- Explore the beautiful city of Salta
- Visit the Salinas Grandes Salt Flats
- Drive along exquisitely picturesque roads passing colourful gorges, including the famous Humahuaca Gorge
Salta Extension
People - How this trip helps improve life for local communities.
- The use of a local guide means our customers will be well informed about local traditions, and cultural and social sensitivities.
- This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally-owned hotels and restaurants, the emphasis on eating locally produced food and support of other local enterprise.
- We use fairly small, family run and locally staffed establishments which ensures that we are benefiting local communities.
- Our activity also benefits the rural village of Copey, which is nestled in the highlands of the Central Mountain Range. By passing through this area, seeing how the locals live and work and having lunch in a typical home, we are encouraging cultural exchange and providing valuable avenues of income here.
- There is an option for clients to directly support local schools by packing a gift of educational supplies when we visit Copey area on this tour.
- This is a small group tour, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people.
- Our local operator is very involved in supporting community projects. On International Tourism Day in 2019 they took part in cleaning a beach at Guacalillo. They collected a total 150 Kg of waste and all the plastic lids collected were donated to the Fundación Proparques, for a project developing walkways to improve accessibility for people with mobility problems in the country's protected wild areas.
- In 2017 Exodus Travels introduced the Inspiration Project, where we’ve worked with our partners to take more than 6,000 children in 30 countries on a day of adventure and exploration. Each inspirational day out is designed to introduce young minds to the wonders of our world and their place in it. From visiting cultural heritage sites to natural wonders, each trip has been packed with firsts – their first time leaving their own village, their first time seeing the sea, their first time visiting a busy city. We continue to operate these days out to inspire children to protect and preserve the world as they grow up.
Places - How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.
- Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels.
- By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
- Being a wildlife-based tour, we are very conscious of our effects on the environment and how we can reduce negative impact and aid conservation. We visit national and private parks, including the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, one of the first community-managed reserves in the country. Our entrance fees also directly support conservation efforts in the areas we visit.
- Our local operator has a policy of Animal Welfare that requests suppliers to comply with the minimum conditions of animal welfare.
- Our local operator has been awarded by the Costa Rican Tourism Board for their sustainable tourism practice & dedication to improving sustainability standards. This means that efforts are made to rationally use water and electricity, provide adequate waste management, and positively impact communities, among many other actions.
- Most of the accommodation and restaurants we visit on this trip use locally sourced food such as fruit which is always sourced locally and abundant. Esquinas lodge have their own policy whereby they produce their own organic vegetables and fruit, marmalade, juices, mayonnaise, bread, chocolate and seasoning.
- Vegetarian options are available if notice is given which include a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, and rice.
- To reduce our carbon emissions, we use a shared coach at the beginning of the tour to transport clients from San José to Tortuguero rather than an internal flight. During the trip, we travel responsibly using appropriate methods of transport; therefore, depending on group size, a minibus/coach will be used.
- Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regard to working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
- We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for re-usable bottles.
Planet - How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.
- Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.
- An example of eco-friendly accommodation on this trip is the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, a model project combining conservation, environmental research and community development in a rural area. The plot is surrounded by approximately 3,000 hectares of untouched rainforest which acts as a carbon sink and the lodge itself is 100 % carbon neutral, meaning it will take action to remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they produce.
Reviews
Add your own reviewA rocky road; a wilderness of salt; and an ancient culture.
Rocks; mummies; Routa 40; rocks; vineyards; rocks; cactus; salt flats; rocks; Inca ruins and more rocks!
Most Inspirational Moment
The heat and stark beauty of the Salinas Grandes salt flats
Thoughts on Group Leader
We had a series of leaders over the week. The first was very helpful and acted a driver and guide. Later we were on minibus day tours with different leaders.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't put too much trust in LATAM's schedules. There were several flight amendments before our trip and finally a 12 hour change just days before we were due to fly to Salta. Further delays made us 14 hours late and we missed our first day in Salta. The trip notes and itineraries are liable to change. But this allows you to extend the tour by a few days. Spending a whole day in Purmamarca proved a really good option as it's a long day in a minibus. Your tour may be cut short or altered due to other travellers being late or preferring not to visit sites. We only had 30 minutes to visit the Inca ruins because we were running so far behind the schedule. Research beforehand. More options are available for your free days than may be advertised. Take a good camera with a wide angle lens as the landscapes are stunning. And it also pays get up early for the dawn light on the rocks at Purmamarca. ATM's in Argentina restrict you to 4,000 ARS and cost a lot to use. But Santander Rio have branches in all the towns we visited. If you have an account, it gives you a much better rate. Spend a few days in Buenos Aires if you have the chance. It's pretty safe and easy to get around. There's some lovely Art Nouveau architecture, a lively cafe culture, craft markets at the weekend, fine Opera and bookshops, tango dinner dances and lots of urban art. We recommend a 5-hour cycle trip: Hidden Graffiti And Urban Art Tour.
Suggestions
The climate, food, scenery and culture of the indigenous people in the Salta region is very different from elsewhere in Argentina: and a real contrast from Patagonia and Buenos Aires. A holiday in itself.
Would you like to include flights with your booking?
- ATOL protected
- Competitive flight prices
- Full refunds in the event of FCDO cancellations or major disruption at your UK departure airport
- Specialist support to rearrange flights and transfers
- Regional flights available from many UK airports
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