You will be picked up at the airport in Salta and be brought to a hotel from where your motorbike tour will start next day. You'll leave Salta southwards through the fertile Lerma Valley, which narrows into the canyon of the Quebrada de Cafayate. This beautiful canyon is striking for its red sandstone formations, weathered by wind and water to form bizarre shapes.
Through the sandy planes of the Calchaqui Valley, you ride into the town of Cafayte, visit the ancient ruins of Quilmes and ride your motorbikes up the spectacular “Small Hell” Pass. and dive down into the lush and green valley of Tafí del Valle, a village beautifully built around a small lake.
You visit the Menhir Park before riding down through tropical cloud forests to the sugar cane fields of the lowlands of Tucuman. After lunch, you have your motorcycles climb up the stunning gravel pass of Los Alisos to get to the wide open deserts of Catamarca. Then, on the famous Ruta 40 road again, you enjoy a pleasant motorbike ride along the Rio Santa Maria into Cafayate, the wine capital of Salta.
Then your motorcycle tour takes you along the Calchaquí River, through narrow gorges and broad valleys. You snake through the rough landscapes of the “Valley of Arrows” to get to the picturesque mountain town of Cachi, overshadowed by mountains over 6000 meters high.
You'll be riding your motorbikes through the National Park Los Cardones with its forest of thousands of cacti. Crossing the Cuesta del Obispo, you'll snake down from the Calchaquí Valley into the lush green Lerma Valley to reach Salta.
A twisting tarmac road through densely wooded hills takes you into the picturesque Quebrada de Humahuaca canyon. The road then winds over the 4000 meters high pass Abra del Condor to the remote mountain town of Iruya, lying in a narrow part of a deep valley, surrounded by colorful mountains and bizarrely eroded rock walls.
Hike into the mountains to a wonderful look-out point, from where you’ll have stunning views over the valley of Iruya. Heading north to the Bolivian border, you visit the historic church of Yavi and nearby rock carvings.
On the motorcycles again, you set out to the most extreme north western corner of Argentina to admire the national monument, Laguna Los Pozuelos, a lagoon at 4000 meters altitude, home to unique flora and fauna. Then you carry on to the Quebrada de Humahuaca where you visit the Ruins of Tilcara.
Climbing the twisty tarmac road crossing the Cuesta de Lipan (4170 meters), you reach the dazzling white salt lake Salinas Grandes, and after a short stretch of tarmac road, you hit a gravel track which takes you through a beautiful hidden valley to the viaduct La Polvorilla of the “Train to the Clouds”.
To end your tour, you’ve got a real motorbike adventure: you ride up the highest pass in Argentina, the 4895 meters high Abra El Acay! Snaking up the mountainside to the pass to enjoy the stunning views from five kilometers above sea level! The last part will lead you on good tarmac road along the tracks of the legendary “Train to the Clouds” through the colorful valley Quebrada del Toro.
Skill level
Intermediate
- Can ride for 3-4 hours
- Average riding experience
- Little assistance required
- Comfortable with extreme curves and leans
- Average experience with unsurfaced roads
- Steep ascents and descents
