the Lagunas Diamante and Pabellon, some geysers with thermal waters at 82°C, and outside of the crater, we will visit Laguna Grande with a large concentration of flamingos from December to March. Travelled distance: 220 km (124 miles) Travel time: 8 hours Maximum altitude: 4.950 MASL (16.250 ft) Day 9 Antofagasta de la Sierra / Cafayate. B L We leave the village to go inland on a trail that will take us to one of the jewels of the Puna, the Pumice Field. On the way, we admire the Carachi Pampa volcano, its slag heap, and when we arrive, we walk through the field, the product of erosion for millennia. Due to its importance, it was declared Natural Protected Area. We continue towards Cafayate. Travelled distance: 458 km (285 miles) Travel time: 11 hours Maximum altitude: 4.000 MASL (13.123 feet) Day 10 Cafayate/ Salta. B After a brief visit of the city, we return to Salta through the Quebrada de Cafayate with its strange formations resulting from water and wind erosion. Transfer to Salta airport. Travelled distance: 192 km (119 miles) Travel time: 4 hours Maximum altitude: 1.660 MASL (5.446 feet)