One's first stop in Salta should be Cafayate, located 1,600 meters (5,300 feet) above sea level. Its main economic activity is wine production, especially white wines. There are several wineries worth a visit include Etchart, La Banda and La Rosa (Michel Torino). While wandering around the city one might want to visit the Parish Church, the artisans' fair in the central square, the Colonial and Archaeological Calchaquí Museum and the Wine Museum in the Bodega Encantada.

The surroundings provide many more opportunities. For instance, one can make the five hour hike to admire rupestrian paintings, explore the neighboring town of Tolombón and its archaeological ruins, or visit charming La Rosa and her flour mills.

On the Calchaquí River banks some of the most important aborigine settlements developed. A few of them remain, as dauntless symbols of an ancient past, still keeping their aborigine population and their old habits: Angastaco, Molinos, Seclantás, Cachi and Payogasta. Angastaco is one of the most picturesque villages in the Calchaquí Valleys, at 2,000 meters (6,660 feet) above sea level and 258 km (160 miles) from Salta. It is an old aborigine settlement, that was later taken over by the Spaniards. Some of the older structures have been preserved due to an urban program devoted to the preservation of colonial buildings. Its most important industry is the production of grape and vino patero (handicraft wine produced by treading the grapes within a cask) in small family wineries.

Further north, the road leads to Molinos, a traditional village in the Calchaquí Valley, 210 km (131 miles) from Salta, which preserves important archaeological testimonies. The main attraction of Molinos is its church, built in the XVIII century. Inside, the remains of the last Spanish governor of the province of Salta lie buried. His house, opposite the temple, has been turned into a comfortable inn while maintaining the characteristics of the original building.

Just a few kilometers to the north, there is a detour to Seclantás. A bridge links the town to the route and its church, Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Seclantás, can be seen in the distance. The town has a population of less than 200 inhabitants that live in a cluster of houses lined along the main street. Onion, paprika and chili pepper are cultivated in this area. Some families in this area knit ponchos on craft looms. It is possible to visit Lake Brealito from Seclantás or a small village called Colte.It is also interesting to follow the old road that skirts the river, towards the south of Seclantás, passing by El Churcal, with its old mill and its archaeological site.

Back into the main road and going on north, the tiny village of Cachi appears at the foothill of the iced peaks of Mount Cachi (2,280 meters/7,593 feet above sea level). It is located 157 km (98 miles) from Salta. In this area, alfalfa, onions, vegetables and red peppers are grown with artificial irrigation. The red peppers are dried in the open air, either on the ground or on the roofs of the houses, thus giving a colorful atmosphere to the town. There is also a small vineyard and a winery. The Parish Church of Cachi has been declared National Historic Monument; its furniture is made in 'cardón' (giant cactus) wood. Next to the church stands the Archaeological Museum, where numerous pieces brought from Las Pailas, a site near Mount Cachi foothill, are exhibited. From Cachi, horse-riding expeditions to Mount Cachi foothill are offered as well as to La Poma or Payogasta with its numerous pre-Columbian constructions.

From there, the eastward road known as Recta del Tin-Tin leads to the Parque Nacional Los Cardones (Giant Cactuses National Park). It occupies a large area with an average altitude of 3,500 meters (11,655 feet) above sea level. The park was created to preserve large communities of big cactaceous plants and endangered species due to the increasing and indiscriminate use of its wood with industrial purposes. There are two species of these huge cactuses in Argentina. One of them is the Trichosereus Terscheckii, with candelabra-like stems that reach a height of 8 meters. It is used to make small objects and crafts. It grows at an altitude of up to 2,000 meters (6,660 feet) above sea level in places such as the Cuesta de Miranda (La Rioja). The other species is the Trichosereus Pasacana, the one that is protected within the National Park, grows at an altitude that ranges from 2,000 m (6,660 ft.) to 4,500/4,700 m (15,000/15,600 ft.) above sea level. It is smaller than the previous cactus but equally impressive. Its wood is harder and is used for furniture production or for constructions. These plants may live up to 100 or 200 hundred years. The Park has also contributed to protect typical fauna species such as the guanaco, of which just a few ones were left by the time the Park was created. Luckily, it can nowadays be seen running in healthy herds.

