Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
We have had a great time in the Salta/Jujuy province in the far north west of Argentina ( close to the Bolvian border). The landscape is so breathtaking.. big country plains and big rockyt mountains full of different colours & cactus. We visited some small indigenous villages Purmamarca ( our fave the most authentic) and stayed in Tilcarda and visited Pucara an acrhelogical site from 10,000 BC indians who lived there. The villages were great, bustling with local markets selling everything from coca leaves ( which truly does help with the altitude sickness!!) and hand knitted alpaca wool gear and people wearing traidtional dress. We ate a llama steak that night!! ( a cross between pork and chicken, we though it would have a much stronger goaty kind of flavour but it didnt!)
We visited the Salinas Grandes, 45,000 hectares of salt flats from a lake that dried up 7000 year ago, The salt patterns were so cool and strecthes of white for all you could with the mountains in the background ( you defo needed sunglasses!!)
The highlight of our time up here has been the 2 day stay at a hrose ranch & family home 40km out of salta. The family were so warm and welcoming and the horses were so beautiful and so well trained, and the gauchos ( cowboys) who worked there were amazing horseman. It was a bit daunting at first getting on the huge horses with no helmets and being instructed all in spanish & taught to have just one hand holding the reins but by the end of the 2st day we were happily finding a trotting ryhthm and galloping like wannabe gauchos!! ( well almost) They had 5 gorgeous dogs who were so friendly and gentle that we fell in love with ( 3 big black labradors!). The country & argentinan hospitality is so special we felt like part of the big family and loved how all the horseman & family & guests have a long lunch at a big table outside with soo much meat roasted outside & red wine. That night we had a great time sitting around the table with the family speaking spanlish and the men shared some vanilla cigars peter brought out. The next day we were so stiff and saddle sore but we got back on the horses again for another full days riding and had so much fun practicing our galloping amongst the green tabacco fields and mountains. We also met an interesting Amercian/Swiss couple and a lovely Africaans girl who is working at the ranch for a few months. We may be hardly able to move without pain but it was so worth it!
- comments