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Bicycling Northern Argentina

Explore the colorful landscapes of Argentina on this guided bike tour.
  • Length 8 days
  • From USD$3745
  • Style/Level Classic 4.0
  • Countries Argentina
  • Begin/End Salta / Shuttle back to Salta
See related tours
Here’s an exciting opportunity to get a little further off the beaten path in Latin America. This tour presents irrefutable proof that there is a lot more to see and do in Argentina than visit Patagonia! Once home to a thriving Incan population, Northern Argentina enjoyed the prosperity that came with being located in the spectacular Rio Grande Valley. The area is part of the famous Camino Inca (Inca Trail) and a major trade and cultural route between Buenos Aires, Bolivia and Peru.

We’ll pedal through lush valleys, stopping to explore Incan ruins, deserts, cloudforest, and wine country. The grand finale is a ride through the twisted and dazzling geological formations of Quebrada de las Conchas.

***Extend this bicycle tour by 4 days. Click here to review our Bicycling Northern Argentina Plus! the Ruins of Quilmes.***

Is cycling in South America for you? Check out our What to expect: Cycling in South America page.

Highlights

  • Ruins of Tilcara–the Pucará, Salta, goat cheese tasting, Purmamarca’s Cerro de Siete Colores, the Mountain of Seven Colors, UNESCO World Heritage Site Quebrada de Humahuaca, Geological formations at Quebrada de las Conchas, Colorful deserts, Incan ruins, Rides through lush green valleys, quiet villages, and wine country

Includes

  • Shuttle to Salta airport at the tour end

  • 8 days, 7 nights accommodation

  • Guided tour in Salta

  • meals as noted in itinerary.

  • All Classic tour inclusions

Keep in mind

We work hard to maintain consistency across all of our tours, but some trips have unique differences. Here are some things to keep in mind about this tour.

Road surface quality varies significantly expect sections of rough chip seal and potholes. Because there are very few roads in this area we’ll shuttle in and out of towns to avoid traffic.

Some high elevations and strong winds are possible. Varying road surface quality.

Download Itinerary

We’ll send you a link to a full day by day tour itinerary that can be downloaded and printed so you can review all the details online and offline. This packet also includes details about what to expect on tour and arrival and departure details.
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Open all days
  • Total distance 383 – 463 km (236 – 286 miles)
  • Average daily distance 64 – 77 km (40 – 48 miles)
  • Tour style Classic
  • Tour level 4.0

Highlights: Salta, bike fitting, warm-up ride

We’ll meet early this afternoon in Salta. After introductions we’ll do a bike fitting, and take a short loop ride. Known to Argentineans as “Salta la linda,” or “Salta the beautiful” because of its delightful colonial architecture, pleasant weather and beautiful natural surroundings. We’ll be back in Salta in a few days so on your first day we recommend you enjoy the town square and lively city. Dinner is together this evening.

Meals : Dinner
 Lodging : Hotel Villa Vicuna

Highlights: Cycle through cloud forest, views of the Andes

Today we’ll shuttle to the suburbs of Salta to cycle through a cloud forest to the outskirts of San Salvador de Jujuy, capital of the Jujuy Province. Today’s ride highlights the contrasts of the area as you pedal in and out of a cloud forest with song birds, ferns and bromeliads before descending back into desert and cactus country. We’ll have a picnic lunch at the border between the Salta and Jujuy provinces. San Salvador de Jujuy offers tremendous views of the Andes range which run the length of Argentina.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch
 Lodging : Altos de la Vina

Highlights: Hike through the Cerro de Siete Colores

We have a rest day today on the bike. In the morning we will offer a 40 minute shuttle to Tilcara de Jujuy to visit the famous archelogical site of Pucara de Tilcara. And in the afternoon we will journey further north to Purmamarca, the town famous for its mountain of seven colors the “Cerro de Siete Colores.” Put on your walking shoes and join us for the 4 km gravel path around the colorful mountain, or extend your hike further into the hills. This small village is also a great place to wander and shop for souvenirs at the traditional market in the square. Potter, painter, and ballad singer Barbarita Cruz was instrumental in preserving traditional pottery methods by offering workshops for both adults and children. You’ll also find woolen goods, musical instruments, and traditional food like empanadas, and dulce de leche in numerous forms. We recommend visits to the church and cemetery, the 600+ year old Algarrobo tree. We’ll have dinner together this evening. Our hike today will be at least 4 km long (more for those who wish)

