4-Day Salta Tour: Cafayate, Cachi, Salinas Grandes & Hornocal

Four days across Argentina's high desert: ravines, salt flats and a mountain painted in fourteen colors.

A 4-day guided tour from Salta visiting Cafayate, Cachi, Salinas Grandes and Hornocal, with daily hotel pickup between 7:00 and 7:45 am. The tour includes a live guide in English or Spanish, air-conditioned vehicle, and travel insurance. Each day runs 12 to 14 hours and covers dramatic landscapes: the 90-kilometer Quebrada de las Conchas ravine with stops at Devil's Throat, the high pass of Cuesta del Obispo, Los Cardones National Park, the Salinas Grandes salt flats at 4,720 meters, and the Cerro de 14 Colores mountain viewpoint in Hornocal.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Excursion to Cafayate and surroundings

• Pickup from accommodations 7:00-7:45 am
• Travel to Cafayate via Provincial Route 68
• Stop at Quebrada de las Conchas natural formations
• Visit Devil’s Throat and take photographs
• Visit winery in Cafayate
• Free time for lunch and town visit
• Return to Salta arriving around 6:30 pm

Day 2: Excursion to Cachi and national park

• Pickup from accommodations 7:00-7:45 am
• Travel to Carril and connect to Provincial Route 33
• Enter Quebrada del Escoipe and stop for photos
• Stop at Bishop’s Slope for photos
• Stop at Tin Tin Straight Line for photos
• Explore Los Cardones National Park on foot
• Free time for lunch and town visit in Cachi

Day 3: Excursion to Salinas Grandes and Purmamarca

• Pickup from accommodations 7:00-7:45 am
• Stop at Mirador del Cerro de 7 Colores in Purmamarca
• Ascend Cuesta de Lipan with stops for photos
• Visit Salinas Grandes and optional Piletones and Ojo de Mar
• Return to Purmamarca for free time and lunch
• Visit Paseo de los Colorados entrance

Day 4: Tour to Hornocal and nearby towns

• Free time to explore Purmamarca on foot
• Visit Mirador de las Serranías del Hornocal
• Free time for lunch and town exploration
• Stop at Uquia church on return
• Drive around Tilcara main plaza

The experience

How do you see four of Argentina's most remote landscapes without renting a car or navigating mountain passes on your own? This tour strings them together over four full days, starting and ending in Salta with daily pickups from your hotel. Each morning the guide arrives between 7:00 and 7:45 am within a 20-block radius of the city center, then drives you out into progressively higher terrain, from the wine town of Cafayate through colonial Cachi, up to the salt flats, and finally to the multicolored mountain that gives Hornocal its name.

Day one heads south to Cafayate along Route 68, stopping repeatedly through the Quebrada de las Conchas, a 90-kilometer ravine system where rock formations rise in shades of red and gold. You'll walk into Devil's Throat, a narrow canyon carved by water, then have free time in Cafayate's main square and a winery visit before the 12-hour return to Salta around 6:30 pm. Day two takes you west through the Quebrada del Escoipe, climbing the Bishop's Slope and crossing the Tin Tin Straight Line: a long, flat stretch of road that cuts through empty high desert. Los Cardones National Park gets 30 to 45 minutes on foot, then Cachi gives you two hours free: one for lunch, one to walk the colonial streets. Day three is the longest at 14 hours, heading north into Jujuy province. You'll stop at Purmamarca's Cerro de 7 Colores viewpoint, then climb the Cuesta de Lipan to 4,720 meters, where the air thins and the landscape flattens into the Salinas Grandes: a vast white salt flat where you pay a small contribution to the local indigenous community to enter. The optional Piletones and Ojo de Mar sites lie 3 kilometers deeper into the salt and require group agreement. Day four visits Hornocal's Mirador de las Serranías, the viewpoint for the Cerro de 14 Colores mountain, with stops in Purmamarca, Uquia and Tilcara on the return.

The guide speaks English or Spanish and travels with you the entire four days. The vehicle is air-conditioned and seats your group together. Travel insurance is included. Meals and accommodation are not: you'll need to budget for lunch each day (roughly 10,000 to 20,000 Argentine pesos per person) and can return to Salta each evening or arrange your own lodging at any of the towns along the route.

What’s included

• Live guide in English or Spanish.
• air-conditioned vehicle for all four days.
• hotel pickup each morning within central Salta.
• travel insurance.
• stops at Devil's Throat, Los Cardones National Park, Salinas Grandes, and the Cerro de 14 Colores viewpoint in Hornocal.
• free time in Cafayate, Cachi, Purmamarca and Tilcara for meals and walking.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 06:30 and 07:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (19 to 60 years) · Senior (61 and older) · Youth (12 to 18 years) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3)

GroupUp to 23

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Moderate physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availableNot for back problems

Operated by AGENCIA DE TURISMO TIAMAR EVT

Is this one for you?Four full days means you're away from Salta from early morning until evening each day, leaving no time for other activities in the city itself, but it's the only way to reach all four landscapes and return each night. If you have fewer than four days or want to stay overnight at any stop, look for a shorter itinerary or a different routing.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 18 years); Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's the Quebrada de las Conchas and why does it take up most of the first day?

The Quebrada de las Conchas is a 90-kilometer ravine running south from Salta toward Cafayate, carved through layered rock in reds, golds and purples. The tour makes multiple stops to walk into formations like Devil's Throat and photograph the landscape, which is why the full day excursion lasts 12 hours round-trip.

Can I visit the Piletones and Ojo de Mar inside the Salinas Grandes?

Yes, the Piletones and Ojo de Mar are optional sites 3 kilometers into the salt flats, but all passengers in your group must agree to go. A small contribution to the local indigenous community is required for entry, separate from the main tour cost.

Do I need to stay overnight in Cafayate, Cachi or Hornocal?

No. Each day is a full excursion that returns to Salta by evening, so you can sleep in your hotel in the city. If you prefer to stay overnight at any of the towns, you'll need to arrange and pay for accommodation separately.

What time does the guide pick me up each morning?

Pickup happens between 7:00 and 7:45 am from your hotel or accommodation within a 20-block radius of Salta's main square, 9 de Julio. The exact time depends on your location in that zone.

How high do we go, and is the altitude difficult?

The tour reaches 4,720 meters at the Cuesta de Lipan pass on day three. The operator recommends at least a moderate level of physical fitness. The altitude and long driving days mean you'll need stamina and comfort with high elevation.