Capital city of the province of the same name, Salta boasts a touch of elegance that is unmistakable symbol of a sumptuous past that is still alive in its large old manors and flowery patios. Among the big Argentine cities, this is the city where the Spanish influence is best preserved. It is located on the northern extreme of the Lerma Valley, at the foothill of the San Bernardo Hill, 1,280 meters (4,260 feet) above sea level and 1,610 km (1,006 miles) from Buenos Aires. It has many interesting buildings that are worth a visit, such as the Cathedral, dating back to the second half of the XIX century; the Cabildo, built at the same time, which houses the Historic Northwestern Museum; the San Francisco Temple and Convent, whose present building was finished by the mid XVIII century and which was declared Minor Basilica by the Vatican in 1997; San Bernardo Convent, which dates back to the XVI century; and the Handicraft Market where some most assorted examples of the local craftsmen's skills can be appreciated. All around the province of Salta nice pieces of pottery, basketry, knitted barracán fabric, tapestries and ponchos are produced, as well as music instruments. San Bernardo Hill offers, from its summit, a panoramic lookout over the city and the surrounding valley. In the outskirts, the summer village of San Lorenzo shows a variety of smart houses and small remodeled castles submersed in lush vegetation. The nearby Tucumán Forest is ideal for hiking and horse back riding.
Salta is, undoubtedly, the main tourist center in the Northwest. From the city, anyone having a few spare days can take the most important one-day tours, to places such as Cafayate, Cachi, the Humahuaca Gorge, Cabra Corral, or the Train to the Clouds.

The Train to the Clouds is a fully equipped train with dining car, bar, post office, guide, first-aid ward and stewardess leaves Salta Station at 7 o'clock in the morning for an unforgettable trip along the C-14 section of the General Belgrano Railway. It is a monumental engineering masterpiece finished in 1948. From Salta to the Viaduct of La Polvorilla, the train makes its way across numerous bridges, tunnels and viaducts. It does not make use of cogs; not even for the steepest parts; it uses switchbacks, spirals and loops, in order to climb just a few meters. During the first part of the trip, the train goes through the small villages such of San Antonio, Cerrillos and Rosario de Lerma. It finally arrives at Campo Quijano (1,520 m/455 ft. above sea level), which is called the "gateway to the Andes" since soon afterwards the train reaches the Quebrada del Toro (Bull' River's Gorge), which is a really pathway between the flatlands and the Puna. The name of the gorge comes from turu, which has nothing to do with a bull (Toro, in Spanish), the quechua word for mud, due to the mass of mud, lime and stones that the water carries downstream during the summer rains. Along this gorge, the Train climbs an average of 25 meters per kilometer (130 ft./per mile) up to Puerta Tastil, where it turns towards the northeast to San Antonio de los Cobres. From here, it is possible to return to the city of Salta or to continue to Chile through some of the international mountain crossings.

Northwards from Salta, both routes 9 and the so-called Camino de Cornisa lead to San Salvador de Jujuy. National Route 9 is not particularly interesting, but it is the best for those that are in a hurry. The Camino de Cornisa' (Mountain Road) is much more attractive. It runs along a valley that was the hub of communications with the Alto Peru (Bolivia, at present) in colonial times. The road goes through Santa Laura Pass, skirted by lush subtropical vegetation, and it continues towards the north bordering Los Sauces River, one of the most difficult parts of the road, finally going into the old path of carts coming from San Salvador de Jujuy. At this spot, all passengers were forced to carry on to the Altiplano on mule back. At present, it takes one hour and a half to reach San Salvador the Jujuy by this route.