LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: Northern Loop
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THREE to Five Weeks / IguazU Falls, Mendoza & the Andean Northwest
Covering nearly 4700km, the Northern Loop takes you to four of Argentina’s finest cities – Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Córdoba and Salta – and through some of its most spectacular parks, including Parque Provincial Aconcagua and Parque Nacional Iguazú, home of the thundering Iguazú falls.
After a couple of days in Buenos Aires, head for the heart of wine country – Mendoza. Be sure to take a trip up RN 7 to Parque Provincial Aconcagua, home of the Americas’ highest peak. Journey north to San Juan and see the wild rock formations and dinosaur exhibits of Parque Provincial Ischigualasto. Cut east and spend a day exploring Córdoba, the finest colonial center in Argentina (gotta love those Jesuits!).
Take an overnight bus to Tucumán, where you’ll find some seriously odd 1960s architecture, a beautiful central plaza and one of the liveliest street scenes in Argentina. Take the scenic route to Salta, stopping in mellow lakeside Tafí del Valle and overnighting in beautiful Cafayate . Suck down plenty of the town’s dry torrontés white wine before heading up the spectacularly eroded valley Quebrada de Cafayate to Salta, whose central plaza is one of Argentina’s finest.
From Salta, venture up RN 9 for beautiful whitewashed adobe villages, traditional Andean culture, fabulous crafts and rugged high-mountain scenery. Don’t miss the wee village of Purmamarca and its famous Cerro de los Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colors).
Further north, the otherworldly Andean valley Quebrada de Humahuaca is a must; after you explore it, overnight in lively little Tilcara before heading back to Salta to kick off the final leg: the wondrous Parque Nacional Iguazú. Whether you make the arduous overland journey across the Chaco or fly via Buenos Aires, you’ll want at least two days marveling at the mammoth falls and hiking through the park’s subtropical forests. Close things off with a little silence at the Jesuit ruins of San Ignacio Miní before your return to Buenos Aires.
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