Jujuy, Puramarca, and the Salinas Grandes

The next morning after a good breakfast and strong coffee, we headed out for Jujuy, Paramarca, and the salt flat at Salinas Grandes.

It is hard to see in the image below, but you can just make out the snow capped Andes in the background. 

This was our route:

I zoomed way out so you can see how close we are to both Chile and Bolivia.

Here is the zoomed in version:

Our first stop was Jujuy. They have a spectacular cathedral there:

 Some amazing carvings

 and interesting colonial buildings.

This part of Argentina was administered by Peru back in the colonial days. This (actually Salta) was the southern-most extent of the Incan Empire.

And this is where the original Argentinian Flag was blessed by the church. It was designed by General Belgrano (seen below). You may recognize that name.

Off we went.

There were a number of Mirados (Scenic Viewpoints) and we stopped at many of them.

At this one there was a couple canoodling. We looked away.

As you get closer to Puramarca, you see these beautiful rock formations:

That green is really green rocks, not vegetation.

The pass was at 4,170 meters. That is 13,681 feet.  Very high for me. I felt bad. Doreen was chipper, as you can see below!

Something we did not expect to see was wild vicuñas! That was a treat.

We got to the salt flat, and it was salty. And flat.

The salt was layered

and they made bricks out of it!

They had a bunch of little kiosks there, all made from salt. I guess it doesn't rain very often.

This is what the road looked like:

Then back to those wonderful rock formations!

Incredible colors

This is above Puramarca

 and again

and again

You can see people on this red rock taking photos

A beautiful place.

Then back to the estancia for a well deserved rest with a cat and a glass of wine.

That evening, the owner of the estancia, his wife, and their four kids held a parrilla for us, complete with gaucho music and dancing. The food was great, the conversation better, and the dancing was very fun to watch. I would wholeheartedly recommend this place to anyone who wants to get away from it all.