Last updated on February 25th, 2025 at 01:43 am
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Years ago, I saw a picture of a seven colour mountain in Argentina on Pinterest and I became obsessed with the idea of visiting northern Argentina. Last year, I had the opportunity to make the trip there, specifically to Salta, the capital city of Salta province. Salta is a cool city, but the day trips you can take in the area are even more amazing. I put together this guide including local activities in Salta, as well as day trips, that I think would make the perfect 3 days in Salta.
Day 1
If you have 3 days in Salta, I would recommend spending the first day exploring the city itself. There are many cool things to see in Salta:
- Catedral Basílica de Salta: I would start your day by seeing Catedral Basílica de Salta, a beautiful Roman Catholic church.
- July 9th Square: A short walk from the Catedral Basílica is July 9th Square, the historical town center. There are many beautiful buildings here, as well as cool restaurants.
- Museum of High Altitude Archaeology: Located in the July 9th Square, the Museum of High Altitude Archaeology is an absolute must visit in my opinion. An archaeology museum may not sound appealing to everyone, but this one was incredible. It contained multiple real mummified bodies, and I learned so much fascinating information about the Incan civilization that had inhibited the area.
- Lunch: As I mentioned earlier, there are many restaurants in July 9th Square. Whether you want to sit down, or just grab an empanada to go, this is a great spot to grab lunch.
- San Bernardo’s Hill: Next, I would recommend heading to San Bernardo’s Hill. It is a bit further from the square then everything listed already, but I still walked there- it took about 30 minutes. There are also Ubers and taxis available in Salta if you would prefer that. There is a cable car you can take to the top of the hill, which offers beautiful views of the city and surrounding mountains. At the top, you will also find the iconic SALTA sign.
You can also book a tour of Salta, if you want a guide. This one: Best of Salta: Guided City Tour will take you to all of the main sites, including the top of San Bernardo’s Hill.
Day 2
In my opinion, if you have 3 days in Salta, one is enough to see everything you need to see in the city. So on your second day in Salta, I would recommend getting out of the city on a day trip. In my opinion, the most important day trip from Salta is to Salinas Grandes, the third largest salt flat in the world. This incredible salt flat is huge, and is a great place to take some amazing photos. It was dry the day I visited, but I’m told that if you go on a rainy day, the whole surface becomes reflective.
Not only is Salinas Grandes amazing, but the way there also has a few other incredible places to stop. One of those stops is in Purmamarca, a small town at the base of a seven colour mountain. This is a must visit on your way to Salinas Grandes, and a great place to get a snack, use the bathroom, or buy handcrafts from local artisans!
The next stop is at the highest elevation in Jujuy- a little before the salt flats, you will see a sign letting you know that you are 4170 metres above sea level. Be careful- if you aren’t used to high elevations, you will probably find it pretty difficult to breath there. Make sure you walk slowly! The locals also recommend chewing coca leaves to combat altitude sickness- you can purchase some from the vendors in Purmamarca (just make sure you don’t bring them home- they are illegal in most other countries).
You can take this day trip on your own if you rent a car. The road there was windy in places, but overall seemed pretty manageable. However, there are also lots of group tours available. I did this one: From Salta: Full-Day Trip to Salinas Grandes and Purmamarca. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and explained everything in English as well as Spanish. We stopped at the two extra spots I recommended, as well as a few stops for food/coffee.
Day 3
On your third day, I would recommend another day trip out of Salta city. In my opinion, the best option for your second day trip is to visit Cafayate, a town known for its wines. This is a great choice because it is south of Salta, so you will see completely different scenery on your way there than you did on your first day trip. Argentina is known for its amazing wines, so this is a great opportunity to try some! There are many wineries in Cafayate that offer tours and samples.
The scenery between Salta and Cafayate is also incredible. If you like red rocks, you will absolutely love it. A few places you need to stop on the way are Tres Cruces viewpoint, and Quebrada de las Conchas.
Again, you can do this trip yourself if you rent a car, and stop at as many viewpoints as you want. There are also many day tours available. I did this one: From Salta: Full-Day Tour to Cafayate with Wine Tasting. It was awesome, though was focused more so on the scenery than the wine. We still got to do a wine tasting though, and the viewpoints we stopped at were incredible!
So there you have it, the perfect plan for 3 days in Salta! I hope this helps you plan your trip!
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