Visit Salta and go horse riding in the Lerma Valley

We invite you to visit the city of Salta and its historic center, which is one of the most attractive in northern Argentina.

Then a wonderful horse ride awaits you, to the south of Salta where the Lerma Valley stretches out with its impressive hills and small ancient villages.

What is there to see in the city of Salta?

The picturesque city of Salta and its historic center is one of the most attractive in northern Argentina. Its architecture preserves its colonial characteristics, offering its museums, churches, historic buildings and villas for the eyes that seek the beauty of previous centuries that today it brings together with modernity.

Salta and its squares

Salta is full of public squares and parks that humanize this great city. In the heart of our Salta, there is the Plaza del 9 de Julio, where among the trees and the singing of the birds you can enjoy the colonial architecture of the city with its beautiful pastel-colored buildings. It is really a pleasant place to stroll under the trees when the heat is too high.

Museums in Salta to visit

Among the numerous museums, I want to mention the High Mountain Archaeological Museum (MAAM) which displays Inca objects found throughout the Andes. Here are the famous mummies of the three children who were sacrificed at an altitude of 6739 meters above sea level, near the summit of the Llullaillaco volcano. This is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of recent times, dating back more than 500 years, shortly before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

Salta's nightlife and its famous Balcarce Street are charming. Folkloric clubs are the cultural heritage of generations and invite travelers to learn about our customs and traditions that we Salteños proudly cultivate and preserve.

Gaucho Culture

Speaking of culture and customs, the most significant of our traditions is related to the world of horses. We Argentines love to ride and travel through our lands, which have a thousand aspects to delight the eye.

We take care of our gaucho culture and we are delighted to share it with you, with all the wisdom that we have preserved, developed and cultivated over centuries.

With these thoughts, we invite you to get to know the Lerma Valley on Peruvian paso horses that adapt to the rustic characteristics of our mountains and take you to splendid places with their gentle gait.

Lerma Valley

The Lerma Valley is located in the center of the province of Salta and extends to the west and south of the city of Salta. The valley is 62 km long and 30 km wide, with an average altitude of 1100 meters above sea level.

The Lerma Valley is bounded on the north by the Quebrada de Humahuaca, on the southwest by the Quebrada del Toro and on the south by the Calchaquí Valleys.

The second largest artificial lake in Argentina, the Cabra Corral Reservoir, is located in the area.

The Lerma Valley has small, very old villages with colonial houses and large estates dedicated to cattle breeding and tobacco cultivation.

They also offer incredible horseback rides through the beautiful hills, trekking and other activities for visitors. To highlight some important localities, we are going to visit Guachipas and Chicoana.

Guachipas - A charming village

Walking around the town of Guachipas and seeing its old colonial-style mansions around the square is magical. The Immaculate Conception Church is one of the most beautiful in our province. It was built by the Jesuits on a high point in the town.

Guachipas is one of the most gaucho places in our province. Its inhabitants maintain and respect traditions like no one else. Country life, working with animals and cultivating their fields is something you can see in every corner of Guachipas.

The Painted Caves of Las Juntas

This is one of the most impressive places in the province of Salta. It preserves some of the most important archaeological treasures in our country, Argentina, and is located 30 kilometers from the town of Guachipas. We are talking about the Painted Caves of Las Juntas, also known as the Caves of Guachipas.

In 1965, thirty-three cave paintings were discovered, dating from between 900 and 1470. This place was dedicated to the Sun. To access the caves, a path leads up to the caves in the area of Las Juntas.

These caves, together with the remains of indigenous cities built in different periods, are clear evidence of the degree of civilization achieved by the original inhabitants of what is now the Salta region.

In the paintings we can see abstract forms, but the predominant motifs are scenes and characters from daily life, religious ceremonies, warriors and animals such as suris, jaguars, birds, insects and llamas, which are anthropomorphic figures of a great diversity of shapes, colors and styles.

Diez Family Ranch

Continuing along the route on horseback, you can reach the Diez Family Ranch, used for rural tasks.

It is located in La Junta, which is part of the town of Guachipas, near the site of the Guachipas Caves.

It is an establishment dedicated to livestock production that has beautiful landscapes and wild animals such as condors in its grounds. We can observe and participate in the life of the countryside and the raising of cattle.

We will tour the Diez family's ranch on Peruvian paso horses to get to know the surroundings of the estate and its owners, who offer their hospitality for an overnight stay in their home.

Sajama

One afternoon we will set off for Sajama, entering valleys and gorges. This route can only be crossed on horseback.

We will be experiencing a magical adventure that only a few have the courage and bravery to undertake. During this journey, there is one night to spend in camp.

Chicoana, a traditional village

Chicoana is a small traditional town with old mansions, ideal for immersing yourself in gaucho traditions and enjoying Creole cuisine. It is located in the southwest of the Lerma Valley, 47 kilometers from the provincial capital.

Ampascachi Horse Riding Holidays has its equestrian center on the premises known as La Casa de Tradición where its Peruvian paso horses are kept, and it also functions as the headquarters of the Coronel Luis Burela Gaucho Squadron.

The hospitality of its people gives a special magic to this town and the ever-present gaucho culture makes it the ideal place for a horseback tour. In the midst of incredible landscapes, you will get to know a large part of the traditional culture of Salta. Touring it on horseback will make you feel part of this gaucho population of the Lerma Valley.

The San Pablo de Chicoana Church is beautiful. Inside, there are works of art from the Hispanic period. Among them, you can see Cuzco paintings from the 18th century, the crucified Christ and La Dolorosa, from the 19th century. The image of the Virgen del Carmen, its patron saint, is venerated in this church.

The Lerma Valley will surprise you with the range of colors present in nature. As you travel through this incredible place, you will see how the landscape changes from a very intense green to the red of the first mountains of the Calchaquí Valleys.

Visit the Calchaquí Valley

After returning on horseback from the Samaja area to the house of Estancia Diez, we leave our horses to continue by vehicle to Cafayate.

From there we begin a journey that takes us to Angastaco, Molinos, Seclantás and Cachi before returning to Salta via the Cuesta del Obispo, which offers a truly enchanting panorama of our landscape. Here you can visit the Esteco winery and the vineyards of the Piattelli winery, where they cultivate a grape variety characteristic of the north.

After the wineries, let's enjoy the incredible views in the middle of multicolored mountains and strange geological formations such as the Amphitheater, the Devil's Throat and the Toad that will surprise you. In the Quebrada de las Conchas, these magical places represent the most sought-after landscapes for those who visit us.

The Amphitheater

The Amphitheater is another of Salta's must-see places. Formed naturally, it is a mandatory stop for all who travel here. It has incredible acoustics, giving rise to renowned singers who sing their songs in this incredible place.

The Devil's Throat

One of the most picturesque roads in Argentina is Route 68. The mountains with their multicolored and strange formations surprise our visitors. Among all these incredible places, a deep and enclosed canyon: the Devil's Throat stands out with its imposing formation. It is one of the places that attracts the most visitors to our province.

Cachi

Cachi is a small town in the Calchaquí Valleys of Salta at an altitude of 2531 meters above sea level. It is located at the foot of the Nevado de Cachi mountain which can be seen from the town and on the banks of the Calchaquí River. It is known for its adobe houses and white colonial buildings. Its church of San José, in the center of the town, was built in the Spanish colonial era.

After visiting Cachi, we return to Salta - our starting point - along the Cuesta del Obispo, which offers breathtaking views. We will take with us thousands of images, experiences, smells and flavors that we will remember forever.