Experience the vibrant spirit and breathtaking natural beauty of Northwest Argentina
Northwest Argentina is a captivating region where diverse landscapes, timeless culture and rich history merge to create a truly unique travel experience.
Salta, the gateway city to the region, is nicknamed ‘La Linda’ (the beautiful). It was founded in the foothills of the Andes in colonial times, intended as staging point between Lima and Buenos Aires. Today, it serves as a convenient and interesting stop on a visit to Argentina. You’ll find beautiful Spanish buildings in the heart of the old town, but there is so much more to discover beyond the city streets. The fertile green valley is the ideal place to relax and soak up the pleasant climate for a few days before or after your adventures in the nearby brightly coloured mountains and canyons.
Between Salta and the borders of Chile and Bolivia, you’ll find yourself surrounded by the desolate, Mars-like beauty of Argentina’s north-western Altiplano, the Puna. This elevated (4,500m) plateau of wildly striking and desolate landscapes is filled with the rare sights of salt flats, flamingos, ancient Incan trails, desert labyrinths, herds of llamas and vicuñas, the turquoise ponds of Ojos del Mar, the oasis of Antofajita and clay-brick pueblos (towns).
Another highlight of this part of the country, the Calchaqui Valley is a grand and ancient landscape set to the south of Salta City. This is scenery on an epic scale, with arid canyons and mountains flanking the dusty elegance of sleepy colonial towns. It’s best enjoyed as travel in its purest form; a road trip. Take the road winding through mountain passes; endless cactus deserts and startling vistas formed by the seasonal rains’ carving of ancient rock formations.
Highlights
Visit award-winning wineries deep within the fruitful Calchaquí Valley
Marvel at seemingly endless sea of cacti in the Los Cardones National Park
Stroll through the busy Salta city centre and admire the impressive Salta Cathedral
Visit Laguna Grande and spot a sea of brightly-coloured flamingos
See the Cono de Arita, the Oasis of Antofajita, Salt Flats, Llullaillaco Volcano and Ojos del Mar
Lily Bunker
Senior Travel Designer
Northwest Argentina offers an unparalleled blend of striking natural beauty and deep-rooted culture, where colourful mountain ranges and ancient traditions create a landscape unlike any other.
Lily Bunker
Senior Travel Designer
Luxury accommodation in Northwest Argentina
Why book with Jacada?
Personalised design
We’ll plan your trip around your specific interests, tastes and preferences, providing helpful tips and honest advice based on first-hand knowledge of the destination.
Authentic experiences
Our expert guides and brilliant travel concierges are hand-picked to provide a genuine experience, bringing your destination to life with care and passion.
Responsible travel
Our luxury trips are designed with responsible travel principles that prioritise travel experiences that are both good for you and good for the planet.
Trip Inspiration
Discover more of Argentina
Bahia Bustamante
Located on the ruggedly beautiful Patagonian coast just south of Peninsula Valdes, Bahia Bustamante is a unique and very much off-the-beaten track destination.
Discover moreBuenos Aires
The city features an abundance of classical architecture and tree-lined boulevards reminiscent of its European counterparts.
Discover moreEl Calafate
The glacier region is without doubt one of the country’s most beautiful areas and watching monumental chunks of glacial ice crash into the water is a spectacular experience.
Discover moreEl Chalten
An unassuming village, El Chalten's location makes it one of the premier trekking and climbing destinations in Argentina.
Discover moreIbera
One of Argentina‘s best-kept secrets, Esteros del Iberá is a haven for wildlife and a fantastic spot for bird watchers and nature lovers.
Discover moreIguazu Falls
Surrounded by the lush subtropical forest of the Iguazu National Park, the 275 cataracts of the the Iguazu Falls are a truly remarkable sight.
Discover moreMendoza
As well as enjoying the good life sampling the excellent wine in Mendoza, there is a plethora of activities from rafting in the foothills and exploring the land by bike or on horseback, to enjoying world-class restaurants.
Discover moreMisiones Rainforest
A continuation of the magnificent Iguazu national park, the Missiones Rainforest is a crucially important haven for an array of rare wildlife.
Discover morePeninsula Valdes
Look out for Southern right whales, sea lions, orcas (killer whales), Magellan penguins and elephant seals as well as many other species, all interacting in their natural habitat.
Discover moreThe Lake District
This is the perfect place to enjoy the great outdoors with all manner of outdoor activities possible including hiking, mountain biking, fishing, horse riding, kayaking and skiing.
Discover moreThe Pampas
Experience wide open spaces, fresh air and a more relaxed pace of life that has remained unchanged for centuries.
Discover moreUshuaia
A frontier city at the end of the world, Ushuaia has grand appeal of really being on the last outpost of civilisation before the icy sweeps of the Antarctic.
Discover moreMeet your Latin America team
When to visit
The seasons in Argentina are the reverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring and autumn are a good time to visit Buenos Aires, which can otherwise be quite sticky and humid. To enjoy Argentina’s incredible mountain scenery on a private tour, Summer is the only time you can climb the tallest Andean peaks and is the most reliable time of year to visit Tierra del Fuego. Autumn is a great time to visit the wine regions and Patagonia where the beech groves turn rusty red and orange.
Hiking and walking
May–September
Outdoor activities
March–November
Warm and sunny
April
Argentina travel guides
Plan your trip to Northwest Argentina
Whatever you want from your adventure in Northwest Argentina, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.
We used Jacada to help plan a trip to Argentina. No one in our group had ever been to the country and Jacada's expertise and experience proved extremely valuable. From hotel accommodations, tours, travel, dinner reservations and everything else it was first class and so smoothly coordinated! Really glad we used Jacada and will definitely use them again.
Buenos Aires: 4 days/Alvear Palace Hotel El Calafate: 2.5 days/Eolo Iguazu Falls: 4 days/Awasi Buenos Aires: 1 day/Alvear Palace Hotel Our experience with Jacada was an A+ every step of the way. Lily and Melanie worked with us prior to the trip in every detail of the planning. They asked great questions about our interests and what we were hoping…
Our trip was fabulous from start to finish. Our travel designers were detail oriented; our travel progress was seamless. We enjoyed highlights of Argentina and Chile that we would otherwise not have known about, thanks to thoughtful planning. This was not our first Jacada trip nor will it be our last, if we have it our way!
We booked our honeymoon in Chile and Argentina with the Jacada team and we wouldn't recommend anyone else! Jacada took our interests, desires and preferences to heart and developed the most amazing week itinerary/ From the quality of local guides to the hotel bookings and food suggestions, all of our needs were met and exceeded. We did not encounter a…
Delfina and Carlos planned an amazing trip for my mom, sister and I to visit Argentina and Chile. From arrival in Santiago, until we traveled back to the United States, everything was planned perfectly. The hotels were fantastic, we went on some of the best excursions that we’ve ever experienced, and transfer between the locations was seamless. Would highly recommend…
Plan with peace of mind
When you book a trip in today’s world there’s a lot to think about. But with the right advice and expert planning, you can do it with confidence.
If you book to travel with us but your plans are impacted by circumstances you can’t control, we’ll change your reservation or cancel your booking for a full credit towards future travel.