Salta

Salta

Salta is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic centre of the Valle de Lerma Metropolitan Area (Spanish: Área Metropolitana del Valle de Lerma, AMVL), which is home to over 50.9% of the population of Salta Province and also includes the municipalities of La Caldera, Vaqueros, Campo Quijano, Rosario de Lerma, Cerrillos, La Merced and San Lorenzo. Salta is the Capital Department’s seat, the province’s most populous department.

I stayed in a boutique hotel. The staff organised an afternoon of horse riding with some local gauchos. They took me onto an army firing range, where I saw white goods (refrigerators and washing machines) that had been used as targets. My horse needed very little control from me and seemed to know what I wanted. I have never ridden an easier horse.

Cafayate

They also arranged for me to take a trip to visit Cafayate. Cafayate is a town in Salta province, in northwest Argentina. It lies in the Calchaquí Valleys, an area known for its reddish rock formations. Many vineyards dot the land, and in town the Museo de la Vid y el Vino explains the process of winemaking. Near the town square are the Rodolfo Bravo Regional and Archaeological Museum, with objects from local excavations, and the 19th-century Our Lady of the Rosary cathedral. The wine I tried was not great, but I think that the quality of wine from the region has improved a grdeat deal over the past twenty years.

I was there for a weekend break after meetings in Buenos Aries and before scheduled meetings in San Paulo.

Photo by Hector Ramon Perez on Unsplash