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 Lodging : Hosteria Posta de Purmamarca

Highlights: Cuesta de Lipan, Salina Grande

Today we shuttle 1h 15 minutes further north to Purmamarca, the town famous for its mountain of seven colors the “Cerro de Siete Colores.” Today you have a ride up to the great salt flats above Purmamarca. Considered one of the most epic and scenic rides in the region you’ll begin in Purmamarca at 2,325 meters (7625 feet), up the Cuesta Lipan to 4170 meters (13678 feet), downhill to the Salt Flats. The ride starts gently and offers stunning views from the first pedal stroke. The van will support the climb so if you decide to take a lift over the pass you can shuttle to the salt flats, or get back on your bike at the top and ride. There is nothing quite like the surreal feeling of walking in this immense basin of salt so we encourage everyone to give it a go! This afternoon we shuttle back to Purmamarca and our hotel.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch
 Lodging : Hosteria Posta de Purmamarca

Highlights: Guided walk of Salta

We shuttle back towards Salta today and then mid-morning jump on our bikes and pedal through the hills and back into town. Just before the descent into Salta we’ll recommend a great place for lunch where you can relax and enjoy views of the city. We’ll reconvene this afternoon for a guided walk of the city to learn about its pre-Columbian history.

Meals : Breakfast
 Lodging : Hotel Villa Vicuna

Highlights: Lush green valleys and quiet countryside

Leave the city for the quiet countryside and green valleys south of Salta. As you ride today notice the whitewashed colonial farm houses amid fields of one of the finest types of tobacco in Argentina. Our destination is the lake resort area of Dique Cabra Corral and our hotel tonight has a beautifully situated pool!

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 Lodging : Hotel Del Dique

Highlights: Spectacular scenery, Quebrada de las Conchas, Cafayate

We start our day with a shuttle before embarking on what some people consider their “most beautiful ride ever.” Decide for yourself as you pedal through the magical Quebrada de las Conchas, passing by geological formations eroded into forms such as the “Devil’s Throat,” the “Frog,” the “Amphitheater,” the “Monk,” and more. Take your time through the canyon as the late afternoon light creates an explosion of colors over the last 30 km. Our destination is the colonial town of Cafayate, famous for its wines and a base for adventure travel in the area.

Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
 Lodging : Hotel Killa Cafayate

Highlights: Tour ends – back in Salta

We’ll provide a shuttle back to Salta this morning. Buen viaje!

***Extend this bicycle tour by 4 days and join us to Bicycling Northern Argentina Plus! the Ruins of Quilmes.***

Meals : Breakfast

Visit our Tour Level page to learn more about terrain levels and how we determine day and tour levels.

  • E-Bikes in Argentina and Chile

    Surcharge: for 7 to 8 day tours the fee is $250, and for tours that are 9 days (or longer) the fee is $300
    Frame : Aluminum with front suspension
    Type : E-Bike (Chile and Argentina)

  • Road (Chile and Argentina)

  • Hybrid (Chile and Argentina)

Pre-trip planning checklist

Argentina travel planning page

See all trip photos

  • A really unexpected experience visiting a part of the world I had never considered before.

    Carey G., Seattle, WA – April 2022

  • Fabulous, challenging, fun, diverse. It was the experience of a lifetime.

    Falma M., Tuscon, AZ – April 2022

  • Wonderful, wonderful food including meals that were at the homes of local residents. Consistently good lodging. Excellent, friendly, helpful and knowledgeable guides. Much beautiful scenery.

    David S., Appleton, WI
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