Argentina’s sere and volcano-dotted far
north, on the other side of the Andes
from the Atacama Desert, is little-known
and less traveled. Which strikes us as one
good reason to explore it. Other reasons:
the landscapes up here are massive, the villages
are remote and welcoming, and the
high volcanoes rising from the arid puna
are breathtaking.
We fly north from Buenos Aires to Salta, just on the edge of the high country. Then up to the tiny hamlet of Tolar Grande, a drive our Brady Binstadt describes as “like going to Mars without leaving Earth.” For the next few days we wend through the salt flats and extraterrestrial landscapes of the puna, gazing up at snowcapped behemoths like 20,926-foot Cachi and Llullaillaco, at 22,109 feet the highest active volcano on the planet. Then, after a restful night at an estancia outside of Salta, we fly back to Buenos Aires and on to Iguassu Falls (Iguassu is the preferred spelling of the local Guarani people). Let’s let the great travelist Richard Halliburton, who came across them in the light of a full moon, describe these stupendous cataracts: “We reach the edge of a tremendous, mile-wide abyss, and stand before what seems to be all the beauty in the world changed into mist and moonlight, floating out from among the stars, and falling and fading into a bottomless fissure in the earth . . . the Iguassu surpasses all other rivers in the sublime beauty of its last hour, and becomes one of the wonders of the world.”
We round out this eventful visit to the north with a sojourn in the Doug and Kris Tompkins property at Esteros del Iberá, a surpassingly lovely, wildlife-rich enclave where we’ll horseback and hike and make a short flight to the nearby Iberá Marshes, one of the world’s largest wetlands, a world-wonder that shelters a vast variety of flora and fauna (a fantastic contrast with the anhydrous puna, still very fresh in memory).
We fly north from Buenos Aires to Salta, just on the edge of the high country. Then up to the tiny hamlet of Tolar Grande, a drive our Brady Binstadt describes as “like going to Mars without leaving Earth.” For the next few days we wend through the salt flats and extraterrestrial landscapes of the puna, gazing up at snowcapped behemoths like 20,926-foot Cachi and Llullaillaco, at 22,109 feet the highest active volcano on the planet. Then, after a restful night at an estancia outside of Salta, we fly back to Buenos Aires and on to Iguassu Falls (Iguassu is the preferred spelling of the local Guarani people). Let’s let the great travelist Richard Halliburton, who came across them in the light of a full moon, describe these stupendous cataracts: “We reach the edge of a tremendous, mile-wide abyss, and stand before what seems to be all the beauty in the world changed into mist and moonlight, floating out from among the stars, and falling and fading into a bottomless fissure in the earth . . . the Iguassu surpasses all other rivers in the sublime beauty of its last hour, and becomes one of the wonders of the world.”
We round out this eventful visit to the north with a sojourn in the Doug and Kris Tompkins property at Esteros del Iberá, a surpassingly lovely, wildlife-rich enclave where we’ll horseback and hike and make a short flight to the nearby Iberá Marshes, one of the world’s largest wetlands, a world-wonder that shelters a vast variety of flora and fauna (a fantastic contrast with the anhydrous puna, still very fresh in memory).
Day 1: USA to Buenos Aires • Day 2: arrive in Buenos Aires, afternoon sightseeing • Day 3: fly to Salta, tour the town • Day 4: drive from Salta to village of Tolar Grande • Day 5: drive up to Socompa, volcano viewing, and back to Tolar • Day 6: drive to antofalla and back to Tolar • Day 7: Pocitos Salt Mines, San Antonio de los Cobres, and Salta, overnight at estancia • Day 8: leisurely day at the estancia • Day 9: fly to Buenos Aires and on to Iguassu • Day 10: a day at the falls • Day 11: private flight to Tompkins property at Esteros del Iberá • Day 12: walking or horsebacking at Rincón del Socorro, boat outing on Laguna Iberá • Day 13: short flight to Estancia San Alonso, excursion to Iberá Marshes • Day 14: private flight to Posadas airport, connect with flight to Buenos Aires • Days 15 & 16: return to USA.
Argentina's Far North and Iguassu Falls
Trip Details
2008 Departures:
16 days
Activity Type:
Touring
Trip Price:From $5225
- September 28 - October 13
16 daysActivity Type:
Touring
Trip Price:
From $5225
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