Salta la Linda

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A travel journal to Salta by SeenThat

Quote: "Salta the Beautiful" had honestly earned its nickname due to its amazing colonial architecture, pleasant climate, and surrounding green peaks. Placed in northwestern Argentina with the Andes Range at its west and the Bolivian Highlands at its north, it is in a key position for anyone visiting the area.

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Hotel America Salta

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Hotel | "Hotel America"

Basilica Menor San Francisco Photo - Iglesia y Convento San Francisco, Salta, Argentina

Quote:

Traveling overland in South America isn't easy. The bad roads combine with often and hostile police checks; as if they were assuming everybody is guilty unless proven otherwise. The result is an inherent difficulty in planning a tight travel schedule and tiring experiences despite the wonderful sights.Under such circumstances, I recently found myself in downtown Salta at 1:30am without neither a hotel reservation nor a specific plan where to go. I was planning to continue my trip to Tucuman a few hours later; thus finding a place where to shower and rest for a while was im...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 5, 2007

Hotel America Salta
Urquiza 325
Salta, Argentina
+54 (387) 422-8680

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Café Tobias

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Restaurant

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Café Tobias is a typical Argentinean coffee shop with a twist: it specializes on food from the Salta area, which is intrinsically related to the Andean High Plateau, despite the town being on the slopes leading to the central Argentinean plains.LocationResembling any other Argentinean town dating from colonial times, Salta is built in a perfect rectangular grid of streets surrounding a central plaza. Usually, such a plaza is surrounded by the main buildings and churches of the town.Café Tobias is superbly located on Buenos Aires corner ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 3, 2007

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Cerro San Bernardo

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Attraction

Cerro San Bernardo Photo - Cerro San Bernardo, Salta, Argentina

Quote:

Salta is built around a beautiful green hill called Cerro San Bernardo; it dominates the city landscape and it is hardly possible to find a place in town from where it cannot be spotted. The Cable CarThe "Teleferico" cable car to the hill's summit leaves from the San Martin Park, just west from the bus terminal and some twelve blocks away from the central plaza. The trip costs 8ARP (less than three American dollars) for a return ticket or 4ARP for a single trip and longs around five minutes.Climbing UpThe best way to reach the summit is climbing through the staircase to heaven. The access is located at the eastern end of Pa...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 1, 2007

Cerro San Bernardo
Cerro San Bernardo
Salta, Argentina

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Plaza 9 de Julio: Salta’s Central Plaza

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Attraction

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Resembling other colonial Argentinean towns, Salta was built in a perfect rectangular grid of streets surrounding a central plaza; that plaza was bounded by the town's main buildings and churches.The SurroundingsIn the late afternoon, after the local siesta ends, the central 9 de Julio Plaza becomes a lively place where the denizens gather to socialize and to breathe some fresh air; there is no better place to meet people while watching the city main attractions.InformationSalta's tourist office is on Buenos Aires 93, by the ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 4, 2007

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Iglesia y Convento San Francisco

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Attraction

Quote:

The Minor Basilica of San Francisco is one of the most striking structures in Salta and Argentina. The decision to build it dates back to April 16, 1582, which was Salta’s foundation date. Located next to the central plaza, the Uriburu House and the Cabildo, it occupies one of the most important and accessible spots in the town.ConstructionOriginally it was designed as the "Iglesia y Convento de San Diego de Alcalá" (church and monastery); its first structure was built during the late 16th century. The magnificent actual structure dates back to the 18th century and survived a fire in 1761. After a basic restoration, it was reopened in 1767 and closed again i...Read More

The Minor Basilica of San Francisco is one of the most striking structures in Salta and Argentina. The decision to build it dates back to April 16, 1582, which was Salta’s foundation date. Located next to the central plaza, the Uriburu House and the Cabildo, it occupies one of the most important and accessible spots in the town.

Construction

Originally it was designed as the "Iglesia y Convento de San Diego de Alcalá" (church and monastery); its first structure was built during the late 16th century. The magnificent actual structure dates back to the 18th century and survived a fire in 1761. After a basic restoration, it was reopened in 1767 and closed again in 1772 due to another fire. The Franciscan brothers moved then to the nearby Jesuit church and the restoration process from then onwards was very slow due to the political turmoil in Argentina during the 19th century.

Reconstruction

In 1857 funds arrived from Rome and the reconstruction began seriously with the help of Italian architects. In 1865 the monastery was reopened and in 1870 the actual church was inaugurated, though the marvelous terracotta façade was reconstructed two years later due to fallacies.

The Plaza

At the small plaza next to the entrance, there is a statue of St. Francis of Assisi which was added in 1926.

The Belfry

The splendid tower was built from 1881 onwards and includes four superimposed structures, thinning up as they approach the bell. The belfry reaches fifty-three meters and is one of the tallest in the Americas. The bronze bell is called "Campana de la Patria" and was made from the cannons used in the Salta’s Battle during the Argentinean War of Independence.

The Nave

The church has only one narrow nave; the walls were constructed with stone and bricks. It has eight lateral altars and treasures two notable images. The one is of San Pedro de Alcántara (made by Alonso Cano, a Spanish sculptor) and the second is of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves.

