Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Salta province

La Mitica Ruta 40 (the Mythical Route 40) is the nickname of “Ruta 40”. The highway, partly unpaved and loaded with hairpin bends, runs from the far north to the southernmost tip of Argentina. Endless desert plains, crystal clear lakes, glaciers, lush vineyards and the peaks of the Andes accompany the road. Route 40's highest point is almost 5.000 meters in Abra del Acay in Salta Province The 5.224 kilometers long “Ruta 40” connects the village La Quiaca in northern Argentina with the southern town of Rio Gallegos (at Punta Loyola) on the Strait of Magellan in Patagonia. The rugged roadtrip goes through eleven provinces and two provincial capitals, over twentyfour important rivers and along twenty natural parks !!! We only did the part of “Ruta 40” between Cachi and Cafayate. Although just 150 km it took us almost a whole day of driving on an almost completely unpaved road, which looked like a washboard in several places. "Ruta 40" - at least our part - is sometimes a wide straight road, many times very narrow and winding. Sometimes we drove along the edge of ravines, then again through a lovely green landscape. It was always hilly and went up and down all the time. Stones, dust and grit are everywhere. Despite all that, it was a great experience with a ride through a very impressive landscape - with the stretch through the Quebrada de las Flechas ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/48888910 ) as the absolute highlight - and along quaint small rural villages.

Los Cardones is a national park in the province of Salta, between the city of Salta and Cachi. The park has an area of more than 65.000 hectares, with hills and ravines at elevations between 2.700 and 5.000 meters. This national park was created in 1996, when it was acquired by the park administration from private owners. The national park got its name from the cardón (candelabra cactus or thistle), which is its dominant plant species. The column-like cactus plant has long been an important source of timber for rafters, doors, windows and more in the region. During its lifetime of 250 to 300 years the cactus can grow up to 12 meters. From Salta the park is accessible through the wonderful Cuesta del Obispo ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/48959158 ); after passing Piedra del Molino the straight road called Recta del Tin-Tin crosses the park with cactus groves on both sides of the road.

The Cuesta del Obispo (Bishop’s Slope) is a winding and steep stretch of Ruta33, located between the hamlet San Martin in the Escoipe Valley and the Piedra del Molino (PiP5) in the province of Salta. During more than 20 km the dirt road winds its way up with many hairpins to the highest point of the road - 3.348 meters above sea level - between Salta and Cachi. A grinding stoned, carved in granite gives the name to that place: Mill Stone. The slope was called Cuesta de la dormida del Obispo (Slope of the sleeping bishop), because in 1622 the bishop of the diocese of Tucumán traveled from the city of Salta to Cachi and had to spend the night uncomfortably in the middle of the slope. Later and with time the name was simplified to as it is known today: Cuesta del Obispo . (We did drive this road - which was quite an adventure - and were quite lucky with the dry weather. When it rains the road is often blocked for regular cars. We came across a couple of gauchos (PiP3) with their horses and made several stops, enjoying the fascinating landscape with grassland. One of them was a viewpoint towards Valle Encantado (PiP2).