Salta: Riding the Train to the Clouds

The most fascinating way to discover the Northwest is aboard the Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) climbing trough breathtaking Andean landscapes and on to the magnificent La Puna desert.

1st Day in Salta: You will begin the tour to Salta taking off from Bs As airport, once you land in Salta airport a tourist guide of 01argentina will be waiting for you with a sign with your last name to transfer you to your Hotel in Salta city. In the afternoon we will pick you up in order to take a City tour. During this sightseeing in Salta we will able to go around the Historic Downtown trough its colonial streets visiting the Cathedral, the San Francisco Church, the Town Hall, the Historic North Museum and the craft market. After that, you will go up to the top of San Bernardo hill in order to have a privileged panoramic viewpoint of the total extension of Valle de Lerma. Later, we will leave the city behind to visit San Lorenzo, a traditional summer town. Come back to the Hotel in Salta.

2nd Day in Salta : All day tour to take the Train to the Clouds: It is one of the world's great railroad experiences - a breathtaking ride that climbs to 4.220 m(13.842 ft.) without the help of cable tracks. The journey takes you 434 km (269 miles) trough tunnels, turns, and bridges, culminating in the stunning La Polvorrilla Viaduct. You will cross magnificent landscapes, making your way from the multicoloured Lerma valley trough the deep canyons and rugged peaks of the Quebrada del Toro and on to the desolate desert plateau of la Puna.

The train stops at the peak, where your tour guide will describe the region's topography and check that everyone is breathing fine and not suffering from altitude sickness. In the small town of San Antonio de los Cobres you will have a chance to buy handicrafts, ponchos, and other textiles goods from the indigenous people. The 14 hours ride offers meals onboard, translator services, and medical assistant for any passenger that may be affected by the lack of oxygen caused by the height. The trip is from seven am until midnight or later. The train runs 217 km. and passes through 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, 2 spirals, and 2 zigzags.

3rd in Salta:Breakfast. Transfer to the airport. Return to Buenos Aires. End of the Salta & Train to the clouds tour 3 days 2 nights.

The Salta & Train to the clouds tour includes:
Flights Buenos Aires - Salta - Buenos Aires
Transfers in - out Airport- Hotel in Salta.
City tour in Salta.
Full day tour " Train to the clouds"
2 hotel nights with breakfast in Salta.
English speaking tourist guide
Taxes

Train to the Clouds Travel Information:

An amazing journey through the clouds through fields of thistles, alder forest and pastoral towns. Landscapes for not enough words.

The Train to the Clouds is one of the highest railways in the world. It part from the city of Salta (1,187 m) and ends at the Viaduct Polvorilla (4,220 m). In his path crosses a road leading to the clouds and gives enough to enjoy time changing landscapes, from the green hills of the Valle de Lerma, in which is located the city of Salta, to the desolate vastness of the Puna. It is an unforgettable cultural and scenic experience which originally was the result of a desire to connect Salta with Chile through the Andes. The American engineer Richard Maury, who led the project, planned in the '20s a unique layout that is held since then on a complex system of rollers, zig-zags, viaducts, tunnels and spirals and today is one of the most amazing journeys of the world.

Aboard a train that has all the necessary services for a truly enjoyable experience, the traveler part early in the morning of the city of Salta, passes through the Valle de Lerma, goes into the Quebrada del Toro and up that immense territory which is the Puna. The train has two stops, both near the end of the journey. The first in San Antonio de los Cobres, an ancient village where you can learn the lifestyle and some of the cultural expressions of the region: traditional dances and music, crafts and woven of llama, vicuna and alpaca. The second stop is undoubtedly the greatest impact: The Polvorilla Viaduct. This is where the immensity of the Puna and railroad work undertaken by Maury unfold in all its magnitude. The train arrives in Polvorilla with locomotive pushing from behind training (just before reaching the viaduct is detached and passed to the end of training to facilitate the return). This viaduct rises to 63 meters above the ground and draw a curve of 224 meters. At the end of the journey, passengers can get off, feeling the clean and cool air on their faces, walk slowly, the body getting used to the altitude, and take amazing photographs that testify arrival in the clouds.

The trip takes a full day. The train has a dining car, doctor's office, audio, video and bilingual guide service. It leaves from Salta early in the morning and returns around midnight (There is also the possibility of returning to the vehicle, so you can spend more time in San Antonio de los Cobres and the visit to the town of Santa Rosa de Tastil ). Travel a distance of 434 km round trip, at a speed of 35 km / h.

IMPORTANT: It is advisable to book tickets in advance due to high demand. The Train to the Clouds does not operate during the summer months (rainy season from December till March).

Home| Contact us | Northwest | Puerto Iguazú |Buenos Aires| Mendoza | Bariloche | Puerto Madryn |Ushuaia and Calafate | Uruguay | Accommodation in Uruguay