Salta 3-day tour: Cafayate, Cachi, Salinas Grandes

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.62 (29 reviews) 66% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/21

Duration3d

GroupUp to 23

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Drive through three landscapes in three days, stopping to photograph each one

This is a three-day guided tour from Salta visiting Cafayate, Cachi and Salinas Grandes, with hotel pickup each morning and an air-conditioned vehicle throughout. Each day runs 12 to 14 hours and covers a different region: the Calchaquí Valley ravine and its wineries, the colonial town of Cachi with Los Cardones National Park, and the high-altitude salt flats at 4,720 meters. A live guide in English or Spanish travels with the group; children from age 3 can join.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Excursion to Cafayate and surroundings

Pickup passengers from hotels
Travel to Cafayate via Provincial Route 68
Stop at La Quebrada de las Conchas
Visit Devil’s Throat formation
Visit another natural formation
Visit a winery
Free time for lunch and town visit
Return to Salta city

Day 2 — Excursion to Cachi and national park

Pickup passengers from hotels
Travel to Carril and connect to Route 33
Enter Quebrada del Escoipe
Stop at Bishop’s Slope
Stop at Tin Tin Straight Line
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 passengers from hotels
Stop at Mirador del Cerro de 7 Colores in Purmamarca
Ascend Cuesta de Lipan with stops
Visit Salinas Grandes salt flats
Return to Purmamarca
Free time for lunch and town visit

The Experience

You get picked up from your hotel between 7:00 and 7:45 a.m. each morning, within a 20-block radius of Salta's main square. The first day heads south toward Cafayate along Route 68, following the Calchaquí Valley for roughly 90 kilometers. The route itself is the main attraction—La Quebrada de las Conchas (the Conchas Ravine) unfolds as a series of natural rock formations, and the driver stops several times so you can step out, photograph the landscape and walk around. You'll visit Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo), one of the named formations, then continue to Cafayate where a winery visit is included. After that, the afternoon is free: you have time for lunch and to explore the town's main square and surroundings before the drive back to Salta, arriving around 6:30 p.m.

Day two takes a different route northeast toward Cachi. After about 35 kilometers you'll connect to Route 33 and enter the Quebrada del Escoipe, a ravine where the landscape turns green. The driver stops at Bishop's Slope (Cuesta del Obispo) and the Tin Tin Straight Line (Recta de Tin Tin)—both are sections of the road where you get out to appreciate the view and photograph. Los Cardones National Park comes next, and you have 30 to 45 minutes to walk through it on foot. Cachi itself gives you two hours free: one for lunch and one to walk the colonial town. The return journey follows the same route back to Salta.

Day three is the longest—14 hours—and climbs to the highest altitude. You head north toward Purmamarca in Jujuy province, stopping first at the Mirador del Cerro de 7 Colores viewpoint at the town's entrance. From there, Route 52 ascends the Cuesta de Lipan, reaching 4,720 meters at its peak. The driver makes stops along the way so you can see the landscape and take photographs. The main stop is Salinas Grandes, the Great Salt Flats—a vast white expanse where you can walk and photograph. There's an optional add-on to visit the Piletones and Ojo de Mar (Eye of the Sea), pools located 3 kilometers into the salt flats, though the whole group must agree to go. Both the main salt flats and the optional pools require a small contribution to the local aboriginal community. After Salinas Grandes, you return to Purmamarca for an hour of free time—30 minutes for lunch and 30 minutes to explore the town—before heading back to Salta.

The vehicle is air-conditioned throughout, and the guide speaks English or Spanish. Infants and small children can use a pram or stroller, and specialized infant seats are available. The itinerary is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries due to the mountain roads and altitude changes.

What’s included

Hotel pickup each morning between 7:00 and 7:45 a.m. within a 20-block radius of central Salta.
air-conditioned vehicle for all three days.
live guide in English or Spanish.
winery visit in Cafayate.
entry to Los Cardones National Park.
small contribution to the local aboriginal community at Salinas Grandes.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot for back problems

Operated by AGENCIA DE TURISMO TIAMAR EVT

Is this one for you?Three distinct landscapes—ravines, colonial towns, and high-altitude salt flats—connected by a single itinerary with transport and guide included, so you move through Northwest Argentina without arranging logistics or negotiating routes.