Salta’s gorges and Mendoza’s Malbec

The bookshops and parrillas of Buenos Aires, colonial Salta, the Calchaquí Valleys from Cachi to Cafayate and the Quebrada de Humahuaca, and Mendoza’s Malbec vineyards, which climb to nearly 1,500 m in the Uco Valley, with the road to Aconcagua to the west.

Day by day Open the itinerary in the app

Buenos Aires → Salta → Mendoza · 13–16 days

The route on the map, in the itinerary’s order.

ArgentinaBuenos Aires
Days
3–4
When
Mar–May · Sep–Nov
Per person/day
Average 90–140 USDMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
ArgentinaSalta
Days
6–7
When
Apr–Nov
Per person/day
Average 66,100 ARSMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
ArgentinaMendoza
Days
4–5
When
Mar–May · Oct–Nov
Per person/day
Average 83,200 ARSMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

Who it is for

For anyone who wants Argentina beyond the capital, with mountain roads, colonial towns and lunch at a winery.

Not for anyone who does not want to drive or book tours, since Salta’s valleys, the Quebrada de Humahuaca and Mendoza’s wineries are out of reach of public transport.

The strategy

Buenos Aires comes first. For Salta, the flight may leave from Aeroparque (AEP), inside the city, or from Ezeiza, 35 km away: check your ticket. In Salta, the city is the base, with two overnight trips: Cachi and Cafayate through the Calchaquí Valleys, and Purmamarca in the Quebrada de Humahuaca. From Salta to Mendoza, look for a direct flight on your date or connect in Buenos Aires, since by road it is more than a thousand kilometres. In Mendoza, book wineries ahead, spend the last night in the Uco Valley if the budget allows, and do not drive after a tasting: national highways have a zero alcohol limit. You fly home from Mendoza, with flights to Buenos Aires in under two hours and to Santiago in just over one. April, May, October and November suit all three stops; from December to March, rain sometimes cuts the roads around Salta.

What you will see

Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires. Opera house opened on May 25, 1908, with Aida, a horseshoe-shaped hall for about 2,480 people and acoustics ranked among the world's best.
Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña, Salta. The MAAM, at Bartolomé Mitre 77, facing the Plaza 9 de Julio, holds the Niños del Llullaillaco: three Inca children sacrificed around 1500 and found on March 16, 1999, at about 6,700 m, near the summit of the Llullaillaco volcano, along with the clothing, figurines, and objects that accompanied them.
Parque General San Martín, Mendoza. Created by law in 1896 and designed by Carlos Thays, it has more than 300 cultivated hectares with species from several continents.

Day by day