Untamed Puna-Salta Catamarca 10D / 9N - Argentina

Inclusion :

• Arrival/departure airport transfers
• 2 Nights accommodation Buenos Aires 
• 1 Night accommodation in Salta
• 1 Night accommodation in Purmamarca
• 2 Nights accommodation inTolar Grande
• 2 Nights accommodation Antofagasta de la Sierra
• 1 Night accommodation Cafayate
• Daily Breakfast
• City tour of Salta with MAAM, Humahuaca Gorge and Las Señoritas Gorge tour, Cafayate’s Gorge
• Tolar Grande, Cono de Arita, Mina La Casualidad, Ojos de Mar, Antofalla Salt Flats, Galan Volcano, Salar del Hombre Muerto, Campo de Piedra Pómez
• 05 lunches, 4 dinners

Exclusions:

• All flights, International & Domestic, reservations, taxes, fees etc.
• Lunches
• Dinners
• Porterage
• All other transport
• All expenses of personal nature like tips, mineral water, laundry charges, telephone charges, food
• Any increase in services that may come into force prior to the commencement and any increase in the cost of land arrangements or airfare due to increase in fuel prices, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates etc
• Excess baggage charges
• Any items not specifically mentioned in “included in price”

Arrival, reception and transfer to your hotel. Afterwards, city tour visiting the most interesting areas in the city, retur to your hotel.

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Salta. Arrival and transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a visit to the city including the MAAM (Archeological Museum of High Mountain).

Today enjoy a visit along the Humahuaca Gorge. In Uquía, join a short hike to the “Quebrada de las Señoritas” (Young Ladies Gorge), and impressive paleontological site amazing for its reddish formations.
Continuation to Purmamarca. Max. Altitude: 3.000 msnm (9,840 ft)

Early in the morning, departure towards Salinas Grandes (Grand Salt Flats) to move onwards across the Puna to San Antonio de los Cobres where you will have lunch included. You will then continue to Tolar Grande, passing by the Salar de Pocitos (Pocitos Salt Flat), the Labyrinth Desert, the Seven Curves and the Devil’s Salt flat. Arrival in Tolar Grande. Accommodation and Dinner. Max. Altitude: 4.500 msnm (14,760 ft)

Departure towards the mining campsite of Mina la Casualidad situated at 4,200 masl. (13,860 ft.). This place was the camp basis for another mine, Mina Julia (5.505masl/18,159 ft.). Enjoy some time at leisure to visit the old abandoned premises of this ghost town. Pic-nic Lunch. On our return trip to Tolar, we will visit the Cono de Arita, a very odd mount of volcanic rock that will amaze you with it perfect conical shape arising in the middle of the Salar de Arizaro (Arizaro Salt Pit). This salt pit is the largest in Argentina. You can do a 30 minute hike to approach the basis of the Cono. Return to Tolar Grande. Dinner.

Max. Altitude: 4.300 msnm (13,860 ft) Note: The visit to La Casualidad Mine is subject to weather and roads conditions. It might be replaced by a trekking at El Arenal, 8 km away from Tolar Grande.

Before leaving behind Tolar Grande we will visit the Ojos de Mar (turquoise looking lagoons). Afterwards we will continue towards Catamarca across the Arizaro Salt Flat, passing by the Cono de Arita, Yellow
Fields, Antofallita and finally the Antofalla Oasis where lunch will be included. The trip continues accros the Antofalla Salt Flats where you will visit the Ojos de Campo (three spent geysers located in the middle of the glaciers turned into round lagoons). You will then climb the Cuesta de Antofalla and drive on down along the Calalaste Gorge. At sunset, arrival at Antofagasta de la Sierra. Accommodation. Dinner.

Max. Altitude: 4.620 msnm (15,157 ft)

Departure from your hotel. After a 1-hour drive you will start travelling a salt and rock path towards the crater of the volcano. You will pass by Laguna Grande (Big Lagoon) inhabited by pink flamingoes mainly seen from December to March. Keep driving uphill till reaching the southern end of the crater. The Galan
Volcano features the larges crater in the world (36 km long -22.5 miles- and 24 km wide -15 miles-). Within the crater, you will visit the Laguna Diamante (Diamond Lagoon), fumaroles and thermal water rivers. You will move on along a desert-like scenery towards the northern edge, to start going downhill
towards the Salar del Hombre Muerto (Dead Man’s Salt Flat) . We will see some relicts of the ancient Incahuasi gold mine, which dates back to Incan times. Return to Antofagasta. Pic nic lunch and dinner.
Accommodation.

Max. Altitude: 4.760 msnm (15,615 ft)

Early departure towards Cafayate. En route you will visit some of the jewels of the Puna of Catamarca. A drive that follows a dirt trail leads to Carachi Pampa Volcano. While driving along the volcano lava slags you will see the Laguna Colorada (reddish Lagoon). After this off-road path you will drive pass a sand field to reach the so-called Campo de Piedra Pómez (Punice Stone formation). These pinkish, ocher and yellowish get to over 4 meters with and extensión of 23 km (14.4 miles) from north to south. Short hike in the area and continuation to Cafayate. Pic nic Lunch. Arrival in Cafayate. Accommodation.

Max. Altitude: 4.050 msnm (13,287 ft)

Brief city tour and departure towards Salta airport along the Cafayate’s Gorge, admiring its reddish formations product to the water and wind erosion. Arrival in Buenos Aires. Transfer to your hotel.
Accommodation.

In due time, transfer to the airport for your scheduled flight