I was in the home stretch of my journey spanning the entire length of the South American continent. Argentina was my final country, and Salta my first stop. I was still a long way away from the southern tip of Argentina, but hey, it was a start. I arrived in Salta after a long bus ride from San Pedro de Atacama. After a 6 AM wake-up call and a border crossing that seemingly took forever, I was wiped out. I crashed as soon as I got to my hostel, exhausted but excited. I was in a strange new land where the women no longer sported the Quechua attire that I’d become accustomed to in the last five months in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. The streets were filled with music and tango and I was eager to immerse myself back in the Argentine culture that I’d fallen in love with on my first trip here five years prior.

Is Salta Worth Visiting?

I spent about a week in Salta, and it honestly took me a while to warm up to the city. My time in the city itself was forgettable, but that’s more because I didn’t take advantage of everything it had to offer. I had McDonald’s more times than I cared to admit, and as The Partying Traveler, I definitely didn’t take enough advantage of the vibrant nightlife. Argentina would eventually become one of my favorite countries in the world. However, I played a little hard to get at the beginning. Salta had the misfortune of being home to my adjustment period, where I spent most of my time wondering how Western Union worked and not enough time at the boliches.

I’ll be blunt, I didn’t adore Salta as a city. My other backpacker friends had hyped it up so much to me, which may have led my expectations to be a little high. Outside of a three-block radius near the colonial city center, there isn’t much from a traveler’s standpoint. There were beautiful churches and stunning colonial architecture, but the real treasures of Salta lay outside of the city. A day trip to Cafayate, to Salinas Grandes, San Salvador de Jujuy, or any of the other astounding natural scenery is how to best allocate your time in Salta.

However, as a home base, Salta was more than satisfactory. I did love roaming around the city and finding new places for a late afternoon coffee. A week might be too long, but I’d recommend no less than three days in Salta. That gives you enough time to get your feet set on the ground in Argentina as well as do the must-do day trip to Cafayate and another day to roam around town.

How To Get To Salta

One of the things that originally attracted me to Salta was the fact that it was the only big city for miles and miles and miles. A bus ride to Cordoba or Buenos Aires from Chile or Bolivia would have been absolutely grueling, so why not make a rest stop in Salta? If you’re crossing over from Bolivia, Salta is about seven hours away from the Bolivian border. If you’re coming from San Pedro de Atacama, it’s a smooth eight hour ride from the border, although it is one hell of a beautiful drive. You’ll pass through salt flats and the rainbow mountains of Jujuy, among other breathtaking sights on the Chilean side of the Altiplano.

Regardless of where you’re coming from, bus travel is the most reliable and common way to get to Salta. Buses are more expensive in Argentina than elsewhere in South America, so you’ll likely have to pay around $50. Make that money worth your while and take it slow in Salta for a bit. Salta is a very cheap city, especially with Western Union exchange rates that often give you 30% more money than the official government exchange rate.

Where To Stay in Salta

Salta is home to a lot of hostels, ranging widely in price. I opted for one of the cheaper hostels, and was still surprised at how nice it was. I stayed at Salta Por Siempre (shows up as Hostel in Salta on Hostelworld) and loved it. It had a common kitchen, a beautiful outdoor courtyard, and decent Wi-Fi so it had all I needed. The only downside was that its location felt a bit sketchy, and the five block walk into the city center always felt way longer than just five blocks. They had a really cute cat that was the closest thing to a real-life Garfield that I’d ever seen, so that was pretty much a trump card.

Other places to stay in Salta seemed nicer, but were also more expensive. While Salta Por Siempre was about $15 a night, the nicer hostels I saw could run up to about $30. The other two I looked at were Prisamata and La Casa de los Poetas. Both seemed amazing but my budget did not approve at the time. From what I saw on Hostelworld, you’ll have about a half-dozen or so decent hostels to choose from.

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