The Museum and Library

The richness of works stored in the church justified the opening of a small museum exhibiting a variety of religious images from the 17th and 18th centuries and a library where many important editions are stored. An important painting of Saint Francis in the collection is of uncertain origin. The books collection includes an important incunabulum (a book printed before the year 1501 in Europe).

The Monastery

The monastery is notorious for its entrance, which was carved in 1762 from a single carob tree by the indigenous people; sadly the convent is closed to visitors.

The Status

In 1941, the Iglesia y Convento San Francisco was declared an historical monument and in 1992 the Vatican declared it a minor basilica.

The Color

The striking color of the structure, a kind of earth-toned orange-red, creates a distinctive look that shapes up the town’s central area. At night the whole structure is wonderfully illuminated creating an unforgettable sight.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on December 4, 2007

Iglesia y Convento San Francisco

Salta, Argentina

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Exiting Argentina from the Northwest

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Story/Tip

Llamas on the Road Photo - Tucuman, Argentina

Quote:

Salta is the biggest city in Northwestern Argentina and doubles as the area’s travel hub. Beyond the obvious international airport, it is possible to reach three countries from here with the help of comfortable buses. Some of these trips are obvious and direct; others possess the evasive nature of connoisseurs’ shortcuts. This entry deals with the crossings to Chile, Bolivia...Read More

Salta is the biggest city in Northwestern Argentina and doubles as the area’s travel hub. Beyond the obvious international airport, it is possible to reach three countries from here with the help of comfortable buses. Some of these trips are obvious and direct; others possess the evasive nature of connoisseurs’ shortcuts. This entry deals with the crossings to Chile, Bolivia and Paraguay from Salta.

Chile

Reaching Chile from Salta is simple; direct buses connect the city with Santiago, Iquique and other locations. Despite the comfort, the buses are rather expensive.

Bolivia

Traveling to Bolivia from Salta is literally a dilemma; there are two main routes, one through La Quiaca - Villazon and the second through Pocitos - Yacuiba.

From the Argentinean side, the Pocitos option looks better since the buses from Salta do not climb the Andean Plateau and travel thus faster; however, the situation inverses once in Bolivia and the traveler looses a whole day in the way to La Paz, climbing up the Altiplano. However, if crossing the border through Villazon, the traveler is already on the Andean Plateau and La Paz is just twenty hours away.

Buses from Salta to La Quiaca and Pocitos leave from Salta regularly during the light hours. I recommend checking around all the companies, since the prices vary wildly; most companies offer tickets that cost between 35 to 40ARP.

There are two main routes to La Quiaca, the one goes there directly while the second passes through Jujuy, the northernmost Argentinean province. Jujuy is a hybrid town, sharing Argentinean and Bolivian characteristics.

Buses from Villazon to La Paz leave in the late afternoon, thus the traveler should leave Salta early in the morning to avoid stopping overnight at the border. The buses reach Tupiza, a couple of hours after crossing the border; the last is a magical town enclosed within a narrow valley bounded by red mountains.

Potosi, which if traveling with the late afternoon bus is reached well after midnight, was once the biggest city in South America and an important silver mining center, and is worth a special visit.

The other option is crossing through Yacuiba with a direct bus from Salta to Pocitos. After crossing the border, a shared taxi is the best way of reaching Yacuiba, a couple of kilometers north of the border. Direct buses to La Paz leave from there, but they are not recommended since most of the forty–eight hours trip is through unpaved roads. A better option is taking a night bus (or train) to Santa Cruz and then reaching La Paz from there. Conveniently, the bus and train terminals in Santa Cruz are combined within a single building.

If traveling to Bolivia, the travel is undisturbed, but in the opposite direction, there are several severe Argentinean customs checks along the way.

Paraguay

Salta is unorthodoxly functional in speeding up the trip from La Paz in Bolivia to Asuncion del Paraguay.

The problem is geographical in nature, since the isolated, wild, almost inaccessible Chaco plains separate between Bolivia and Paraguay. A direct bus takes two days and costs sixty–five dollars, which is an amazing sum of money to spend for two nights sitting on a rolling chair. Breaking up the trip through frequent stops in the Bolivian lowlands would lower the total price but would not improve the travel conditions significantly.

The Argentinean bypass through Salta offers a beautiful and restoring break, cuts the overall cost and improves the travel conditions. This route begins with a night bus to Villazon from La Paz (70BOB - ~9$; the price varies seasonally). Afterwards, it continues with a border foot-crossing to La Quiaca and a bus to Salta (35–40ARP - ~$13).

The last long leg is done with a bus to Formosa or Resistencia (less than 65ARP - ~$21) through the Argentinean Chaco. Formosa or Resistencia offer microbuses to Clorinda (20ARP - ~6.5$) the border-cross to Paraguay; once there, a local bus leaving from the main avenue reaches the border (0.75ARP). Paraguayan Falcon is across the bridge; Asuncion is fifteen minutes away. The cost of this route is $49 while traveling in better conditions than through the Bolivian-Paraguayan Chaco.
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